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In the Indonesian indie adventure/magical realism game, A Space for the Unbound, you play as Atma in his final days of high school. Turns out it is also the final days of the world.
Prepare yourself for an emotionally impactful story about loss, grief, and mental illness that is brought to you in a warm, pixel art world. I have no idea what a seaside town in Indonesia was like in the 1990s, but the game absolutely transported me to this place the developers created. The game is powerful at making you feel nostalgic, even if like me, you have no nostalgia for this type of place IRL. The original score (and an original ballad!) add to the ambiance.
Fair warning: a lot of the gameplay involves running around doing fetch quests, so if that is something you hate, you might find that annoying; however, the charming world, compelling characters, and interesting story kept me engaged through those parts of the game. There is also some mild puzzle solving and even fighting mechanics!
Reviews for this game are pretty universally glowing, and they are all right. If you heard about this game last year and didn't play it, this is your sign! If you haven't heard of it, now you know :)
PET. EVERY. CAT and prepare some tissues. I cried!
Apr 9, 2024
Related Recs
THE COSMIC WHEEL SISTERHOOD!!!! - Iโve recโd it before cause itโs so good, if you love a good story this is defo for you. Its so so gorgeous (pic below is from it). Youโre a witch whoโs been in exile for centuries, who summons a demon to help. Choose your own adventure style story game with elements of collage (you make your own oracle cards).
Night in the woods - a weird lil walking sim story game that feels like a graphic novel. Existential and dark and mysterious.
Wylde Flowers - a cosy witchy farming and story game. i find pure farming/management sims a bit boring but this has a linear storyline which kept me entertained.
Spiritfarer - such a moving game unlike anything else Iโve played since. You play as a psychopomp ferrying souls into the afterlife and carrying out their final wishes.
Also if you wanted to get into more RPGs, I just finished Sea of Stars. Itโs an adventure RPG with gorgeous pixel art. Itโs made to have the nostalgia of old 90s RPGs, but youโd definitely be able to appreciate it without having played them. It has combat, but itโs turn based which might be easier for someone who isnโt as good at combat, and thereโs relics you pick up that you can activate to make the fighting easier. Turn based combat in general is probably the way to go if you wanna move into fighting games!
Mar 6, 2024
"๊ค ๊๊๊๊ค๊๊ด๊ ๊ค๊ค ๊ ๊๊ค๊ค๊ด๊๊ช๊๊ ๊๊
๊๊ ๊ธ๊ฆ๊๊๊ค'๊ ๊๊๊ช๊ ๊๊ค๊ธ ๊ฃ๊๊ฆ๊ฃ๊๊ ๊
๊
๊ฆ ๊ธ๊ฆ"
mae borowski returns to her hometown of possum springs, and with her return comes some long-time-coming reunions and unsolved mysteries
this game broke me
played it the week it came out back in 2017, and in hit me in that way some media does where it comes at a point in your life where it feels all too specific to your circumstances and it opens wounds you didn't even know went that deep. this shit felt like the therapy session you needed but reeeeally didn't want to go to. healing and hurtful, all at once
also just happens to be extremely funny. it's a very specific kind of humor, where even in the rare moments it doesn't land, it still lands because the circumstances around it make it all the funnier. something as simple as a too-long pause in the dialogue will have me in stitches
deserves all the love in the world, and it will forever have my whole heart. WITCHDAGGAH
Apr 19, 2024
i first played this game when i was 15 and it completely changed my life. i never felt more understood and also emotionally challenged by a game. if your someone who plays games due to their undeniably compelling ability to tell stories, this is def the game for you. the music is amazing... like wowowow, and pretty much every character in this game is like a dream blunt rotation. the game follows this girl kai leaving her life in rio for the summer to visit her dying grandpa on an island famous for being struck by a meteor. in concequence, many genetic mutations had occured creating a stigma amongst "outsiders" to their world. its so so emotional and beautiful and its like a warm blanket. honestly, i have never met anyone who has played this game but i've never wanted to exist in any fictional place more than this. if you are into games that are pretty much playable stories (cozy game isnt a lable i would put on it but it could qualify for some) please please try this!!!!
PS i think the developers, die gute fabrik, have made a new game recently with similar vibes. have not played it yet but am going to soon!
Jan 6, 2025
Top Recs from @jasmine001
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When I was 19-20 I worked on Haight Street at a retro revival/rockabilly dress shop. The company had expanded too fast and blew all their money, so my store was closing and what was usually very expensive clothing was on super sale.
One day I arrived to work and everyone called out except me. My manager told me to run the (large) store all by myself. At some point the landlord for the building showed up to tell me the company hadn't paid rent in months. The store was so busy due to the sale that I couldn't take a break for hours due to the constant stream of people. The landlord decided she wanted to be "helpful" and was taking customers to the stock room to find clothes that weren't on the floor. It was chaos.
When finally there was a moment of the store being empty I locked the door, had a panic attack, and angrily scribbled the "closed early because overworked and underpaid" sign and left.
I was fired haha.
Apr 20, 2024
Her videos just keep getting longer and longer!
I reference her thoughts in "Opulence" so often that I made my mom watch it (with me) and she sat through the whole 2 hours. Can't believe it came out FOUR years ago.
The final chapter regarding our era being a Gothic one (and the decay of malls) is the best part.
Apr 4, 2024
Changed my life. If I had it together enough I would sometimes put my pills in those weekly pill boxes but never stuck to it.
Now if i ask myself "have i taken my meds today?" i can look at the bottle and KNOW! 23 hours ago! Time to take meds. 30 hours ago! oops forgot. 6 hours ago! lol already took em today and have no memory of it but the cap does!
Mar 26, 2024