A Space for the Unbound from Mojiken Studio, Toge Productions, and Chorus Worldwide brings us a charming slice-of-life journey on Nintendo Switch. Check our A Space for the Unbound review!

 

A Space for the Unbound from Mojiken Studio, Toge Productions, and Chorus Worldwide brings us a charming slice-of-life journey on Nintendo Switch. It’s a pixeltastic adventure set in rural Indonesia during the late 1990s, so it’s certainly aiming to hit some very specific notes here and there. You’ll be following Atma and Raya, sweethearts who are at the end of their high school years. Things take a supernatural turn right from the start since you’re introduced by way of a cutscene to the South Star Princess and her cat. The South Star Princess is tired, and it’s time for her to leave the world behind. Oh, wait! It’s a story someone is writing. Got worried there for a second.

Before you can get started, you’ll get a pair of warning screens about the experience you’re about to take on, which read as follows:

This game contains depictions of depression, anxiety, and suicide that may not be suitable for all audiences.
If you’re experiencing a mental health problem, please seek professional help in your area.
It also contains bright flashing lights that may cause discomfort and/or seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.

 

You’ll control your character with the left analog stick or the D-Pad and can double-tap left or right to run as needed. You can also run by pressing and holding down the B button. The A button will be for interacting with objects and other characters. While that’s all fine and dandy, I did mention there was a supernatural twist to the game. You see, you’ll have a peculiar red book that is given to you early in the game, and it’s thanks to this particular book that you’ll get to use a very special ability: Space Dive!

As you explore the town of Loka, you’ll be using Space Dive to jump into other people’s minds as you try to find a way to help them. You must give it your all to rid them of their inner turmoil. This will come into play during many specific moments of this charming adventure as you also work on finding the right items needed to move the story forward. It’s hard to talk about this or that element of the game without taking this straight into A Space for the Unbound spoilers, so I’ll only mention one of the earliest Space Dive sequences to give you an idea of what you’ll be doing.

 

When using the Red Magic Book, you’ll see a dancing flower above someone’s head. This is your cue to open up the book by interacting with that person and selecting it from the rotating menu that pops up. Your first such interaction will be with Raya, who is having issues coming up with writing the final chapter of her story. She’s afraid it won’t be good, especially since it’s something she’s never done before.

You’ll then run into a red door that is locked and chained. If you search near it and put your hand inside the hole in the ground, you’ll locate a key that you can use to open the lock on the chain. After removing the door, you’ll get to witness the many shadows that haunt Raya’s mind, representing all of her fears for this particular situation. By moving through the shadows and making it to the large yellow flower at the end, you’ll be able to obtain an idea that you can then take back to Raya. This will be the push she needs to pursue her writing and see the story to its end!

 

This is one of the many interactions you’ll have while Space Diving, and it’s part of the overall gameplay loop. Said gameplay loop also includes collecting a variety of items in the real world to help people complete their objectives, as well as talking to a lot of people to learn more about them and about the town itself. Maybe someone very close to you needs to recover a Magic Wand they left back home, and they can’t go there because things at home are not the best at the moment.

A Space for the Unbound was just what I needed to experience on Nintendo Switch. It’s a cozy slice-of-life journey with a solid art style, great sound design, and a variety of characters to meet. Sure, there are many fetch quests to complete, but it’s all part of a package that you should definitely check out. A Space for the Unbound is out on Nintendo Switch at a $19.99 price.

Disclaimer
This A Space for the Unbound review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Chorus Worldwide.