a space for the unbound made me cry so hard my arms went numb.
i got this game a couple months after it came out. i only just recently got around to playing it. made by mojiken studio n published by toge productions, it takes place in '90s rural indonesia with lots of colorful characters to meet n a living city to explore. u play as atma, a boy with a magical red book that can dive into the spaces of the hearts of people who are spiritually lost, and need re-guidance to who they truly are.
this game, at first, was good but didnt truly win me over till the scene with a cake. after that point, i kept playing. then it was the music, the scenery, the writing, the characters, nearly everything about this game began to enchant me with the story it was telling to me. this game barely tells u anything, yet so much happens within its 10 hour length. its depressing, but in a way that instills u with hope and faith, maybe everything is gonna be okay if i just make the right choices.
raya is one of the first characters we're introduced to, yet throughout the game, she's the most mysterious. she's confusing, she has more layers than a jawbreaker, and i think she's one of the best written characters in any game ive ever played.
the only thing i can really complain about this game is the gameplay, at times there are hella easy puzzles n others that require u to have a pen n paper to do some algebra problems. other times, youll be doin the same dang thing over n over for like 20 mins, n it feels like its trying to pad out for time when it really doesnt. otherwise, u explore loka town, talk to people, spacedive into their hearts, and fill out a bucket list (which isnt super important to do cuz all u get for completing it is a 2 min cutscene right at the end [a rly good cutscene that continued my sobbing session but still]).
im the kinda person who doesnt necessarily get that sad or cries at stuff, but something about the message this game sent or how i was left feeling with lots of realizations at the end, something about them struck such a chord in the strings of my heart that the afterimage of my emotions will be imprinted in my soul until the day im no longer roaming this earth. ive been left with thoughts and feelings that ill remember for years to come. during the final 30-40 minutes of this game, i was ugly crying, sobbing loudly like a big baby.
i have never played a game, never seen a movie or tv series, n never listened to a song that has made me feel what i felt while playing a space for the unbound. it was a game 6+ years in the making n i think it paid the hell off. i shoulda played this game when it was first added to my steam library.
