Review | A Space for the Unbound

A Space for the Unbound Review | Get ready for a beautiful story, and an incredible adventure, you won’t forget as we follow Atma and Raya with their supernatural powers in A Space for the Unbound. Set in a small town in rural Indonesia, we are drawn into their relationship which the story is based around. As they approach the end of their school years, they are faced with not only a journey of personal self-discovery but one that could affect the world they know, threatening their very existence. While completing quests for your bucket list, you may just come across some unknown secrets and information, finding out everything isn’t quite as it seems. Learn from the world around you, explore different areas, and progress through a truly captivating story over eight chapters. A Space for the Unbound has been developed by Mojiken Studios and Toge Productions while being published by Chorus Worldwide Games, creating a story-driven title that will send you on an enchanting journey you never thought was possible. All that’s left to say is strap yourself in for one remarkable story.

What we Liked!

• Phenomenal story | Storytelling at its finest is present in A Space for the Unbound; I’ll try my best to explain without any spoilers. The beginning, middle, and end of the story all have different components that will take you on an adventure no one will be able to anticipate when starting their journey. It will have you forming friendships, questioning the world you’re in, drawing different conclusions, and so much more. With the mass quantity of content present, you get to view the story and all its details however you wish – I honestly don’t think there is any definitive end everyone will agree on. The emotion, topics, magical elements and overall story had my attention from the very first scene and I honestly didn’t want to the game to end. If there is any kind of sequel, if even possible, I would love to see whether the story continues and what the future may bring.

• Stunning pixelated visuals | I don’t know where to start with this point honestly because the appearance was alluring and striking in every scene I came across. Set in Indonesia, the 90s pixelated graphics with their beautifully coloured details and shading stand out everywhere you go and all have exceptional detail considering the simple style. The colouring and tones do change to depict emotions and/or what is occurring in the world to really drive home the mood the developers want the player to experience. I was stunned at how gripped I became by the visuals, in both gameplay and cutscenes, to the point where I couldn’t imagine the game having the same impact with modern graphics. Style, colour, detail – they all came together in harmony to create A Space for the Unbound.

• Smooth and dramatic audio | There are heartfelt moments and devastation in A Space for the Unbound and with them comes suitable audio that matches the energy of each moment you find yourself involved with. I can specifically remember aggravated and combat scenes having intense background music to increase the tension and other more pleasant ventures having tranquil background music that settles you into the incredibly scenic surroundings, making everything feel steady and hopeful. The sound effects all sound realistic and do add to the ambience of the world further. Finally, as I don’t think in any way this is a spoiler, there are some beautiful songs near the end of the game that moved me and definitely grabbed me by the heartstrings with their melodies.

• Cats galore! | If like myself, you are rather fond of cats, then you’ll love A Space for the Unbound. There are plenty of references to cats and they ultimately will help you in your quests. Multiple can also be found throughout the game and you can pet/name them whenever you come across them. Come on, who doesn’t love having the ability to pet animals in video games? We all know it’s a top selling point! As the game is set in rural Indonesia, where both the developers are based, they have set the game perfectly around the location and the inhabitants who live there. You’ll certainly see their affectionate side and what happens when the claws come out.

• Engaging gameplay | Combat, spacedives, gathering items, and puzzles, to name a few – there is something for everyone to enjoy in A Space for the Unbound and, when you combined everything, they make for a truly magnificent game. There are different qualities you will learn and be introduced to as you progress through the chapters, with each being used multiple times to keep the game feeling refreshing. I was happy doing a mixture of things as it consistently changed the flow to introduce extra content. The game does also get marginally harder with each passing chapter and, with that, makes everything more challenging. Not too difficult but enough to get your brain working.

• Balanced key elements | There was a mixture of cutscenes, gameplay segments, and miscellaneous events which are optional for you to complete. With all elements considered, they have been distributed evenly, making nothing monotonous when I made my way through the game. The gameplay kept me occupied with the progression of the story and just when I thought I needed a break or some explanation regarding events I had witnessed, I enjoyed some dialogue and/or cutscenes that provided me with just that. There isn’t too much or too little of any element and that makes the flow of the game’s story and quests incredibly satisfying. Perfectly balanced between active and sedentary gameplay in A Space for the Unbound made the pacing exceptionally easy to enjoy.

• Emotional rollercoaster | Yes, A Space for the Unbound had me feeling a whole spectrum of emotions from beginning to end, leaving me in floods of tears by the end because of how beautiful the game was. There are highs and lows, laughter and anger, and shocking events that make every inch of the game come alive; there was certainly never a dull moment. I can honestly say I haven’t felt this emotionally invested in any video game for quite some time and it was one of the most beautiful and surreal feelings I’ve felt that just left me completely speechless during multiple cutscenes and events.

• Raises awareness | When loading up A Space for the Unbound there is a warning that states there are depictions of depression, anxiety, and suicide to be aware of. That being said, A Space for the Unbound tackles these topics extremely well and raises awareness for each in such a way that you can take the time to really understand what the characters are experiencing and empathise with them in their struggles. It did give multiple characters unique personalities and, whether I liked them or not, I was able to identify with them on a deeper level and that made everything feel far more realistic. Incredible work again from the developers on including these difficult mental health issues and bringing their importance to our attention.

• Manual and autosaves | With both the option to manually save at a moment’s notice and a frequent autosave to help out when you may forget, it was always easy to take a break and pick up where I left off. With multiple save slots also available, you can make multiple saves across the chapters for any reason. I personally used them so I could return to one of the mini-games within the game that is required for two achievements. Nevertheless, it’s always nice to have the option to save when you choose to and multiple slots in which to do so. Thank you to the developers for including this.

Mixed Feelings

• Length and replayability | I’m only writing this point because I adored A Space for the Unbound so much that I didn’t want to end and wanted more reason to go back and play the game again. The game took around ten hours to complete, which I found to be a suitable length, the only reason to go back is to acquire any miscellaneous achievements you may have missed along the way (I believe I missed eight in total) and experience what I’m lead to believe is a different ending. While this does give me multiple reasons to complete the game again, which I’m definitely looking forward to in order to finalise my conclusions, more routes with differing story paths would have been incredible to experience and made even more playthroughs possible.

What we Disliked

• Nothing | I know, I’m just as shocked as you. I haven’t got a bad word to say about A Space from the Unbound which makes me ecstatic to write this point. Well, not to write it actually! 

How long to beat the story | Approximately 10-12 Hours
How long to achieve 1000G | Approximately 15-20 Hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Genesis Noir, When The Past Was Around, Echo Generation, Tell Me Why

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VicciVulpix

Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!