A Space for the Unbound | Xbox Review

Mental health is an extremely important topic and understanding it is crucial. Even though it’s making more of a resurgence in games now, it hasn’t felt accurately portrayed in many of them that I’ve played. As someone who lives with mental illnesses that affect me on a daily basis, then can be somewhat disheartening. Going into Mojiken Studio’s A Space for the Unbound, I had no idea that this game would tackle such heavy, yet relevant, subject matter. The fact that they accurately portrayed the highs and lows of depression and anxiety while remaining respectful of their characters and audience is an outstanding achievement that I thoroughly appreciated.

Timey Wimey Stuff

You play as Atma, a teenager who frequently falls asleep in class. One day, he has a dream that he’s best friends with a girl named Nirmala. She’s co-writing a book with Atma at their “basecamp” (really just a camper trailer). They venture outside, only for tragedy to occur. He wakes up to find his girlfriend Raya staring at him. The only thing is, she looks eerily like Nirmala…

Brushing the dream aside, you and Raya go about your day. You make a bucket list with her and deal with school bullies before going on a date to the movies. While there, Raya reveals that she has the ability to change reality. This power drains her of energy, though, and after making a wonderland full of cats, she inadvertently changes their small town and causes the citizens to glitch. It’s then up to Atma to use a strange book that a classmate gives him to “spacedive” into their minds and help them overcome their fears and personal obstacles.

The strangest part? The book was in his dream at the beginning of the story, and that’s only one of the eerie coincidences that pops up during the rest of the game. I adored the sci-fi beats the story gradually introduces and they make the narrative stand out while also being accessible and easy to grasp.

Jumping Dimensions

The gameplay is a mixture of point-and-click adventure and visual novel. Throughout the 11 hour journey, you’ll be tasked with finding certain objects and deciphering puzzles to progress the story. Most of these segments are easy to solve and more experienced players may find themselves yearning for more of a challenge. I was only tripped up by two puzzles during my playtime. The first was due to me thinking too far outside of the box, and the second involved solving algebra formulas (I never thought gaming would make me revisit algebra). I’m absolutely terrible at math, so the fact that I eventually solved it on my own should be a comfort to the majority of people.

There are a couple of minigames sprinkled throughout, as well. Sometimes you’ll need to be stealthy or engage in a fight. Stealth sections automatically have Atma crouching, so you only need to be aware of the cues that enemies provide telling you to stop moving. Fighting consists of successfully completing QTEs that pop up on screen, but they’re very forgiving. There are also optional quests that involve collecting certain objects or beating a high score. I highly recommend completing these, though, because they unlock flashbacks that help provide context and add extra meat to the story. I had a hard time putting this game down, and I felt clever every time I solved a puzzle or made it past a trickier segment. Also, you can pet every animal you see in this game. AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. It’s heavenly.

The Heavy Conversations

As I mentioned before, A Space for the Unbound addresses depression and anxiety. These are listed on screen as soon as you boot up the game, along with a disclaimer to seek professional help if you need it. These aren’t the only tough topics mentioned and shown, though. Be aware of your personal triggers and be cautious before playing. I feel the need to mention some of the other subjects broached but these are definitely story spoilers, so please skip to the next paragraph if you want to go in without knowing what to expect. Let’s dive in to the rest of the triggering content: suicide, bullying, domestic and child abuse, and animal death. This is a wonderful game, but no game is worth causing yourself to have a panic attack or feel horrible while playing.

I was on the verge of tears at certain points. Only one event triggered me, but I related to the feelings of hopelessness and overwhelming despair that accompany major depressive disorder. I applaud Mojiken Studio for how they handled the subject matter in a realistic yet sensitive manner. It’s approached with respect and doesn’t demean the character (or the player). The pixelated graphics and soothing score keep the game from becoming too visually dark or overwhelming and are astoundingly gorgeous in their own right. I won’t forget this story for quite some time, and it actually brought me comfort. I felt a little less alone, and I hope anyone else out there who battles depression that plays this also feels like they are valid and important by the time the credits roll.

The Final Verdict

A Space for the Unbound is a strong sci-fi title with clever gameplay that meshes point-and-click mechanics, stealth, QTEs, and visual novel aspects together wonderfully. It may not be particularly challenging, but its hard-hitting story makes it worth playing through if you can handle the subject material. If you don’t suffer from mental illness, I feel like this also helps shed some light on these topics that could be beneficial for understanding how hard it is to live with these illnesses. A Space for the Unbound is an incredibly important game that is also fun to play. It’s worth every penny and every second of your time.

To hear me talk more about A Space for the Unbound, be sure to listen to our January 25 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on an Xbox copy of A Space for the Unbound provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.