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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox video game {{Infobox video game
| title = A Space for the Unbound | title = A Space for the Unbound
| image = A Space for the Unbound.jpg | image = A Space for the Unbound.jpg
| alt = A colored drawing with cartoon depictions of two high school students, a girl and a boy, in white and blue uniforms playfully running together down a hallway.
| caption =
| caption = Cover featuring the main characters Raya and Atma
| developer = Mojiken Studio | developer = Mojiken Studio
| publisher = {{Unbulleted list|Toge Productions|Chorus Worldwide}} | publisher = {{Unbulleted list|Toge Productions|Chorus Worldwide}}
| director = Dimas Novan Delfiano | director = Dimas Novan Delfiano
| producer = Eka Pramudita M.
| designer = {{Unbulleted list|Eka Pramudita M.|Elwin Lysander}} | producer = Eka Pramudita M.
| designer = {{Unbulleted list|Eka Pramudita M.|Elwin Lysander}}
| programmer = Ahmad Fadlillah | programmer = Ahmad Fadlillah
| artist = {{Unbulleted list|Dimas Novan Delfiano|Roland Melvin Z.|Wildan Rahmat R.}} | artist = {{Unbulleted list|Dimas Novan Delfiano|Roland Melvin Z.|Wildan Rahmat R.}}
| writer = {{Unbulleted list|Brigitta Rena|Galuh Elsa A. N.}} | writer = {{Unbulleted list|Brigitta Rena|Galuh Elsa A. N.}}
| composer = {{Unbulleted list|Masdito "Ittou" Bachtiar|Christabel Annora|Bambang Iswanto}} | composer = {{Unbulleted list|Masdito "Ittou" Bachtiar|Christabel Annora|Bambang Iswanto}}
| engine = ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.unity.com/news/made-with-unity-monthly-january-2023-roundup|title=Made with Unity Monthly: January 2023 roundup|work=]|accessdate=August 3, 2023}}</ref> | engine = ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.unity.com/news/made-with-unity-monthly-january-2023-roundup|title=Made with Unity Monthly: January 2023 roundup|work=]|accessdate=August 3, 2023|archive-date=June 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606030402/https://blog.unity.com/news/made-with-unity-monthly-january-2023-roundup|url-status=live}}</ref>
| platforms = {{ubl|]|]|]|]|]|]}} | platforms = {{ubl|]|]|]|]|]|]}}
| released = January 19, 2023 | released = January 19, 2023
| genre = ] | genre = ]
| modes = ] | modes = ]
}} }}
'''''A Space for the Unbound''''' is an Indonesian ] developed by Mojiken Studio and published by Toge Productions. It was released on January 19, 2023, for ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The game is set in the late 1990s and follows Atma and his girlfriend Raya, who live in a suburban area in ], as they explore their newly attained magical abilities and deal with supernatural powers that threaten their existence. '''''A Space for the Unbound''''' is an ] developed by Mojiken Studio and published by Toge Productions. It was released on January 19, 2023, for ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The game is set in the late 1990s and follows Atma and his girlfriend Raya, who live in a suburban area in ], as they explore their newly attained magical abilities and deal with supernatural powers that threaten their existence.


The game designer's focus was capturing what it felt like to grow up in Indonesia in the 1990s and preserving his memories as an Indonesian through the game. The game received positive reception from critics, with reviews focusing on the game's solid sense of place and heartfelt story. The game director's focus was capturing the experience of growing up in Indonesia in the 1990s and preserving his memories as an Indonesian through the game. The game's release was initially planned for 2020 but was delayed due to a conflict within the game publishers. The game received positive reception from critics, particularly on its solid sense of place and heartfelt story.


== Gameplay == == Gameplay ==
]style.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Bowling |first=Audra |date=January 24, 2023 |title=A Space for the Unbound Review |url=https://www.rpgfan.com/review/a-space-for-the-unbound/ |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=RPGFan |language=en-US}}</ref>]] ]style.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Bowling |first=Audra |date=January 24, 2023 |title=A Space for the Unbound Review |url=https://www.rpgfan.com/review/a-space-for-the-unbound/ |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=RPGFan |language=en-US |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201201743/https://www.rpgfan.com/review/a-space-for-the-unbound/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|alt=Screenshot of the game featuring Raya, a short-haired high school student, sitting on a classroom chair, facing sideways, and looking toward the player.]]
The player controls Atma, an ]n high school student who is getting close to graduation with his girlfriend Raya.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Watts |first=Rachel |date=January 18, 2023 |title=A Space For The Unbound review: a supernatural teen romance with a wonderful sense of time and place |language=en |website=] |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-review |access-date=February 1, 2023}}</ref> Through the powers of a red book that Atma finds, he gains the ability to "space dive" into people's minds and help fix their problems through puzzles that the player completes.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Lowell |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Review: A Space For The Unbound - A Beautifully Rendered, Breathtaking Adventure Game |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/a-space-for-the-unbound |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=] |language=en-GB}}</ref> These changes can affect the person's point of view and help them deal with their trauma.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> His girlfriend Raya, through the same book, gains "]-esque powers", including ] and changing the nature of reality.<ref name=":0" /> They face the issues that come from their new powers and investigate the supernatural forces that threaten their existence.<ref name=":0" /> Later on, Atma obtains a magic wand and gains the ability to "rift dive" to another time in a location.


Throughout the game, the player is able to interact with people, objects, and cats.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Most of the game is at a slower pace and involves exploring and talking with people through ] gameplay.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The game features several ] that help ground the game in its place and time, like practicing ] and dodging falling objects with button inputs; fighting minigames which involve ] to attack and pressing the button when the moving bar hit the target. The game also features a number of cats, which the player can pet and name.<ref name=":1" /> ''A Space for the Unbound'' is a two-dimensional ] video game.<ref name=":9" /> The player controls Atma, an Indonesian student. His girlfriend is Raya; both are soon going to graduate from high school.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Watts |first=Rachel |date=January 18, 2023 |title=A Space For The Unbound review: a supernatural teen romance with a wonderful sense of time and place |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726160757/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-review |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> Throughout the game, the player can move left or right and can interact with people, objects, and animals by directing Atma to walk or run toward them.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="NWR" /> Most of the game is at a slow pace and involves exploring the town, talking with people, and picking up objects to move them through ] gameplay to solve puzzles.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="NWR" /> The game features ] such as practicing ], dodging falling objects with button inputs, and fighting minigames that involve ] to attack and timed button presses to block attacks.<ref name=":6" /> Various game sections involve stealth mechanics and cross-examination scenes similar to ].<ref name=":0" /> The game also features cats, which the player can pet and name.<ref name=":1" /> <!--Prompting dialogue between Atma and a person can provide clues in solving a puzzle or trigger joke dialogue-->

