A Space For The Unbound review: a supernatural teen romance with a great sense of time and place

Indonesian studio Mojiken has been making games for many years. Most of them are less than an hour long. They are short, engaging adventures and include everything from digital fortune tellers, violin-playing owls and poetic folktales about potato-shaped forest creatures.

A space for the uninhibited was Mojiken’s first ‘big’ release in that sense, running around nine hours. What begins as a YA coming-of-age story about a small-town romance quickly gains remarkable momentum, and suddenly you’re faced with supernatural teenagers trying their best. power to prevent an apocalyptic catastrophe. Part sci-fi drama, part high school romance, A Space For The Unbound manages to have incredible weight and grandeur while also being deep, sweet, and honest. It was a victory.

A Space For The Unbound takes place in a small town in rural Indonesia in the 90s and follows a boy named Atma who, like all teenagers, is trying to figure out what to do with life. their own after leaving school. Atma is a somewhat likable person who doesn’t really mind his next class, let alone what to do with his future. However, his high school sweetheart, Raya, has other plans for him, as the two decide to make a list of things they want to do over the summer instead of worrying about their future. : go to the movies, look for the best movie in town. cat and eating a whole black forest cake were among other plans on their list. It’s like a great summer vacation for me.

However, that black forest cake will have to wait as the two discover that they have new found supernatural abilities. With the help of a mysterious red book, Atma has the ability to ‘go deep into space’ into people’s minds, seeing their inner thoughts and memories. Not only that, in an Astronaut style, he can also change their opinion by rummaging through their heads, helping them with their personal problems or in more dramatic situations, helping them out. dealing with past traumas of separation. Raya, on the other hand, has a generic, but very powerful set of X-Men powers, consisting of levitating objects, freezing humans in place, and altering the nature of reality. Criticize.

Ah, so we have two supernatural teenagers with amazing powers – love that – but what’s the point? It turns out that every time Raya uses her power, it starts to affect the rest of the town. Residents are starting to act strange and parts of town are glitching in and out of reality at random. There is also a giant crack in the sky that threatens to destroy the entire world. As Atma, you need to find a way to stop the entire world from collapsing, as well as help Raya, who seems to be the center of this epic rift.

“Makoto Shinkai’s films are the main inspiration here, but it’s more subtle than just aesthetics – it also has the sincerity of his films.”

It may seem like an ordinary, supernatural teen love story, but A Space For The Unbound is so much more. Mojiken mainly uses magical realism in their games here. The magical out-of-body scenes in a small Indonesian town take on an epic level, along with talking cats, magic books, the essence of memory and reality – it really elevates the story. in interesting ways. The developers have said that the films of Japanese director Makoto Shinkai have been a great inspiration here, but it’s more subtle than aesthetic – it also has the sincerity of his films. Its coming-of-age story is a bit cheesy at times, but it never crosses that line, instead becoming emotional and sentimental rather than corny. It also touches on some tough topics like grief, depression, bullying and domestic violence sensitively without being sassy. Coupled with a great setting, good pacing, and a satisfying bonus, this is a story that is, in two words, completely a slap. Alternatively, you might want to have a tissue or two ready for the ending, just say.

What really helps push the story forward, though, is A Space For The Unbound’s great sense of location. This is essentially an adventure game, and as such, you’ll run around town chatting with people, solving puzzles, and getting items to keep them going. It’s all pretty simple stuff, but the level of detail displayed here is exquisite, with Mojiken somehow making me feel nostalgic for a place I’ve never actually been to. On Atma’s itinerary, you’ll visit corner shops, internet cafes, ’90s arcades, bustling schoolyards, and makeshift noodle shops complete with wooden benches and tarps, socks and socks. Both are full of life and personality. There are also cats absolutely everywhere, and you can name and pet each of them, which is awesome.

Of course, fetching quests can be a bit tricky in games like this, but A Space For The Unbound has cleverly managed to avoid falling into any unwanted pacing. Mini-games like sneaking past the teacher as you try to escape the school, eavesdropping on conversations in a series of red-green-light buttons and even choreographed combat sequences help break the pace in your adventure, and there’s even a courtroom scene that gives the excellent impression of a brilliant Attorney at a time.

That is love of games and other pieces of pop culture from the 90s clearly visible, but there are a few instances where the praise for that nostalgia quickly turns into disappointment. For example, Atma will sometimes need to avoid falling objects by quickly stepping aside, but this can be difficult to do with any level of accuracy as running requires a somewhat confusing double tap according to your direction of movement. There’s also a particularly monstrous goalkeeper mini-game that I can’t quite figure out, but fortunately Atma’s soccer skills have never been put to the test in the main story mission.

However, these forays into more action-packed territory are pretty rare, and while they may be a hoax, they don’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the game in general. I really loved A Space For The Unbound by the time the credits hit, and its vibrant color palette really sells the game’s eerie and dream-like vibe – especially those that sky, my god. Let me tell you, those Shinkai clouds are at work, and those pinks and blues are eerily gorgeous. They make every backdrop look like a never-ending horizon. The town is not just a town in this respect. The pop of color and detail make it feel both alive and magical. Have your screenshot button ready because there are plenty of desktop backgrounds.

However, the best thing about A Space For the Unbound is that it needs a supernatural teen drama to give it real heart. Mojiken has been a master at telling bittersweet stories in miniature, but I am pleased to report that the feelings of desire, sincerity and seriousness were not lost in the transition to creating a Bigger game with bigger scope. A Space For The Unbound may be more ambitious than their predecessor, but it still has a distinctly Mojiken feel, and that’s something to be celebrated. What a great start to 2023.