A supernatural slice-of-life adventure

In a rural part of Indonesia in the 90s, high school lovers Atma and Raya are preparing for their final school year. This means setting out their post-graduation goals, making the most of their last school days by skipping classes to watch a movie and, since this is A Space for the Unbound, face the end of the world. 

Indeed, some mysterious supernatural forces are at play that are threatening the stability of the world and gets our protagonist, Atma, to question his relationships and even his reality as he gains the ability to dive into people’s mind in a bid to prevent the calamity. What follows is an 8-hour, original slice-of-life adventure that deals with relationships, cats, dreams and themes of mental health.

An original universe rich in Indonesian influences

As an homage to the time period it is set in, A Space for the Unbound bears a retro, pixelated aesthetic. But that is not to say that it is visually sub-par. On the contrary, the scenes are rich in details and lively animations sprinkled with an extra layer of originality thanks to the Indonesian inspirations. 

The small town’s school, the street food stalls and local supermarkets all bear such influences that I, as someone not particularly familiar with Indonesian culture, found original and captivating; and these nuances will be even better appreciated by those who are more familiar with said culture.

  

On top of the backdrop based on the developer’s origins, A Space for the Unbound stands out with its original and touching story. While it deals with the heavy themes of anxiety and depression, developer Mojiken Studios masterfully handled the execution for the experience to be engaging and relatable. Even if it does take some time to progress initially, the character arcs are gripping through the text-heavy sequences that progressively elaborate on their personalities and motivations.

 

Gameplay that ties in with the exploration and slow-burn aspect

A Space for the Unbound focuses on the narrative as much as it does exploration; and the latter is left to the player. The game’s original setting further encourages this aspect by getting you to be curious and interact with your environment so as to learn more about the NPCs and items. Being inquisitive also helps by providing clues about items you'll need in your next quest and where to find them. These quests are quite colourful and varied, ranging from helping a martial arts sensei recall his passion to teach his students to tricking a security officer into lending you his ladder. 

 

Aside from exploring, you’ll get to complete some mini-games and be sent on a number of fetch quests. Some of the mini-games serve as homages to titles such as Street Fighter, Shenmue and Ace Attorney. They are not particularly challenging but are quite varied and keep the gameplay relatively fresh with a nice touch of Easter eggs.

 

However, the focus on fetch quests is often glaring in A Space for the Unbound. While they are original, getting you to swap back and forth between people’s dreams and reality to find clues and items, they involve quite some backtracking. There is no fast travel to alleviate this need but it does somewhat add to the slow-burn aspect of the overall execution as it gets you to be more inquisitive about and acquainted with your surroundings.

A gripping indie title to get through winter

With its 8-10 hour runtime and a slow-burn execution, A Space for the Unbound offers an original, gripping experience for fans of narrative-driven titles. Even if it is an indie title and might focus a bit too much on fetch quests, the story is well executed and the unique setting builds on the intrigue.  If you’re looking for a new, story-driven title to get through this winter, then you can’t go wrong with A Space for the Unbound.

A Space for the Unbound - Launch Trailer