Through the powers of a red book that Atma finds, he gains the ability to "space dive" into people's minds and help fix their problems through puzzles that the player completes. Solving the puzzles during the space dive can affect the person's point of view and help them deal with their trauma, which allows the player to continue to story.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Lowell |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Review: A Space For The Unbound - A Beautifully Rendered, Breathtaking Adventure Game |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/a-space-for-the-unbound |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=] |language=en-GB |archive-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206093920/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/a-space-for-the-unbound |url-status=live }}</ref> Atma also obtains a magic wand later in the game and gains the ability to "rift dive" to another time in a location, which is used to solve puzzles and advance the plot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borrayo |first=Laura |date=January 29, 2023 |title=Review: A Space for the Unbound |url=https://gamerescape.com/2023/01/29/review-a-space-for-the-unbound/ |website=Gamer Escape}}</ref>


== Plot == == Plot ==
⚫ Atma and his girlfriend Raya, high school students in an Indonesian suburban city, create a bucket list of activities and start by watching a movie. Atma dreams of writing a story with a young girl named Nirmala, who gives him a red book that allows him to "space dive" and enter people's minds. In each dream, he drowns while trying to save Nirmala and then wakes up at his school desk.
{{Long plot|date=April 2023}}
Atma and his girlfriend Raya, who are both ]n high school students, are close to graduation and unsure of what to do with their futures. Instead of discussing with their school counselor their plans for the future, they instead opt to create a bucket list of things they wish to do together, with the first item being to go see a movie at the cinema.


During their cinema outing, Raya reveals her reality-altering powers, creating a world based on the film Cat Wonderland. The couple is warned of an impending apocalypse, prompting them to escape back to reality. Atma notices the cinema staff behaving like cats and uses his space diving ability to restore their sanity. Raya collapses shortly after and a crack appears in the sky, signaling an anomaly.
⚫ Throughout the game, Atma frequently dreams of spending time writing a story with a young girl named Nirmala, who gives him a red book that allows him to "Spacedive" and enter people's minds. All of these dreams end in him apparently drowning trying to save Nirmala and waking up at his school desk.


Later, Raya collapses again while trying to halt the anomaly. With help from Admiral, their adopted cat who gains the ability to speak, Atma prepares a cake to restore Raya's strength. Erik, a school bully, accidentally kills Admiral, takes the cake, and knocks out Atma. When Atma catches up to Erik and space dives into his mind, he uncovers Erik's abusive upbringing. Nirmala appears, ejects Atma from Erik's mind, and turns Erik into a monster. Raya restores Erik but seemingly kills him before fainting again as the crack in the sky expands.
At the cinema, Raya reveals to Atma she is capable of reality-manipulating powers, conjuring a world inspired by the movie called Cat Wonderland, which is populated by cats. However, the cats suddenly begin to warn them that the end of the world is near. In a panic, Raya exits Cat Wonderland and collapses from exhaustion, revealing that frequent use of her power renders her in a state of weakness. Back in the real world, Atma discovers that the cinema staff have begun behaving strangely and acting like cats. By using Spacediving to enter their minds, he restores them to normal. Outside, Raya falls unconscious as a crack appears in the sky.


Atma reawakens to find Raya missing and the school preparing for a festival. He discovers that Raya has altered the townspeople's minds in retaliation for past mistreatment. With help from his classmate Lulu, Atma restores them to normal. Raya, overwhelmed by the pressure of organizing the festival and trying to escape her trauma, has been rewriting reality. Nirmala transforms Lulu into a monster during a space dive. Atma finds Raya on a bridge, where she seemingly kills Lulu and reveals her intent to control the town. When Atma attempts to space dive into her mind, Raya destroys the book and summons a meteor to crash into the city.
Some time later, Atma reawakens at his school desk and discovers Raya is seemingly well. However, she collapses again after attempting to stop the anomaly that had appeared in the cinema, and is escorted away by a teacher, Miss Niken. With help from Admiral, a cat whom Atma and Raya adopted who has suddenly developed the ability to speak, Atma seeks out to find a black forest gateaux -Raya's favourite dessert- to restore her strength. However, as the cake is ready, Erik, a gang leader and bully from Atma's school, runs over and kills Admiral. In a panic, Erik knocks out Atma and takes the cake for himself to deliver to Raya as an apology. Upon catching up to Erik at their school, Atma uses Spacedive on him, revealing his demeanor is a result of abuse from his father, leading to a desire to show no weakness out of belief it makes him stronger. As Atma is about to exit Erik's mind, Nirmala suddenly appears, ejecting Atma back into the outside world and simultaneously turning Erik into a werewolf-like monster. Raya intervenes, returning Erik to his normal form but disregarding his apologies; she seemingly kills him before eating some of the cake and passing out again. Outside, the crack in the sky grows larger.


Atma wakes up in the city's ruins while the festival continues undeterred. With Marin's help, Atma reaches the school and protects her from Raya. In a space dive dimension, Atma learns that Marin was once close with Raya but distanced herself after doubting Atma's existence. Nirmala turns Marin into a monster, and Raya destroys her before passing out. Atma retrieves the space diving book and enters Nirmala's mind.
Atma reawakens only to discover that Raya is missing and the school is busy preparing for the Lintang festival. Atma discovers that any attempts to ask about Raya's whereabouts result in the person being asked looping their words then pretending nothing had happened. Moreover, teachers have suddenly begun acting bizarrely and taking on different personas. With help from classmate Lulu, Atma engages in confrontations with the affected teachers and citizens, restoring them to normal; in the process, he discovers that they had chastised Raya in some way, leading her to rewrite their personalities in retaliation. Atma also learns that Raya, being class president, was tasked with organizing the festival, but failed to meet expectations and was under immense pressure as a result. Nirmala appears once again during a Spacedive and transforms Lulu into a humanoid swan.


⚫ A flashback reveals that the game's events occurred within Raya's mind and that Nirmala and Raya are the same person: Raya Fitri Nirmala. As a child, Raya met Atma, who had run away from home to start a career in writing, and the two became friends. One day, Atma, being unable to swim, drowned trying to save Nirmala. Raya, in a moment of resentment, separated "Nirmala," a representation of her hope and positivity, from herself and blames herself for Atma's death. Raya's inner conflict, compounded by her abusive father, led Nirmala to turn people who wronged Raya into monsters.
Atma finds Raya alone on a bridge overlooking the city; she seemingly kills Lulu and reveals she exerted control over the town and organized the festival because she wanted to be happy with Atma. Atma attempts to Spacedive her, but upon realizing what he is about to do, Raya destroys the book and causes a large blue meteor to crash upon the city.


