A Space For The Unbound

A Space for the Unbound only looks pixels deep, but it is a masterpiece for its breadth of storytelling, its authenticity, and how it tackles difficult topics, from cultural expectations, to mental health. As the game ended, it left me with a beautiful feeling of closure, accompanied by a hankering for cherry-chocolate-flavoured cake and Indonesian food.

Through the lens of magical realism, A Space for the Unbound takes a whimsical yet mature look at what happens when a community is under unexplainable distress. It shows you the effect one small action or one person can have. Factor in a beautiful art style, excellent storytelling, and a gorgeous soundtrack, and there’s no denying the superb quality of the content. You spend the entirety of the game making an impact on others, and I can easily say A Space for the Unbound has left a memorable and profound effect on me for years to come.

A Space for the Unbound is a narrative adventure about issues as important as they are difficult to deal with, but it does so with extreme tact and elegance through a particularly apt allegory. Despite some flaws in the gameplay mechanics, rather repetitive towards the end of the game, the story of Atma and Raya is one worth experiencing.

Part of the game’s charm is in the way it gives as much weight to building a home for a stray cat as it does playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a werebeast.

A Space for the Unbound is a pleasant surprise to me in many ways. I started out with a preconceived notion of what it would be about, only to have that turned on its head in a rather alarming way. The tale it tells instead is genuinely haunting and upsetting, but one with a powerful and altogether touching ending. I felt so many things by the time I saw the end credits, and I came out thinking about what an ultimately beautiful and moving adventure this title ends up being. If it strikes a chord with you, it may even help you see things from a different perspective; A Space for the Unbound is a truly memorable gaming experience.

A Space for the Unbound is one of those games that ends up having a considerable emotional impact on you, and this is not easy nowadays. A work that, even if you put on the greatest emotional armor possible, when the time comes, it will break you, it will make you reflect and draw conclusions such as how important the video game is as a medium and how unused it continues to be today in many cases. An adventure that, due to its message and the way it is told, should be in schools.

A Space for the Unbound gently reminds us of the value and importance of human connection through our words with dream-like, mindful storytelling.

A puzzle-filled, big-hearted adventure tinged with cosmic horror, A Space for the Unbound ushers players through a magnificent journey. It’s hitting every major console on release, so don’t miss out.

What emerges from the emotional wreckage is a paean to human resilience in the face of catastrophe, one that amply rewards your own perseverance. [Issue#382, p.113]

While A Space for the Unbound has a sweet and nostalgic playfeel, its deeper themes are heavier. The dragging storyline and lack of challenge in its puzzles can sometimes make it feel too long for its own good, but in the end it all comes together with a shocking reveal.

Is it perfect? No most certainly not, but neither are these characters and that’s ok too. You can love this game despite its problems and think it’s extremely important even if there are aspects of it you don’t like. People are flawed, and so is this game, but we can overcome that and still allow them to affect us deeply as we move on from them.

A Space for the Unbound is a mesmerising adventure. Dive into people’s minds and experience so much of Indonesian youth and culture through the eyes of Atma and Raya’s clash with the end of the world. Uninspiring minigames and simple gameplay aren’t its best features. Regardless, the stunning pixel-art visuals, animations, music, likeable characters and storytelling make this a game that will have you in tears.