Toge Productions has revealed a launch trailer for an upcoming sci-fi adventure game calledA Space for the Unbound. The indie studio Mojiken has previously releasedcozy indie titlessuch asDivinationandA Raven Monologue, which both hold “very positive” reviews on Steam, andWhen The Past Was Around, which is rated as “overwhelmingly positive.”
Mojiken’s games tend to focus on narrative as the key component, but also come with gorgeous art.A Space for the UnboundandWhen The Past Was Aroundhave both been published by Toge Productions, which is most famous for thecritically acclaimedCoffee Talk. In 2020,A Space For The Unboundhad a free prologue demo released on Steam and Itch.io, but the full game is finally available for purchase.
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The launch trailer shows a boy looking up in disbelief at what appears to be floating or falling rubble, before giving way to a peaceful sleepy town, much like any of the best starting towns in video games. The town then seems to be interrupted by some event similar to the anime filmsWeathering With YouandYour Name. The boy says “The cats are acting strangely since I Spacedived…” which opens some questions about his relationship to the events of the game. Following events include cats quite predominantly, as they often appear alongside the protagonists, with one giant Cthulhu-like cat claiming “You won’t stop me fulfilling the prophecy!”
The mix of the quaint small town life and the bizarre cosmic cats make for a compelling juxtaposition. The dreamlike experience makes the title stand out from other typical adventure games. All of this is illustrated in gorgeous pixel art, making even simple clouds look dreamy. While big budget games such asFinal Fantasy 16receive promotional pixel art, it seems as though some of the most amazing pixel artists stay working in the indie scene. As the process of making video games continues to become more and more accessible, there has become a wider space for creative indies to try new and interesting ideas, while the AAA scene keeps going strong with more of a blockbuster appeal.
It’s refreshing to see creatives working on projects such asA Space for the Unbound, to explore themes and ideas that simply don’t fit into AAA or even AA game categories. While older titles from years past such asFinal Fantasy 7could explore a long and winding narrative filled with oddities, the progression of entertainment media as a whole means that these more personal experiences are better handled by indie studios. The trailer includes a brief reference to theAce Attorneyseries, showing that bigger titles from the past have inspired the studio. With the creativity displayed in the launch trailer, one can hope that this will be a title to go on and inspire others.
A Space for the Unboundis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