Atma space dives into Raya's mind and learns of her abusive father and that the story he and Nirmala wrote was an allegory for her life. Atma and Raya's mother guide her through her traumatic memories and convince her to confront her fears. Raya accepts her past and ascends from the dream world, leaving Atma behind as a memory.
Atma awakens to find the city in ruins and debris raining down from the sky; despite this, the city's people continue to celebrate the festival. Marin, a quiet classmate of Atma, rescues him and takes him to safety, giving him a wand that allows him to access alternate timelines due to the weakened state of the universe. Upon reaching the ruins of the school, Atma discovers Marin and Raya fighting and protects her from Raya's powers. He finds himself in a Spacedive dimension and learns that Marin was once close friends with both Nirmala and Raya. However, she grew distrustful after learning about Atma, convinced he was an imaginary friend, and eventually neglected to protect her as she faced harassment and bullying at school. Nirmala turns Marin into a humanoid snail and Raya destroys her before falling unconscious. Atma finds the Spacediving book on her, allowing him to enter her mind.


Raya, now visibly older, awakens in a hospital bed to the real world, having recovered from an unstated incident. Her mother, now separated from her spouse, plans to move the family to a new city. She has one last walk around the neighborhood, reflecting on her journey and healing. If the player completes all the items on the bucket list, a post-credits scene shows Raya visiting the spot where Atma died, leaving a bouquet and the space diving book.
⚫ In a flashback, it is revealed that the game's events took place inside Raya's mind and that Nirmala and Raya are the same person, with her full name being Raya Fitri Nirmala. As a child, Raya met Atma, who had run away from home seeking to start a career in writing, and the two became friends. One day, Atma drowned trying to save Nirmala, being unable to swim himself. Raya, who was facing abuse from her father, in a moment of resentment separated "Nirmala" from herself, representing her hope and positivity and believing her to be at fault for Atma's death. Since then, Nirmala had been turning people who had wronged Raya into monsters, trying to get her attention.


⚫ == Development ==
Atma finds himself in a shattered dream-like world, and with help from Bosque, Raya's second cat, finds Raya, who has transformed into a giant blue form. After realizing she believes exerting control is a solution to the life of abuse and hatred she has suffered, Atma attempts to convince her to return to the real world with him, to no avail. After avoiding an onslaught of attacks from Raya, her insecurities and traumatic memories of those who had abused her accumulate, allowing Atma to enter her mind.
Dimas Novan Delfiano, Mojiken Studio member and game director for ''A Space for the Unbound'', started development on the title in 2015. A team of two to three people began work on the game while the studio developed other games concurrently. Dimas completed an initial prototype of the story in 2015, which served as a core for what would be developed. Dimas found the first few years of development incredibly difficult, as he struggled to build a substantial game from the prototype. In 2019, Dimas noted that he had found the "right formula for the game" and Mojiken released a demo that "was released to positive reception" on January 23, 2020. Around the same year, everyone at the studio (numbering about 12–14 people) were reallocated to work on the game.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=January 28, 2023 |title=A Space for the Unbound Took Me on an Emotional, Nostalgic Anime Pilgrimage |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-took-me-on-an-emotional-nostalgic-anime-pilgrimage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206072440/https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-took-me-on-an-emotional-nostalgic-anime-pilgrimage |archive-date=December 6, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=洋ナシ |author-mask= |date=2020-06-28 |title=インドネシアの片田舎を舞台に、少年少女が終末の謎に迫るADV『A Space for the Unbound 心に咲く花』 |trans-title=BitSummit Gaiden is the focus of this work: ADV "A Space for the Unbound: Flowers that Bloom in the Heart" is set in the Indonesian countryside and follows a boy and girl who approach the mystery of the end of the world |url=https://jp.ign.com/a-space-for-the-unbound/44840/preview/bitsummit-gaidenadva-space-for-the-unbound |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=IGN Japan |language=ja |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127015246/https://jp.ign.com/a-space-for-the-unbound/44840/preview/bitsummit-gaidenadva-space-for-the-unbound |url-status=live }}</ref>


Dimas wanted to create a game set in an Indonesian high school from a young age and was inspired by the concept of an "]," where people travel to compare real-life locations to their anime-depicted counterparts. He wanted to highlight his experience of growing up in 1990s ] and wanted players to feel the same passage of time he experienced.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Katharine |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Coming of age: How A Space For The Unbound is paying tribute to childhood, nostalgia and Indonesian culture |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/coming-of-age-how-a-space-for-the-unbound-is-paying-tribute-to-childhood-nostalgia-and-indonesian-culture |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201201736/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/coming-of-age-how-a-space-for-the-unbound-is-paying-tribute-to-childhood-nostalgia-and-indonesian-culture |url-status=live }}</ref> Dimas was also inspired by another Japanese concept during development, including "]".<ref name=":2" /> The game was heavily inspired by the works of Japanese filmmaker ],<ref name=":0" /> and the setting is inspired by locations in ], the city Dimas grew up in.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sagir |first=Aqraa |date=May 3, 2024 |title='A Space For The Unbound': Trailblazing with cultural identity |url=https://weekender.thejakartapost.com/the-weekend-digest/2024/05/03/a-space-for-the-unbound-trailblazing-with-cultural-identity.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227092146/https://weekender.thejakartapost.com/the-weekend-digest/2024/05/03/a-space-for-the-unbound-trailblazing-with-cultural-identity.html |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> He stated that the game was a preservation of his own memories growing up.<ref name=":2" /> The developers consulted professionals to accurately depict anxiety and depression in the story. The space diving mechanic was created to help explore these themes in more detail.<ref name=":3" />
Atma finds himself in a memory of Raya's home and learns her father became abusive due to increasing debt and disapproving of her creative endeavors, and that the story he and Nirmala wrote was an allegory for her life. He convinces Raya that attempting to manufacture her own happy ending is only hurting her more and that she must face her fears head on. He leads her through a dark cave populated by those who had bullied her. At the end of the tunnel, the ground suddenly begins to crumble and Raya seemingly begins to float upwards. Realizing Raya must let go of her past, Atma says farewell to her as he fades into a memory and she ascends out of the dream world.


