A Space for the Unbound review - A pixelated animesque adventure

I am unsure whether the developers of A Space for the Unbound intended to leave a hole in my heart or fill it with warmth and wholesomeness. Either way, it is difficult to describe what particular emotion(s) I feel having completed the title. However, I will try my best to convey how and why it left me with a sense of completion and yet yearning for more.

A Space for the Unbound is an indie adventure game developed by Mojiken Studio. It follows the story of two high schoolers, Atma and Raya, as they live through a series of surprising occurrences and deal with various issues and traumas. The pixel art style of the game is beautifully suited to the semi-open world map, filled with animals, inhabitants, stores, and many more buildings to explore.

How often I find myself appreciating the art and design of the game surprises me. As a painter, I could not help but take several screenshots during the walkthrough for future reference and inspiration. That said, it is likely that I may not have been as impressed if it weren't for the soothing and chill soundtrack featured throughout the story.

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There were multiple instances of me wishing that the game would just let me progress through the story and skip the puzzles. Consider this a good thing or bad, in my opinion, this is the effect of the sheer intensity of the story.

A Space for the Unbound features a gorgeous magical world supported by a strong and heart-warming story

As I progressed through A Space for the Unbound's story, I realized that it has the potential to be adapted into an anime. I remember hurting in a similar fashion over Makoto Shinkai's works like Your Name, Weathering with You, and 5 Centimeters per Second.

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A Space for the Unbound evokes a sense of loss, celebration, and unity. While the game was slow at times, I certainly could not stop myself from seeing it to the very end, and I'm partly glad that I did. Partly because I wished for a different ending.

Although, this is how it goes with stories as such; you don't always get what you wish for, but the experience is still fulfilling and moving.

Core game mechanics

A Space for the Unbound successfully combines combat elements, puzzles, inventory mechanics, and a semi-open world to create an interactive story-driven title. When I was at the early game stage, I had no idea that it would offer me so much - nothing less than a modern day game.

Pixel games have come a long way, and they now have more gameplay elements than older plot-heavy titles with similar art styles. A Space for the Unbound features the following menu options:

Objectives
Map
Inventory
Collectibles
Tales

Objective tab (Image via Toge Productions)

The map is quite big, and you may find yourself lost occasionally. Lively and vibrant, the world is filled with locals and animals at all times. Sudden weather changes (as the story progresses) also reiterate the beauty of the art style. I loved exploring the different streets, interacting with people, petting cats, and visiting stores along the way.

One of my favorite locations from the game would have to be the arcade. I spent hours trying to beat the high score and failed by a small margin every time, but it still didn't get frustrating. Instead, it made me want to invest more time into the mini-game so I could achieve a joyous sense of victory when I finally beat the score.

What is frustrating though is the puzzle system. Well, sort of. It's not bad to be honest, and it plays an integral role in the development of the game, but the puzzles can get too complicated at times. There were some that I enjoyed solving and others that made me beat my head against a wall. The latter just restricted the smooth flow of the story, if nothing else.

However, this is a subjective matter. I may have been dense while solving certain puzzles, and you may just end up enjoying all of them. That said, having to solve a large number of puzzles, at times, does take away some of the more fun elements of the game.

Combat

Combat is basic but fun in A Space for the Unbound. The fights may seem easy and impossible to lose, but they do get difficult. The arcade (as seen in the picture above) features a mini-game that follows the same mechanic, and I struggled to beat the high score.

So, combat just gets more fun and competitive as you progress. There are two kinds of prompts involved here: the timed input system (offense) and a precision-based stop mechanic (defense) where you have to stop the cursor at the green part while avoiding the red.

The combat isn't rewarding as such, but it adds a little variation to the text-heavy style of the game. Overall, I enjoyed beating up school bullies once in a while, and it was satisfying to say the least.

Soundtrack and background music

The soundtrack is one of the major reasons why A Space for the Unbound managed to keep me hooked. As Homelander from The Boys would like to say:

"It was perfect. Perfect. Everything, down to the last minute details."

That's how well the background music and theme syncs with the plot and game setting. There are different tracks for every mood, and Mojiken Studio manages to capture the essence of the game and express it perfectly through the beautiful sounds and cues.

In my opinion, the game would've been incomplete without the soundtrack and unable to stand out as much. It certainly added emotional depth to the bonds that the characters shared, how I felt about them, and how I wished them to turn out. Trust me, you're in for an emotional rollercoaster when you get to the outro song.

In conclusion

Final thoughts about A Space for the Unbound (Image via Toge Productions)

A Space for the Unbound features a lot of twists and turns in the narrative. While it is possible to predict parts of the story, most of it is probably going to keep you hooked. And if not for the story, the art style alone makes the title worth a shot.

Some of the tasks did get rather frustrating and repetitive, especially when the story would require me to travel across the map and gather items over and over again. I feel that the developers could've done better by adding fast travel options since it can get tedious to walk the same streets for the nth time.

Overall, I loved how close the game felt to watching a movie while still having room for players to explore their surroundings and indulge in combat. In the end, I was left feeling somewhat hollow, but there was a hint of wholesomeness and satisfaction at having completed the story. I can only imagine how pretty A Space for the Unbound would look if it gets adapted into a movie or an anime someday.