This is an adventure game at heart, and as such you'll be running all across town chatting to folks, solving puzzles and obtaining items for them to advance the story. What really helps drive the story, though, is A Space For The Unbound's brilliant sense of place. Also, you may wanna have a tissue or two ready for the ending, just saying. Together with a great set-up, good pacing and a satisfying payoff, this is a tale that, in two words, absolutely slaps. It also deals with some tough subjects such as grief, depression, bullying and domestic abuse sensitively without becoming mawkish. Its coming of age story teeters on the edge of being soppy occasionally, but it never crosses that line, and instead comes across as more affectionate and sentimental than corny. The devs have said the films of Japanese director Makoto Shinkai have been a major inspiration here, but it's more subtle than just its aesthetics - it has the sincerity of his films too. Scenes of astral magic in a small Indonesian town have a degree of spectacle, and together with talking cats, magical books, and the nature of memories and reality - it really elevates the story in interesting ways. Mojiken’s staple use of magical realism in their games is out in full force here. It might seem like the usual supernatural, teenage love story, but A Space For The Unbound is so much more than that. "The films of Makoto Shinkai have been a major inspiration here, but it's more subtle just its aesthetics - it has the sincerity of his films too" Playing as Atma, you need to find a way to stop the entire world from collapsing, as well as help Raya who seems to be at the centre of this epic fracture. There’s also a giant crack in the sky that threatens to shatter the entire world. Residents are starting to act strangely and parts of the town haphazardly glitch in and out of reality. Just look at how gorgeous these clouds are.Īces, so we have two supernatural teens with cool powers - love that - but what’s the catch? Turns out that every time Raya uses her powers, it begins to affect the rest of the town. Raya, on the other hand, has a general, but very powerful, set of X-Men-esque powers that include levitating objects, freezing people in place, and changing the nature of reality. Not only that, but in a Psychonauts-style twist, he can also change their point of view by rummaging through their heads, helping them solve their personal problems or, in more dramatic situations, help them deal with compartmentalised trauma from their pasts. With the help of a mysterious red book, Atma has the ability to ‘space dive’ into people’s minds, seeing their inner thoughts and memories. That black forest cake will have to wait though, as the two discover that they have newly found supernatural abilities. It sounds like a prime summer holiday to me. His high school sweetheart, Raya, has other plans for him, though, as the two decide to make a bucket list of what they want to do during their summer break instead of fretting about their futures: going to the movies, finding the town’s fluffiest cat, and eating a whole black forest cake sit among other plans on their list. Atma is a bit of a loveable airhead, not really bothered with what class is next, let alone what to do about his future. It's a triumph.Ī Space For The Unbound takes place in a small town in rural Indonesia during the 90s and follows a boy named Atma who, like all teens, is trying to figure out what to do with his life after he leaves school. Part sci-fi drama, part high school romance, A Space For The Unbound manages to have incredible weight and grandeur while also being poignant, sweet, and honest at the same time. What begins as a YA coming-of-age tale about a small-town romance quickly gains remarkable momentum, and suddenly you’re dealing with supernatural teens trying to desperately stop a world-ending calamity. They're short, punchy adventures and cover everything from digital fortune tellers, violin-playing owl-men, and poetic folktales about potato-shaped forest creatures.Ī Space For The Unbound is Mojiken’s first 'big' release in that sense, clocking in at around nine-ish hours. Indonesian studio Mojiken have been making games for years. A Space For The Unbound's world-ending coming-of-age adventure holds incredible weight while also being sentimental and heartfelt. Mojiken's supernatural high school romance surprises in all the best ways.
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