== Release and publishing conflict ==
Sometime later, Raya -now visibly older- awakens in a hospital bed, having recovered from an unstated incident. Her mother had recently divorced her father and is in the process of clearing out the house to move to another city. She goes out for one last walk around the neighborhood, encountering various people from throughout her life, and watches the sun set on the bridge, reflecting on her journey and healing.
''A Space for the Unbound'' was announced to be released in late 2020. Chorus Worldwide published the video game in Japan<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 14–21, 2020 |title=A Space for the Unbound 心に咲く花 |magazine=Weekly Famitsu |pages=18–20 |language=ja |issue=1639/1640}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2020-04-29 |title=Slice-of-life adventure game A Space for the Unbound coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch this winter |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/04/slice-of-life-adventure-game-a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-to-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-this-winter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512085944/https://www.gematsu.com/2020/04/slice-of-life-adventure-game-a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-to-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-this-winter |archive-date=May 12, 2020 |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}}</ref> and British video game publisher PQube Games was the global publisher of the console version. The developers postponed the release to the Q3 period of 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2020-08-25 |title=A Space for the Unbound delayed to Q3 2021, published by PQube |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-to-q3-2021-published-by-pqube |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=October 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018132510/https://www.gematsu.com/2020/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-to-q3-2021-published-by-pqube |url-status=live }}</ref> then in April 2021, the game was announced to be released sometime in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bashir |first=Dale |date=2021-04-26 |title=New Mechanics and Characters for 'A Space for The Unbound' Revealed |url=https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/171290/news/new-mechanics-and-characters-for-a-space-for-the-unbound-revealed |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=IGN Southeast Asia |language=en-sg |archive-date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018173920/https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/171290/news/new-mechanics-and-characters-for-a-space-for-the-unbound-revealed |url-status=live }}</ref>


As part of the promotion of ''A Space for the Unbound'', Mojiken Studio and Toge Productions collaborated with Indonesian comics publishing company ''Kosmik'' to create a ] titled ''A Space for the Unbound: Broken Memories''. The webcomic was released on the ] application on May 20, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ayman |first=Zaref |date=2022-05-19 |title=Webcomic For A Space for the Unbound Coming This Week |url=https://sea.ign.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-pc/185533/news/webcomic-for-a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-this-week |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=IGN Southeast Asia |language=en-sg |archive-date=February 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210135818/https://sea.ign.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-pc/185533/news/webcomic-for-a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-this-week |url-status=live }}</ref>
If the player managed to complete all items on the bucket list, a bonus post-credits scene shows Raya visiting the spot where Atma died and leaving him a bouquet of flowers and the Spacediving book in his memory.


On August 24, 2022, Toge Productions and Mojiken Studio stated on ''A Space for the Unbound'' official social media accounts that PQube Games had allegedly taken advantage of Toge Productions and Mojiken Studio to obtain diversity funds from "a well-known gaming console platform", a grant fund reserved for assisting under-represented game developers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about the funds was then withheld by PQube Games to "negotiate the increase of their revenue share."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2022-08-24 |title=Indonesian developer accuses one of Guilty Gear's publishers of exploitation |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23319884/pqube-games-a-space-for-the-unbound-mojiken-studio |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806063859/https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23319884/pqube-games-a-space-for-the-unbound-mojiken-studio |archive-date=August 6, 2024 |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> They denied the allegations, stating that Toge Productions had imposed unreasonable revisions to their agreement terms and that the allegations were the aftermath of Toge Productions's failure to reach the desired agreement. As a result of the conflict, Toge Productions postponed the initial release of the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2022-08-24 |title=A Space for the Unbound delayed as developers accuse western console publisher PQube of "predatory practices" |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-as-developers-accuse-western-console-publisher-pqube-of-predatory-practices |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325054501/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-as-developers-accuse-western-console-publisher-pqube-of-predatory-practices |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Dinsdale |first=Ryan |date=2022-10-14 |title=A Space For The Unbound Finds New Publisher Following Funding Fall Out |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-indefinitely-funding-dispute-pqube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113062346/https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-delayed-indefinitely-funding-dispute-pqube |archive-date=November 13, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> The conflict was resolved when a joint agreement was reached between Toge Productions, Mojiken Studio, PQube Games, and Chorus Worldwide. In the agreement, PQube Games provided their grant fund as previously promised, returned the publishing rights to Toge Productions, and handed over the global publishing rights for the console version to Chorus Worldwide.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2022-10-14 |title=A Space for the Unbound – Chorus Worldwide becomes global publisher for console versions |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/10/a-space-for-the-unbound-chorus-worldwide-becomes-global-publisher-for-console-versions |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025050519/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/10/a-space-for-the-unbound-chorus-worldwide-becomes-global-publisher-for-console-versions |url-status=live }}</ref>
⚫ == Development ==
Dimas Novan Delfiano, the game director from the development studio Mojiken for ''A Space for the Unbound'', began development on the title in 2015. A team of two to three people began work on the game while the studio also developed multiple other games simultaneously.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=January 28, 2023 |title=A Space for the Unbound Took Me on an Emotional, Nostalgic Anime Pilgrimage |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-took-me-on-an-emotional-nostalgic-anime-pilgrimage |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> Dimas completed an initial prototype of the story in 2015, which served as a core for what would be developed.<ref name=":2" /> Dimas found the first few years of development incredibly difficult, as he struggled to build a substantial game from the beginnings of the prototype.<ref name=":2" /> In 2019, Dimas noted that he had found the "right formula for the game" and Mojiken released a demo that "was released to positive reception" in 2020.<ref name=":2" /> Around 2020, everyone at the studio (numbering about 12-14 people) were able to shift focus to working on the game.<ref name=":2" />


After the agreement, the game's developers released a new trailer as part of Nintendo's ''Indie World Showcase'' video,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plant |first=Logan |date=2022-11-09 |title=Nintendo Switch Indie World Showcase November 2022: Everything Announced |url=https://sea.ign.com/aka/192326/news/nintendo-switch-indie-world-showcase-november-2022-everything-announced |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=IGN Southeast Asia |language=en-sg |archive-date=May 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502142421/https://sea.ign.com/aka/192326/news/nintendo-switch-indie-world-showcase-november-2022-everything-announced |url-status=live }}</ref> which included a worldwide release date of January 19, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2022-11-09 |title=A Space for the Unbound launches January 19, 2023 |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/11/a-space-for-the-unbound-launches-january-19-2023 |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402035310/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/11/a-space-for-the-unbound-launches-january-19-2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> American video game publisher ] released physical copies of the game and a collector's edition, which contains an artbook, on the Q1 period of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adam |first=Khayl |date=2023-08-08 |title=A Space for the Unbound Gets Gorgeous Physical PS5 Collector's Edition |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-gets-gorgeous-physical-ps5-collectors-edition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127034300/https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/08/a-space-for-the-unbound-gets-gorgeous-physical-ps5-collectors-edition |archive-date=November 27, 2024 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 14, 2024 |title=A Space for the Unbound is now available in a New Physical and Special |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/press-release/a-space-for-the-unbound-is-now-available-in-a-new-physical-and-special-edition-in-europe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220202436/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/press-release/a-space-for-the-unbound-is-now-available-in-a-new-physical-and-special-edition-in-europe |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=2024-11-22 |website= |publisher=] |language=en}}</ref> An upcoming mobile version on ] was announced by Toge Productions on October 8, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2024-10-08 |title=A Space for the Unbound coming to iOS |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/10/a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-to-ios |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=December 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206090055/https://www.gematsu.com/2024/10/a-space-for-the-unbound-coming-to-ios |url-status=live }}</ref>
Dimas since a young age wanted to create a game set in an Indonesian high school, and was inspired by the concept of an "Anime pilgrimage," where people travel to compare real-life locations against their anime-depicted counterparts.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Katharine |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Coming of age: How A Space For The Unbound is paying tribute to childhood, nostalgia and Indonesian culture |language=en |website=] |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/coming-of-age-how-a-space-for-the-unbound-is-paying-tribute-to-childhood-nostalgia-and-indonesian-culture |access-date=February 1, 2023}}</ref> He wanted to highlight his personal experience of growing up in 1990s ], and wanted players to feel the same passage of time that he had experienced.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> Dimas was inspired by multiple Japanese concepts during development, including "]," or the "pathos of things," which Dimas described "as an appreciation for or awareness of impermanence and the passage of time."<ref name=":2" /> He noted that "every generation has its own memories and '''' is our memories and we want to preserve that before we completely forget about it."<ref name=":2" /> Dimas said that it was his goal to preserve his memories as an Indonesian growing up in the 1990s in the game.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The game was heavily inspired by the works of Japanese filmmaker ].<ref name=":0" />

