An indie game which is both wistful and imaginative, A Space For The Unbound is a lovely surprise and a must for anyone who has even a slight bit of love in their heart. Is that you? We hope so.
A point and click style adventure about life in the 90s, it sees a boy called Atma who writes a bucket list of life ambitions with his girlfriend Raya while at school.
That seemingly inconsequential act has huge consequences though, including the potential end of the world. Oh and Raya has mysterious powers that allow her to bend reality. That’s an important note.
If that all sounds a tad melodramatic and faintly ridiculous, you’d be right. But the game leans into that so much it just becomes hugely charming and engaging – rather than mildly irritating.
There’s diving into people’s dreams to solve their problems, various mini-games, and even some mild dating sim gameplay via Atma and Raya’s relationship – including going to the cinema and petting the many cats that you encounter.
The game has an overarching story that focuses on mental health, but it’s done in such an unusual way it never feels like pandering. In fact it ends up being quite touching.
In terms of presentation everything is spot on too, with the pixelart visuals feeling fresh instead of tired – and there are numerous playful nudges and winks towards games that the developers obviously grew up loving and playing to death.
There are numerous interesting puzzles that unfold because of the game’s unusual mechanics and set up, and it would be almost unfair to ruin any of them for you here.
We’d therefore recommend trying out A Space For The Unbound if you’re looking for something that’s clearly been made with love and passion – it’s hard not to be whisked away by its charms.
