#ty so much cutie Rita for the christmas gift <333< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[miyakuli]

A Space for the Unbound

Stand by Me

After the emotional When the Past was Around, a game I was particularly fond of, Mojiken and Toge Productions are back with another hard-hitting title. A Space for the Unbound plunges us into Indonesia in the 90s, where we follow young high-school students Raya and Atma as they confront the end of their world (I won't reveal any more than that, as the story is well worth the candle). What can I say, I can only recommend it, because once again, it's a game that left a deep mark on me:

❤ A truly moving story that touches on singularly human and mature themes. The script skilfully juggles between sweet moments and much more psychologically harsh scenes, and easily draws us in with the way it gradually distils clues about our characters and the world around us. And I'm not even going to mention the masterful ending - I still think about it with great emotion. A little gem of writing! ❤ Endearing characters, both human and animal ;) (ps: you can pet and name all the animals in the game, I'm screaming!) ❤ I'm a big fan of pixel art, and I can say that in terms of design, it's superb. From the detailed and nostalgic backgrounds, to the distinctive and memorable chara-designs, to the beautiful gameplay animations and cinematic sequences… it's a real treat! ❤ Not to mention the excellent soundtrack that accompanies the game. The music is pleasant, comforting at times, but also emotionally charged in the strong moments. And yes, the song at the end totally helped to make me cry :') ❤ Gameplay-wise, it's partly a fairly basic point & click, with little puzzles here and there that aren't too hard, but the game also offers different gameplay phases (such as QTEs and even an Ace Attorney-style court phase :p), so there's never any real sense of redundancy.

+/- I found all the quests relevant, even the more secondary ones; each one allows us to really learn about the protagonists' neighbourhood and its residents, and therefore to really feel at home there, which reinforces the nostalgic aspect of the game. On the other hand, some of them perhaps take up a little too much time for what they add to the story.

✖ Some actions require you to go back and forth quite a bit at times (and long!) ✖ Atma walks so slowly that you end up running all the time. So what's the point of the walking option x)

This is the second game from this studio that has brought tears to my eyes. They have a real talent for gently conveying emotion, through both storytelling and gameplay. I regret not having played it sooner, as it would definitely have got my vote at the Game Awards 2023, where it was nominated in the 'Game for Impact' category. Because yes, I'm not likely to forget it, and as the game wanted to teach me, cherishing your fondest memories is important for living and moving forward <3

➡ My Steam page