The game heavily features anxiety and depression in the story, and Dimas and the rest of the development team consulted professionals for their input to help with telling it appropriately.<ref name=":3" /> The space diving mechanic was created to help explore these themes in more detail.<ref name=":3" />


== Reception == == Reception ==
{{Video game reviews {{Video game reviews
| MC = (NS) 85/100<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><br>(PC) 86/100<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><br>(PS5) 83/100<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> | MC = (NS) 85/100<ref name="MC NS">{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><br>(PC) 86/100<ref name="MC PC">{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117073852/https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |url-status=live }}</ref><br>(PS5) 83/100<ref name="MC PS5">{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |access-date=June 11, 2023 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=November 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117073852/https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| EuroG = Recommended<ref name="EuroG">{{Cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-a-slice-of-life-and-all-its-pain |title=A Space for the Unbound review - a slice of life, and all its pain |date=February 1, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=] |last=Tapsell |first=Chris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202115432/https://www.eurogamer.net/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-a-slice-of-life-and-all-its-pain |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> | EuroG = Recommended<ref name="EuroG">{{Cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-a-slice-of-life-and-all-its-pain |title=A Space for the Unbound review - a slice of life, and all its pain |date=February 1, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=] |last=Tapsell |first=Chris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202115432/https://www.eurogamer.net/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-a-slice-of-life-and-all-its-pain |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| NLife = {{rating|8|10}}<ref name=":1" /> | NLife = {{rating|8|10}}<ref name=":1" />
Line 72: Line 72:
| PSQ = {{rating|8|10}}<ref name="PSQ Review">{{Cite web |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/a-space-for-the-unbound |title=Mini Review: A Space for the Unbound (PS5) - A Powerfully Engaging Story-Driven Adventure |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=] |last=Fitzgerald |first=Simon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118171834/https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/a-space-for-the-unbound |archive-date=January 18, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> | PSQ = {{rating|8|10}}<ref name="PSQ Review">{{Cite web |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/a-space-for-the-unbound |title=Mini Review: A Space for the Unbound (PS5) - A Powerfully Engaging Story-Driven Adventure |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=] |last=Fitzgerald |first=Simon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118171834/https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/a-space-for-the-unbound |archive-date=January 18, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| RPGFan = 89%<ref name=":4" /> | RPGFan = 89%<ref name=":4" />
| TG = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="TG Review">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/18/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-indonesian-school-adventure-has-a-fantastical-twist |title=A Space for the Unbound review – Indonesian school adventure has a fantastical twist |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=] |last=Packwood |first=Lewis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209155458/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/18/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-indonesian-school-adventure-has-a-fantastical-twist |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> | TG = 5/5<ref name="TG Review">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/18/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-indonesian-school-adventure-has-a-fantastical-twist |title=A Space for the Unbound review – Indonesian school adventure has a fantastical twist |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=] |last=Packwood |first=Lewis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209155458/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/18/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-indonesian-school-adventure-has-a-fantastical-twist |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| TA = 4.5/5<ref name="TA">{{Cite web |url=https://toucharcade.com/2023/01/23/neverawake-switch-review-persona-3-portable-p3p-eshop-price-a-space-for-the-unbound-nintendo/ |title=SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Persona 3 Portable' & 'NeverAwake', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales |date=January 24, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=] |last=Musgrave |first=Shaun |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203013131/https://toucharcade.com/2023/01/23/neverawake-switch-review-persona-3-portable-p3p-eshop-price-a-space-for-the-unbound-nintendo/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> | TA = 4.5/5<ref name="TA">{{Cite web |url=https://toucharcade.com/2023/01/23/neverawake-switch-review-persona-3-portable-p3p-eshop-price-a-space-for-the-unbound-nintendo/ |title=SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Persona 3 Portable' & 'NeverAwake', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales |date=January 24, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=] |last=Musgrave |first=Shaun |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203013131/https://toucharcade.com/2023/01/23/neverawake-switch-review-persona-3-portable-p3p-eshop-price-a-space-for-the-unbound-nintendo/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}''A Space for the Unbound'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregate website ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Space For The Unbound Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/a-space-for-the-unbound/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=Metacritic |language=en}}</ref>
}}

Reviewers provided positive critical reception upon the game's release for its visuals and setting, which contains "subtle but effective" references to Indonesian culture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chase-Jackson |first=Rakiesha |date=March 3, 2023 |title=NPR staff review the best new games and some you may have missed |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/03/1160656371/npr-staff-review-the-best-new-games |website=]}}</ref> The game's pixel art style and soundtrack was described by '']'s'' Hope Bellingham as "your favourite anime and Game Boy Advance game rolled into one".<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Bellingham |first=Hope |date=2023-01-27 |title=Have you tried... understanding your girlfriend's supernatural powers in A Space for the Unbound? |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/have-you-tried-understanding-your-girlfriends-supernatural-powers-in-a-space-for-the-unbound/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=GamesRadar+ |language=en}}</ref> Reviewers also praised the variety of the soundtrack's genres, which include ]<ref name=":1" /> and ], a traditional Indonesian folk music genre.<ref name=":3" /> Rachel Watts of '']'' called the game "part sci-fi drama, part high school romance",<ref name=":0" /> while Bellingham identified the game as ].<ref name=":10" />

