• Price: $19.99 USD
• Developer: Mojiken Studio
• Publishers: Chorus Worldwide, Toge Productions
• Release Date: January 19, 2023

A review code was kindly provided by Stride PR on behalf of Mojiken Studio, Chorus Worldwide, and Toge Productions. We thank them for being able to cover something they’ve worked so hard on.

Content warnings: Depression, anxiety, suicide, “flashing imagery that may cause discomfort and/or seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsy,” animal death in one scene

I try to keep an eye on upcoming indie games that interest me, and A Space for the Unbound has been on my radar for a while now. It was created by Indonesian developer Mojiken Studio (we previously reviewed and enjoyed Ultra Space Battle Brawl, another one of their games). I’m excited to start A Space for the Unbound, which is a “slice of life” adventure game with mental health themes, supernatural elements, and that is set in rural Indonesia in the nineties.

The story focuses on two high school students: a boy named Atma and a girl named Raya. One day at school, Atma wakes up after having an odd dream. He can’t focus too much on the dream though, as their teacher demands that the two of them fill out a form detailing their plans for their futures beyond high school. Raya isn’t too enthused about completing this task, so she decides that they’ll come up with fun ideas for a bucket list instead. The items on the bucket list aren’t too difficult to achieve; one of their plans is to watch a movie together.

Atma and Raya go to the movies together and have a good time on their date, but when they get ready to leave things start getting weird. Cats invade the theater – which ordinarily I’d be on board with – except their presence has somehow caused the humans there to go crazy. They start acting like cats, jumping on furniture, and saying that the world will end soon. Fortunately, Atma has the “Magic Red Book” with him, which he can use to “Space Dive” into people’s hearts and resolve their inner turmoil when they’ve become unresponsive. The game’s Steam page describes it as “[diving] into people’s minds Inception-style.”

Although Atma and Raya are both the main characters of the game, for the most part you’ll only control Atma. When he Space Dives into a person’s mind, there will be a specific issue that is bothering them and that ends up causing trouble for other people as well. You’ll need to help them by finding hint(s) or item(s) that will bring them to their senses. Their minds won’t provide what you’re looking for, so you will have to return to the real world to look for clues. I’ve heard the expression “change comes from within,” but we all need a little external help sometimes.

Expect some obstacles when hunting for the item(s) you need, though. The path to the next area may be blocked off by something in the way, or you may have to sneak past someone or even defeat them in a fight. Hiding requires you to pay attention to someone’s movements and the timing for when they turn in your direction. The fighting mini game has you press different buttons as prompted to attack and then press a button at the right time to defend. I liked the mini game where I got to throw a toy around for a dog, and the eavesdropping mini game was interesting.

Other mini games and puzzles can be a little frustrating or confusing, such as the one where you have to do 50 kick ups in a row. I initially did not understand what I was supposed to do for that one, although I figured it out after some trial and error. Sometimes the clues for puzzles also did not make immediate sense to me, and I’d have to try many solutions that my mind thought should work before I ended up solving the puzzle. Most of the puzzles and mini games were pretty straightforward though. I especially appreciated how they didn’t make players repeat things like the hiding mini game when coming back the way we came. And when I failed at certain things, I really liked how I wasn’t forced to start from the very beginning again.

Once you get past whatever is in your way, the item(s) you require may be in plain sight and easy to get, or you may have to complete another task for someone else first. You might end up with multiple items in your inventory at the same time, and you’ll have to select the correct item when prompted. It’s generally pretty obvious which item you’ll need, which is nice. I really liked how solving problems involved bringing items and information between the mind and the real world.

And speaking of the real world, the game’s backgrounds show off the town’s variety of facilities and beautiful architecture. A pleasant soundtrack complements the setting quite well. There is a café, Internet café, arcade, grocery store, movie theater, and a school. (I especially liked the school environment.) As you explore the town, some items that you’ll find will correspond to a task on Atma and Raya’s bucket list. There are bottle caps for you to collect, which appear as something shiny on the ground. It seems like you can’t go anywhere in town without stumbling upon a cat, which I absolutely loved. You get to pet the cats and even choose from a few preset name options. (Warlord and Soap were some of my favorites.) I somehow missed two of the animals required for one task, but I don’t believe it affected the plot at all.

You don’t just gain material goods of some kind as you go along; you get to experience the story as well as a glimpse of Indonesian culture. For example, a woman in a hijab walked by me on the street – as of 2018, around 87% of Indonesians are Muslims. I was not aware that Indonesia is the most populous country with an Islamic majority. There are also vendors selling Indonesian food and drinks, such as legen and cimol. I even picked up a bit of information on the currency and music, too. The inclusion of Indonesian culture really adds to the game’s specialness.

Although this is set in the nineties, they still managed to include some more modern references and inspirations. They make a reference to She and the Light Bearer, one of their previous games (currently 70% off on the eShop). I noticed what seemed to be Phoenix Wright and Persona-inspired scenes, as well as what I am almost positive was a reference to a Panic! At The Disco song. I thought that these were fun additions to the game; the plot is more on the serious side, so I appreciated the occasional excitement or amusement at seeing things I recognized.

It is quite possible that you will cry by the end of the game – I know I teared up a bit. I’m not going to say if they were happy tears or if it was due to something sad, but for me it was a very emotional experience. Throughout the story, I’d try to come up with theories about certain characters and their relationships with other people, and what was really happening. Some things were confusing at the time they happened, but they made sense by the end. I don’t think I ever really predicted anything correctly, but it was fun to try.

The game lasts about 8-10 hours, which was enough for me to get attached to the characters and feel something when I watched them struggle. Atma and Raya confront bullies and must also deal with their desire to be accepted by others. These issues can have a serious effect on their mental health, and lead to potentially devastating consequences. A Space for the Unbound is really such a unique adventure/puzzle game with a very touching story about a mental health journey. Be sure to check the content warnings, and if you can handle the themes you’re in for a treat.

8.5/10