10 Hidden Gem Video Games Of 2023

Switching gears, A Space For The Unbound is a game about 90s-era teenagers who aren't cynical, try-hard edgelords. Quite the opposite, in fact. Mojiken's Studio's tale of high-schoolers in rural Indonesia is one of 2023's sweetest, most affecting experiences.

A Space For The Unbound tells the story of high-school sweethearts Atma and Raya as they attempt to navigate the usual teen dramas of organizing class activities, playing truant and thwarting the impending apocalypse. (Supernatural shenanigans were a serious problem in high schools in the nineties. Check out the Buffy the Vampire Slayer docuseries for further proof).

Fortunately, Atma and Raya turn out to be a literal power couple, as Atma can dive into people's minds and Raya is a reality-warper who can literally create something out of nothing. Using these abilities, the couple attempt to prevent the end of the world and, in the process, mend the broken lives of those close to them.

A Space For The Unbound deals with some heavy themes - not for nothing does the game come provide a content warning at the start - and it can be uncomfortable viewing at times. Yet, without wishing to spoil anything, the finale makes up for all that precedes it, resulting in one of 2023's most emotionally cathartic climaxes.

A Space For The Unbound is arguably a better story than a game - the combat sections in particular feel like a misstep - but when the story is this good, it hardly matters.