'']''{{'s}} Chris Tapsell found the game's setting successful in its portrayal of both universal experiences and Indonesian culture as well as its confluence of mundane and familiar activities with paranormal and fantastical phenomena.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=2023-02-01 |title=A Space for the Unbound review - a slice of life, and all its pain |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/a-space-for-the-unbound-review-a-slice-of-life-and-all-its-pain |access-date=2025-01-08 |work=] |language=en}}</ref> Rachel Watts associated the setting to magical realism, a common theme in Mojiken Studio games.<ref name=":0" /> The "space dive" mechanic, which critics compared to '']'',<ref name=":0" /> was unexpected by Bellingham for a slice-of-life game.<ref name=":10" />

The gameplay received mixed reactions for its execution. Lex Luddy from ''TheGamer'' juxtaposed the slow pace of the game with the intense timing of quick time events in battle and stated that it could have been easier to execute.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Luddy |first=Lex |date=2023-01-18 |title=A Space For The Unbound Review - With Friends Like These |url=https://www.thegamer.com/a-space-for-the-unbound-review/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> One game section where the player must quickly dodge objects falling from the sky becomes difficult to do precisely, as the player must double tap to run in one direction. The variety of the gameplay mechanics, which include references to '']'' and ''Ace Attorney'', maintains the game's pace and prevents the game from being "a bit of a chore", Watts says in their review.<ref name=":0" /> While reviewers described the gameplay as that of a standard adventure game and padded out by unnecessary tasks, they recommended the game in a positive review for its emotional story.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="NWR" />


''A Space for the Unbound'' received positive reviews, with an 85/100 from review aggregate website ]. '']''<nowiki/>'s Rachel Watts said that the game "takes a supernatural teen drama gives it real heart," and called its release "a wonderful start to 2023."<ref name=":0" /> ''RPGFan''<nowiki/>'s Audra Bowling felt that the game succeeded in blending both despair and anxiety with themes of hope and healing, and that it could help players see their lives from a new perspective.<ref name=":4" /> '']''<nowiki/>'s Lowell Bell felt that the game's length was padded out by unnecessary challenges, but still recommend it in a positive review for its touching story.<ref name=":1" /> '']''{{'}}s Chris Tapsell called the game "magic" and said that "in many cases you will be deeply, maybe profoundly, moved."<ref name="EuroG" /> '']''<nowiki/>'s Shaun Musgrave praised the game's support for the ]'s touchscreen during dialogue sequences, and said it was "one of the best narrative driven ]s I've played."<ref name="TA" /> ''Nintendo World Report''<nowiki/>'s Joe DeVader felt it was a "must play" for people who enjoyed narrative experiences in video games.<ref name="NWR" /> Reviewers praised the narrative of the game for its careful approach in tackling trauma.<ref name=":6" /> ''RPGFan''<nowiki/>'s Audra Bowling felt that the game succeeded in blending both despair and anxiety with themes of hope and healing, and that it could help players see their lives from a new perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowling |first=Audra |date=2023-01-24 |title=A Space for the Unbound |url=https://www.rpgfan.com/review/a-space-for-the-unbound/ |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=RPGFan |language=en-US}}</ref> However, some reviewers have commented on the plot's structure. The game starts off with a slow pace as a series of short-term objectives that lack a particular narrative but eventually develop a particular direction.<ref name="EuroG" /> Pierro Serra from '']'' also considered the first few hours of the game confusing for Atma's contradictory interactions with other characters, although a particular objective and side quests in the bucket list provided direction to progress the story.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=2023-01-28 |title=A Space for the Unbound Took Me on an Emotional, Nostalgic Anime Pilgrimage |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/a-space-for-the-unbound-took-me-on-an-emotional-nostalgic-anime-pilgrimage |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2024-08-03 |title=Review for A Space for the Unbound |url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/a-space-for-the-unbound |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=] |language=en}}</ref> Rebekah Valentine of ] perceived this confusion positively, as the structure's "sense of underlying mystery" urges the player to continue playing to uncover the plot.<ref name=":8" /> Chris Tapsell remarked that the eventual incoherence of the plot was necessary and that the game has "no tidy answers" except if viewed as a whole.<ref name="EuroG" />


===Awards=== ===Awards===
''A Space for the Unbound'' appeared on lists of the best games of 2023 by '']''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/best-video-games-2023-ps5-xbox-series-switch-pc-gaming-1850124419 |title=The Best Games Of 2023 (So Far) |access-date=2023-11-30 |website=] |date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127152034/https://kotaku.com/best-video-games-2023-ps5-xbox-series-switch-pc-gaming-1850124419 |archive-date=2023-11-27 |url-status=live}}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/best-indie-games-2023-inverse-awards |title=The 10 Best Indie Games of 2023, Ranked |date=2023-12-23 |website=] |last1=Rowe |first1=Willa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225015933/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/best-indie-games-2023-inverse-awards |archive-date=2023-12-25 |url-status=live |last2=Bea |first2=Robin}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+Awards and nominations
! scope="col"| Date ! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Refh}}
|- |-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;" | 2023 |style="text-align:center;"|2020
| rowspan="1"| ] |SEA Game Awards
|Best Storytelling
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |last=Bashir |first=Dale |date=2020-11-30 |title=Everything You Need To Know About The Winners of SEA Game Awards 2020 |url=https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/166582/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-winners-of-sea-game-awards-2020 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325161152/https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/166582/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-winners-of-sea-game-awards-2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|2021
|Valencia Indie Awards 2021
|Best Game in Development
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |last=Bashir |first=Dale |date=2021-03-08 |title=Mojiken Studio and Toge Productions Win Big At Valencia Indie Summit |url=https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/169525/news/mojiken-studio-and-toge-productions-win-big-at-valencia-indie-summit |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=IGN Southeast Asia |language=en |archive-date=June 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611011723/https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/169525/news/mojiken-studio-and-toge-productions-win-big-at-valencia-indie-summit |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|2022
|Japan Game Awards
|Future Division
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bashir |first=Dale |date=2022-09-19 |title=Indonesian Game 'A Space for the Unbound' Wins Japan Future Award 2022 |url=https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/190508/news/indonesian-game-a-space-for-the-unbound-wins-japan-future-award-2022 |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=IGN Southeast Asia |language=en-sg |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202144604/https://sea.ign.com/sea-indie-games/190508/news/indonesian-game-a-space-for-the-unbound-wins-japan-future-award-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|2023
|Indonesia Game Awards 2023
|Game of the Year
| {{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bashir |first=Dale |date=2023-10-16 |title=Mojiken Studio Wins Big at Indonesia Game Awards 2023 with A Space for the Unbound |url=https://sea.ign.com/igdx/207526/news/mojiken-studio-wins-big-at-indonesia-game-awards-2023-with-a-space-for-the-unbound |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910044702/https://sea.ign.com/igdx/207526/news/mojiken-studio-wins-big-at-indonesia-game-awards-2023-with-a-space-for-the-unbound |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=IGN |language=en-sg}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1" | ]
| Games For Impact | Games For Impact
| {{nom}} | {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="Game Awards Nominations">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=November 13, 2023 |title=The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: ''Alan Wake 2'', ''Baldur's Gate 3'' Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List) |url=https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113173426/https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |access-date=November 13, 2023 |website=]}}</ref> | rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="Game Awards Nominations">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=November 13, 2023 |title=The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: ''Alan Wake 2'', ''Baldur's Gate 3'' Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List) |url=https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113173426/https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |access-date=November 13, 2023 |website=]}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |2024
| ]
| Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/console/alan-wake-ii-and-baldur-s-gate-3-lead-2024-new-york-game-awards-nominees |title=Alan Wake II and Baldur's Gate 3 lead 2024 New York Game Awards nominees |date=2024-01-04 |website=] |last=Kerr |first=Chris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104235316/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/console/alan-wake-ii-and-baldur-s-gate-3-lead-2024-new-york-game-awards-nominees |archive-date=2024-01-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | ]
| Social Impact Award
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-baldurs-gate-3-top-gdc-award-nominations |title=Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 top GDC Award nominations |date=2024-01-16 |website=] |last=Sinclair |first=Brendan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116192333/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-baldurs-gate-3-top-gdc-award-nominations |archive-date=2024-01-16 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Audience Award
| {{nom}}
|- |-
|} |}
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Latest revision as of 03:56, 19 January 2025

