A Space for the Unbound Reviews
The game deals with some very heavy subjects at times, but always does so respectfully and without making them seem like a crutch for the narrative to lean on. There are also a lot of cats that can not only be pet but can also be named, something some people may see as a very worthwhile bonus (I know I do). If you like your adventure games to try and yank some tears out of your poor, poor eyes, A Space for the Unbound is easily your first great choice of 2023.
With stunning pixel art visuals, a soundtrack wrapped in melodies ranging from cozy to mysterious and a delicate and thought-provoking story, A Space for the Unbound transports the player back to the late 90s and invites us to see the world with different eyes, showing that happiness can be in the simplest details of life.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"A Space for the Unbound" is a delightful homage to nostalgia-driven whimsy, with a unique art style and engaging story.
I’ve been writing reviews for this site for a number of years now, and one of the best things about it, for me, is picking a game I know nothing about and enjoying the surprise it offers. Reviewing games has helped me step outside of my comfort zone numerous times. Some of my favourite reviews have been on games I would have passed over had I known more about them before I took the code.
A Space for the Unbound combines a stunning visual world of beautiful pixel art with a plot that's rich in hard themes, and the result is an adventure game where everything is more complex than what it seems at first. Its pacing and tasks are more likely to appeal to more dedicated adventure game players, though, as the plot gets extended with acts that can feel redundant and this won't appeal to other parts of the public, but A Space for the Unbound deserves all praise for what it does well.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall, A Space for the Unbound does everything it seeks to accomplish. It creates a beautiful world full of vibrant characters, and it shares a story of love, friendship, loss, and growth. It does this with delicacy in a world that feels familiar, even if you’ve never walked down a dusty city road in Indonesia. And while its gameplay meandered at moments, it’s still a game worth dedicating 9 to 12 hours of your life to.
Some surprising depth and creative storytelling mechanics help this pixel adventure stand out
A Space for the Unbound is an emotional odyssey of love, pain, growth, acceptance, and healing. It is an easy game to play and love. Once someone’s hooked, it’ll be challenging to set the game aside before the 12-hour runtime ends. Though the players can often feel that the game is going in circles, the ability to bring the characters’ lives full circle is a beautiful experience.
A Space for the Unbound is a cute adventure game with an excellent audiovisual style. Unfortunately the story is badly paced, repetitive and heavy-handed.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Very rarely does a game make a little-known culture feel familiar to all and also capture the human mind in such a surreal, unexpected way. Profound, personal, warm, homely and harrowingly heartbreaking: all this is A Space For The Unbound
The gameplay of A Space for the Unbound isn't overly deep, but its simplicity is more than made up for by its exceedingly entertaining and emotional storytelling.
The ease with which A Space for the Unbound can bounce between tonal shifts – the goofy and sincere, the difficult and moving, the supernatural and the grounded – without feeling at odds with itself speaks to the strength of both the story and the writing as a whole. It’s a carefully crafted game, one that succeeds at almost every turn, spinning a deeply moving and touching story all the while. After last year’s cavalcade of strong stories in games, with any luck, A Space for the Unbound will herald another coming of incredible stories in games this year.
A Space for the Unbound's thoughtful narrative serves as a timely reminder of the necessity of making meaningful connections with other people via the words we choose to use. It may have some minor issues, but it features many positives for the players. Despite a few flaws, everyone should check out this title because of its compelling story and excellent visuals.
A Space for the Unbound delivers its story of domestic/school violence (and overcoming it!) with its own imagination and well written characters. The tiny little details in the game that introduce Indonesian culture not only showed the developers' affection for their home country, but also made me want to know more about the country.
Review in Korean | Read full review
A Space for the Unbound brings, with great charm and subtlety, an exciting story about the transition from youth to adulthood, traumas, personal desires and the consequences of intervening in the lives of the people around us, all with a touch of fantastic literature. Despite having some drawbacks, the game seduces with a well-crafted plot and a fantastic and immersive audiovisual presentation, making it an instant recommendation for fans of the adventure genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sometimes you come across a game that is actively striving to evoke emotions within you, and as mentioned above I think Mojiken did an amazing job in driving their intended point home. I truly found myself contending with some dormant feelings as I experienced A Space for the Unbound, and while it does have some things that bog it down (mainly just the long and repetitive fetch quests), it is certainly much more than its flaws. It trades off all the running around with a culturally rich environment/cast of characters, a realistic view into adult issues like depression, anxiety, loss, and loneliness, and for the price also provides pretty good replayability and entertainment value.
I was surprised at just how tightly the narrative in A Space for the Unbound grabbed me, and it's sure to be either one of the indie hits of 2023 or one of the most under-played gems.
A Space for the Unbound is a great coming-of-age game that presents difficult topics to players in a compelling way. The game’s art style is beautiful, with many detailed scenes clearly lovingly created by the artists at Mojiken. While there are moments where it feels slow, this is a game that will last with players for many years to come.
A Space for the Unbound gently reminds us of the value and importance of human connection through our words with dream-like, mindful storytelling.
A Space for the Unbound only looks pixels deep, but it is a masterpiece for its breadth of storytelling, its authenticity, and how it tackles difficult topics, from cultural expectations to mental health. As the game ended, it left me with a beautiful feeling of closure, accompanied by a hankering for cherry-chocolate-flavoured cake and Indonesian food.