A Space for the Unbound: Playthrough Guide
Quick Facts ✅
Game: A Space for the Unbound
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows & macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/ S)
Developer | Publisher: Mojiken Studio | Chorus Worldwide
Age Rating: US Teen | EU 16
Price: US $19.99 | UK £17.99 | EU €19,99
Release Date: January 19th, 2023
Time to Play: Estimate about 10 - 11 hours to complete the main story
Why A Space for the Unbound? 📕
A Space for the Unbound is a narrative puzzle game set in 90s rural Indonesia. It is a magical adventure about two high school sweethearts set at the end of their school days - and the end of the world. Explore a crumbling town and help friends face their inner demons, which could be the key to stopping reality itself disintegrating. And don’t forget to pet the cats. Released this past January, this title addresses coming-of-age, nostalgia, the passing of time, and identity.
There are two elements that really captured my attention with A Space for the Unbound, both discussed in a recent interview with IGN. The first is how the game is grounded in a strong sense of place, using the concept of Seichijunrei, or an "anime pilgrimage", as inspiration.
Our identities are tied to the spaces we inhabit - digital and physical - and I'm looking forward to discussing the details of what makes our personal spaces important and unique to each of us while we simultaneously learn a bit more about rural Indonesia which has been lovingly crafted pixel by pixel in the game.
The second element that hooked me was the passage of time. Mono no aware — the appreciation for, or awareness of, impermanence - was another major source of inspiration, according to the same IGN interview.
Time and its constant flow can be both a boon and a burden. As time passes, we can celebrate growth and positive change… but we can also run the risk of feeling unable to keep pace. There’s a balance to be found in how we regard the impermanence of (nearly) everything, and I’m looking forward to diving into that with all of you.
Keep in Mind 💡
Content Warnings
While this is game is very slice-of-life in many respects, it’s also an emotional exploration of trauma and personal identity. As with any media, please keep in mind your own personal health and boundaries as you play!
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (in the US) or visit Take This to find a crisis line in your area. For additional support or a non-emergency situation, please visit Take This or Checkpoint for resources.
General content warnings for depictions of anxiety, depression, and suicide.
Note that this game is not hyper-realistic or visually gore-y in any of its depictions.
Additional and more specific warnings
(highlight to see specific points these happen in the game):
References to and symbolic depictions of unsafe/abusive home situations
Specifically in the Prologue & Chapter 5
Moments of an animal getting (accidentally) hurt
A cat gets hit by a scooter/motorcycle
Negative self-talk
Throughout, but especially in chapters 4 - 6
Ableist terms
Throughout — specifically the use of cr*zy, l*me, fre*k
Moments of flashing lights and aberrations in the pixel art
Throughout, but most notably in the Prologue and Chapters 4 - 6
Timeline
The game is naturally divided into chapters, and we’ll be playing 1-2 chapters a week. Remember, this is primarily to help you stay on track to finish the game by the end of the month: feel free to play however best suits you.
Week 1 : Feb 28 - March 6 → Play the Prologue & Chapter 1
Week 2 : March 7 - March 13 → Play Chapters 02 & 03
Week 3 : March 14 - March 20 → Play Chapter 04
Week 4 : March 21 - March 27 → Play Chapters 05 & 06
Save the Date: Monthly Hangout on March 25th, 2023 at 3p PST / 6p EST
Essential Question ✨
This is the open-ended, universal question we’ll return to when we’re done. Keep it in mind throughout your playthrough!
What does it mean to best support others - or ourselves - when we feel isolated and alone?
Discussion Questions 💡
Use these questions to check for your understanding while playing.
Prologue
What is the story Nirmala is working on?
How does the magic red book work? What do Atma and Nirmala use it for?
Why must Atma go and get the magic wand?
Throughout the prologue, there’s a mysterious figure watching Atma. Do you have any predictions about them/their intentions?
At the end of the Prologue, there is a turn of events caused by a sudden rain. What happens?
Chapter 01
Who is Raya? What is unique about her?
How do Atma and Raya feel about graduating high school?
As you run around town, what are some similarities and differences in the details of this setting compared to what you may be familiar with in your own neighborhood/town/city?
How does Atma interact with classmates (e.g. Marin or Erik)?
What happens at the cinema?
Do you have any predictions about Raya, Atma, the glitches, or space diving?
Chapter 02
We spend a LOT of time running around the village. As you continue get to know this locale, what stands out to you? What do you notice about the setting and the people you encounter?
Reflect on the act and goals of ‘space diving’. Would you consider it a positive, neutral, or negative method of assisting fellow community members? Consider the people you space dive into in this chapter (e.g. the elderly man, the kid, and the pastry chef) and how you impact them.
What did you think of the brand-new mechanic introduced (the fighting)? How did it impact your experience with the game?
Our final space dive of the chapter is for a character we’ve had conflicts with before: Erik. What do we learn about him? Did this impact what you thought about his character?
Have your opinions and/or predictions about Raya shifted (especially considering the end of the chapter)?
Chapter 03
Time continues to pass, and Atma wakes up to an increasingly chaotic world. What is the village preparing for? What details do you find that are increasingly strange or unnerving?
What do we see when we space dive into Lulu’s thoughts? What does this say about her character?
What did you think of the second major mechanic introduced (the court scenes)? How did this impact your experience playing the game?
As you space dive, you see visions of Raya with each community member. How does Raya act? What is she trying to do?
Lulu asks Raya to remember, “The most perfect world is one with imperfection.” Reflect on how Raya seems to react to ‘imperfection’, and then consider how this statement makes you feel.
Blue and yellow colors and flowers are a recurring motif. Do you have any predictions about what they represent?
Chapter 04
Loka City continues to evolve — how does it look in this chapter? What do you think this indicates?
Marin says something like, “How does it feel, to enter someone’s mind? It’s the most intimate thing one can imagine doing…” How do YOU feel as we’ve been space-diving into people’s minds, especially now that we’re starting to see some of the effects of our actions?
What’s different about Marin and space-diving into her memories compared to Erik and Lulu?
At the conclusion of Chapter 4, we learn something pivotal about Raya and Nirmala. What is it? How did you feel upon learning this about them?
Chapter 05
What are the different things Atma does to reach Raya?
While sitting on the roof, Atma and Raya have a discussion about joy and sadness. What does Atma give Raya and why is it significant?
How does Raya begin moving forward? Is she successful?
Epilogue
What is life like for Raya and everyone in the community?
How (or can we?) we heal from old wounds?