2023 video game

2023 video game
A Space for the Unbound
A colored drawing with cartoon depictions of two high school students, a girl and a boy, in white and blue uniforms playfully running together down a hallway.Cover featuring the main characters Raya and Atma
Developer(s)Mojiken Studio
Publisher(s)
  • Toge Productions
  • Chorus Worldwide
Director(s)Dimas Novan Delfiano
Producer(s)Eka Pramudita M.
Designer(s)
  • Eka Pramudita M.
  • Elwin Lysander
Programmer(s)Ahmad Fadlillah
Artist(s)
  • Dimas Novan Delfiano
  • Roland Melvin Z.
  • Wildan Rahmat R.
Writer(s)
  • Brigitta Rena
  • Galuh Elsa A. N.
Composer(s)
  • Masdito "Ittou" Bachtiar
  • Christabel Annora
  • Bambang Iswanto
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
ReleaseJanuary 19, 2023
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

A Space for the Unbound is an adventure video game developed by Mojiken Studio and published by Toge Productions. It was released on January 19, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is set in the late 1990s and follows Atma and his girlfriend Raya, who live in a suburban area in Indonesia, as they explore their newly attained magical abilities and deal with supernatural powers that threaten their existence.

The game director's focus was capturing the experience of growing up in Indonesia in the 1990s and preserving his memories as an Indonesian through the game. The game's release was initially planned for 2020 but was delayed due to a conflict within the game publishers. The game received positive reception from critics, particularly on its solid sense of place and heartfelt story.

Gameplay

Screenshot of the game featuring Raya, a short-haired high school student, sitting on a classroom chair, facing sideways, and looking toward the player.
Critics remarked positively on the game's distinctive pixel artstyle.

A Space for the Unbound is a two-dimensional side-scrolling video game. The player controls Atma, an Indonesian student. His girlfriend is Raya; both are soon going to graduate from high school. Throughout the game, the player can move left or right and can interact with people, objects, and animals by directing Atma to walk or run toward them. Most of the game is at a slow pace and involves exploring the town, talking with people, and picking up objects to move them through point-and-click gameplay to solve puzzles. The game features minigames such as practicing kick-ups, dodging falling objects with button inputs, and fighting minigames that involve pressing a sequence of buttons in a time limit to attack and timed button presses to block attacks. Various game sections involve stealth mechanics and cross-examination scenes similar to Ace Attorney. The game also features cats, which the player can pet and name.

Through the powers of a red book that Atma finds, he gains the ability to "space dive" into people's minds and help fix their problems through puzzles that the player completes. Solving the puzzles during the space dive can affect the person's point of view and help them deal with their trauma, which allows the player to continue to story. Atma also obtains a magic wand later in the game and gains the ability to "rift dive" to another time in a location, which is used to solve puzzles and advance the plot.

Plot

Atma and his girlfriend Raya, high school students in an Indonesian suburban city, create a bucket list of activities and start by watching a movie. Atma dreams of writing a story with a young girl named Nirmala, who gives him a red book that allows him to "space dive" and enter people's minds. In each dream, he drowns while trying to save Nirmala and then wakes up at his school desk.

During their cinema outing, Raya reveals her reality-altering powers, creating a world based on the film Cat Wonderland. The couple is warned of an impending apocalypse, prompting them to escape back to reality. Atma notices the cinema staff behaving like cats and uses his space diving ability to restore their sanity. Raya collapses shortly after and a crack appears in the sky, signaling an anomaly.

Later, Raya collapses again while trying to halt the anomaly. With help from Admiral, their adopted cat who gains the ability to speak, Atma prepares a cake to restore Raya's strength. Erik, a school bully, accidentally kills Admiral, takes the cake, and knocks out Atma. When Atma catches up to Erik and space dives into his mind, he uncovers Erik's abusive upbringing. Nirmala appears, ejects Atma from Erik's mind, and turns Erik into a monster. Raya restores Erik but seemingly kills him before fainting again as the crack in the sky expands.

Atma reawakens to find Raya missing and the school preparing for a festival. He discovers that Raya has altered the townspeople's minds in retaliation for past mistreatment. With help from his classmate Lulu, Atma restores them to normal. Raya, overwhelmed by the pressure of organizing the festival and trying to escape her trauma, has been rewriting reality. Nirmala transforms Lulu into a monster during a space dive. Atma finds Raya on a bridge, where she seemingly kills Lulu and reveals her intent to control the town. When Atma attempts to space dive into her mind, Raya destroys the book and summons a meteor to crash into the city.

Atma wakes up in the city's ruins while the festival continues undeterred. With Marin's help, Atma reaches the school and protects her from Raya. In a space dive dimension, Atma learns that Marin was once close with Raya but distanced herself after doubting Atma's existence. Nirmala turns Marin into a monster, and Raya destroys her before passing out. Atma retrieves the space diving book and enters Nirmala's mind.

A flashback reveals that the game's events occurred within Raya's mind and that Nirmala and Raya are the same person: Raya Fitri Nirmala. As a child, Raya met Atma, who had run away from home to start a career in writing, and the two became friends. One day, Atma, being unable to swim, drowned trying to save Nirmala. Raya, in a moment of resentment, separated "Nirmala," a representation of her hope and positivity, from herself and blames herself for Atma's death. Raya's inner conflict, compounded by her abusive father, led Nirmala to turn people who wronged Raya into monsters.

