A Space for the Unbound

by Aethyna Mar 10, 2023 | 1 Votes | 45 Played | 0 Reviews

10 rate

Genres:

Adventure

Graphics:

Labels:

Storytelling , Exploration

Platforms:

Publishers:

Toge Productions Follow the story of two high-school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, in a quaint little town of Loka in Indonesia in the late 90s, who decided to one day make a bucket list of fun things they want to do, but these are no ordinary teens though! They both possess superpowers that gradually shatter the line between fantasy and reality. Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Graphics/ Sound Conclusion

Summary

A Space for the Unbound is a 2D point-and-click adventure that’s played entirely on the keyboard. In this game, you follow the story of two high-school sweethearts, Atma and Raya in a picturesque little town of Loka in Indonesia in the late 90s, who decided to one day make a bucket list of fun things they want to do. However, as the story progresses, you’ll discover that Atma and Raya are no ordinary teens. They both possess some form of superpowers that, unbeknownst to them, will gradually shatter the line between fantasy and reality the more they use their powers.

Plotline

A Space for the Unbound have an overarching storyline where you’ll be helping (mostly) Atma and Raya fulfill their bucket list of things to do, which ranges from watching a movie to beating the high score at an arcade game, to even collecting unique bottle caps.

However, as mentioned before, both of the teens aren’t exactly your ordinary teens. Atma has a special red book that allows him to “spacedive” into other people’s inner selves to help them with whatever internal turmoil they are facing, while Raya has the power to alter reality at the cost of being weakened after every use of her power.

Unbeknownst to them, the more they use their powers, even for seemingly insignificant stuff, the more the line between fantasy and reality cracks, resulting in a destabilized, glitched world.

The game also touches on many common topics that most teens would encounter, resonate, and even struggle with, including school bullying, depression, social anxiety, violence, toxic masculinity, and more.

Gameplay

As a non-traditional 2D point-and-click adventure where entire games are played using only the mouse, A Space of the Unbound doesn’t actually require the use of the mouse at all. Instead, you’ll mostly be playing the game on the keyboard. For instance, you move your character, Atma, using the arrow keys. Interactions are mostly shown as a pop-up wheel where you can then go through all the interaction options that are available to you, including using an object that you have picked up before. Everything (there’s an exception that we’ll cover in a bit) can be done using simply the arrow keys and the Enter key.

The gameplay here can be quite linear as well. Unlike typical point-and-clicks where you’ll be able to pick up stuff way ahead of a puzzle that needs it, you won’t be able to do so here. Only when the objectives ask for an item will you be able to return to the spot and pick up the object, whether it is a container for some oil or a clock hand. This helps to limit the amount of inventory you’ll be carrying around with you at any time, making the “interaction wheel” UI more feasible.

Most of the objectives in this game are very straightforward too and are mostly fetch quests, asking you to go somewhere to get something. Sometimes, you’ll encounter obstacles, mostly in the form of mini-games, along the way, making the fetch quest a bit windier, but you’ll eventually get there. The obstacles aren’t typically too hard to resolve, especially if you’re observant and talk to everyone you meet whom may provide you with some helpful clues, and it’s easy enough to figure out what the game wants you to do.

The mini-games in A Space for the Unbound are quite well-varied and they do enhance the rather chillax gameplay by adding in some challenge. A perfect example would be the stealth mini-game you’ll first encounter when you’re trying to sneak out of school to bring Raya to the movies. It’s not all too hard to complete the stealth segment as long as you’re careful and don’t take too many steps at once. This stealth mini-game will pop up in later chapters too but in different contexts.

Besides some light math puzzles, there are also pop-quizzes where it’s possible to just Google for the answers and a fruit-collecting mini-game. There’s even a football kick-up challenge that you can take on if you’re up for it.

However, if I say so myself, the most entertaining, and challenging, mini-game is definitely its QTE-based fighting sequence. Every time a fight is triggered, you’ll then be shown a series of keys that you’re expected to press correctly within the short time limit given to land a blow. In the next round, you’ll then be required to block a blow from your opponent by landing the moving indicator in the green zone on the bar. These two stages of mini-games will alternate until you defeat your opponent… or you get defeated yourself.

Most of the fighting sequences that are tied to the storyline are quite easy to get through, but for players looking for a challenge, they can test their mettle at the arcade, beating the highest score in the in-game arcade game, Ultra Fighter. Trust me though, this is definitely easier said than done! The further you progress, the more keys you’ll have to tap correctly within the same and very short time limit. Blocking will get increasingly more difficult too, with you requiring to stop the indicator in an increasingly narrow green zone on the bar. The speed of the indicator thankfully remains the same.

From time to time, you’ll be given some dialogue options, but from what I can see, most of them time, they don’t really alter the storyline much, so there’s no need to replay the game to discover new story branches because there aren’t any.

To spruce things up a bit, the game has plenty of collectibles that you can find, two of which, the bottle caps and the five “YOMAN” letters, are tied directly with the objectives of the main storyline (a.k.a. they are in the bucket list). There are also plenty of stray cats that you can pet and name.

If you’re an achievement hunter, know that there are plenty of achievements that you may miss if you don’t use a guide since they can be rather unassuming sometimes. Most of these specific achievements require you to do a certain action at a certain time and since the game doesn’t allow chapter selection, there’s really no way to go back to a certain point in the game to get said achievement… unless you’ve got save files for every start of the chapter. Still, having to replay the entire chapter for an achievement you’ve missed can be tedious to say the least!

What really makes A Space for the Unbound stand out, besides its gorgeous pixel art and storytelling, is how it manages to successfully depict the Indonesian culture and quaint “kampung” (rural) lifestyle that I as a Southeast Asian myself can really appreciate, while adding in fun game references that gamers would spot in an instant! It’s really great to see more developers opting to feature their own cultures in their games, rather than just Westernizing everything in hopes of appealing to the Western market.

Graphics/ Sound

A Space of the Unbound is filled to the brim with breathtaking pixel art, backgrounds, and assets that are beautifully animated. If you’re a fan of pixel art, you’re definitely in for a real treat! In terms of sound, the game comes with a selection of amazing tunes that changes depending on the location, like being in a spacedive versus running about in town, and what you’re doing.

Conclusion

To put it simply, A Space for the Unbound is truly a gem of a game! Not only does it comes with a mystery-filled, emotionally-charged story featuring two high-school sweethearts with unique superpowers that’s gripping from start to finish, the game is also filled with fun (and sometimes, challenging) mini-games, fantastic pixel art, animations, and soundtracks, and the kind of quaint atmosphere that only a rural town in Indonesia in the 90s could provide. Definitely a recommend!

New Game Added: A Space for the Unbound

by Aethyna Mar 10, 2023

Follow the story of two high-school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, in a quaint little town of Loka in Indonesia in the late 90s, who decided to one day make a bucket list of fun things they want to do, but these are no ordinary teens though! They both possess superpowers that gradually shatter the line between fantasy and reality.