Atma space dives into Raya's mind and learns of her abusive father and that the story he and Nirmala wrote was an allegory for her life. Atma and Raya's mother guide her through her traumatic memories and convince her to confront her fears. Raya accepts her past and ascends from the dream world, leaving Atma behind as a memory.

Raya, now visibly older, awakens in a hospital bed to the real world, having recovered from an unstated incident. Her mother, now separated from her spouse, plans to move the family to a new city. She has one last walk around the neighborhood, reflecting on her journey and healing. If the player completes all the items on the bucket list, a post-credits scene shows Raya visiting the spot where Atma died, leaving a bouquet and the space diving book.

Development

Dimas Novan Delfiano, Mojiken Studio member and game director for A Space for the Unbound, started development on the title in 2015. A team of two to three people began work on the game while the studio developed other games concurrently. Dimas completed an initial prototype of the story in 2015, which served as a core for what would be developed. Dimas found the first few years of development incredibly difficult, as he struggled to build a substantial game from the prototype. In 2019, Dimas noted that he had found the "right formula for the game" and Mojiken released a demo that "was released to positive reception" on January 23, 2020. Around the same year, everyone at the studio (numbering about 12–14 people) were reallocated to work on the game.

Dimas wanted to create a game set in an Indonesian high school from a young age and was inspired by the concept of an "anime pilgrimage," where people travel to compare real-life locations to their anime-depicted counterparts. He wanted to highlight his experience of growing up in 1990s Indonesia and wanted players to feel the same passage of time he experienced. Dimas was also inspired by another Japanese concept during development, including "mono no aware". The game was heavily inspired by the works of Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, and the setting is inspired by locations in Surabaya, the city Dimas grew up in. He stated that the game was a preservation of his own memories growing up. The developers consulted professionals to accurately depict anxiety and depression in the story. The space diving mechanic was created to help explore these themes in more detail.

Release and publishing conflict

A Space for the Unbound was announced to be released in late 2020. Chorus Worldwide published the video game in Japan and British video game publisher PQube Games was the global publisher of the console version. The developers postponed the release to the Q3 period of 2021, then in April 2021, the game was announced to be released sometime in 2022.

As part of the promotion of A Space for the Unbound, Mojiken Studio and Toge Productions collaborated with Indonesian comics publishing company Kosmik to create a webcomic titled A Space for the Unbound: Broken Memories. The webcomic was released on the LINE Webtoon application on May 20, 2022.

On August 24, 2022, Toge Productions and Mojiken Studio stated on A Space for the Unbound official social media accounts that PQube Games had allegedly taken advantage of Toge Productions and Mojiken Studio to obtain diversity funds from "a well-known gaming console platform", a grant fund reserved for assisting under-represented game developers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about the funds was then withheld by PQube Games to "negotiate the increase of their revenue share." They denied the allegations, stating that Toge Productions had imposed unreasonable revisions to their agreement terms and that the allegations were the aftermath of Toge Productions's failure to reach the desired agreement. As a result of the conflict, Toge Productions postponed the initial release of the game. The conflict was resolved when a joint agreement was reached between Toge Productions, Mojiken Studio, PQube Games, and Chorus Worldwide. In the agreement, PQube Games provided their grant fund as previously promised, returned the publishing rights to Toge Productions, and handed over the global publishing rights for the console version to Chorus Worldwide.

After the agreement, the game's developers released a new trailer as part of Nintendo's Indie World Showcase video, which included a worldwide release date of January 19, 2023. American video game publisher Serenity Forge released physical copies of the game and a collector's edition, which contains an artbook, on the Q1 period of 2024. An upcoming mobile version on iOS was announced by Toge Productions on October 8, 2024.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(NS) 85/100
(PC) 86/100
(PS5) 83/100
Review scores
PublicationScore
EurogamerRecommended
Nintendo Life
Nintendo World Report8.5/10
Push Square
RPGFan89%
The Guardian5/5
TouchArcade4.5/5

A Space for the Unbound received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregate website Metacritic.

Reviewers provided positive critical reception upon the game's release for its visuals and setting, which contains "subtle but effective" references to Indonesian culture. The game's pixel art style and soundtrack was described by GamesRadar's Hope Bellingham as "your favourite anime and Game Boy Advance game rolled into one". Reviewers also praised the variety of the soundtrack's genres, which include lo-fi music and keroncong, a traditional Indonesian folk music genre. Rachel Watts of Rock Paper Shotgun called the game "part sci-fi drama, part high school romance", while Bellingham identified the game as slice of life.

Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell found the game's setting successful in its portrayal of both universal experiences and Indonesian culture as well as its confluence of mundane and familiar activities with paranormal and fantastical phenomena. Rachel Watts associated the setting to magical realism, a common theme in Mojiken Studio games. The "space dive" mechanic, which critics compared to Psychonauts, was unexpected by Bellingham for a slice-of-life game.

The gameplay received mixed reactions for its execution. Lex Luddy from TheGamer juxtaposed the slow pace of the game with the intense timing of quick time events in battle and stated that it could have been easier to execute. One game section where the player must quickly dodge objects falling from the sky becomes difficult to do precisely, as the player must double tap to run in one direction. The variety of the gameplay mechanics, which include references to Street Fighter II and Ace Attorney, maintains the game's pace and prevents the game from being "a bit of a chore", Watts says in their review. While reviewers described the gameplay as that of a standard adventure game and padded out by unnecessary tasks, they recommended the game in a positive review for its emotional story.

Reviewers praised the narrative of the game for its careful approach in tackling trauma. RPGFan's Audra Bowling felt that the game succeeded in blending both despair and anxiety with themes of hope and healing, and that it could help players see their lives from a new perspective. However, some reviewers have commented on the plot's structure. The game starts off with a slow pace as a series of short-term objectives that lack a particular narrative but eventually develop a particular direction. Pierro Serra from Adventure Gamers also considered the first few hours of the game confusing for Atma's contradictory interactions with other characters, although a particular objective and side quests in the bucket list provided direction to progress the story. Rebekah Valentine of IGN perceived this confusion positively, as the structure's "sense of underlying mystery" urges the player to continue playing to uncover the plot. Chris Tapsell remarked that the eventual incoherence of the plot was necessary and that the game has "no tidy answers" except if viewed as a whole.

Awards

A Space for the Unbound appeared on lists of the best games of 2023 by Kotaku and Inverse.

Awards and nominations
Date Award Category Result Ref.
2020 SEA Game Awards Best Storytelling Won
2021 Valencia Indie Awards 2021 Best Game in Development Won
2022 Japan Game Awards Future Division Won
2023 Indonesia Game Awards 2023 Game of the Year Won
The Game Awards 2023 Games For Impact Nominated
2024 New York Game Awards Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game Nominated
24th Game Developers Choice Awards Social Impact Award Nominated
Audience Award Nominated

References

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External links

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