When I was young I was not popular if you look at my articles they will paint somewhat of a picture of what goes on in my head on a daily basis. Once again I found myself resonating with this aspect of Raya / Nirmala. It does a number on her perceived self-worth, which was already low. Sadly, her trauma does not stop there, and throughout the game, we learn the difficulties of trying to fake it to make it. She hates who and what she is, so she distances herself from what she was to become someone that she believes everyone will prefer - and that is how Raya is born. One of the most disturbing moments comes in the shape of Nirmala (a young Raya) literally splitting her psyche in two. She was bullied for being “weird,” for not going along with everyone, and then when she finally starts to go with the flow, she is shunned once more by her peers. I found myself brought to tears as I came to understand that Raya’s story is my story. It’s a deeply moving expression of how to deal with the mental issues that plague everyone. His “battle” in the game is to help her move beyond the monsters of her past, to not destroy them, but to deal with them. He is a combination of memories and emotions that are trying to keep her from her own self-destructive impulses, as her mind begins to unravel after trying to commit suicide. Not only that, Atma is not a real person he is a manifestation of Raya’s. You see, about halfway through the game you come to realize that the town and the inhabitants are not real. Its treatment of trauma and how it can cause a cycle of inner turmoil is exemplary. A game like A Space for the Unbound does not come around often. Moments like these throughout A Space for the Unbound have cemented it not just as a “game of the year” contender for me, but as something far more important, a game that helped me reflect on myself and my own personal issues. There is even a section where a son is becoming his father due to his issues with his father, and you have to remind this put-out child of who he really is. One moment you are in a “Hell’s Kitchen” segment, “helping” a pastry chef realize they shouldn’t try other culinary practices by sabotaging their potential “other selves,” and the next you’re helping a young teen, who sees himself as a monster, regain his humanity by fighting back against his inner demons. The gameplay of A Space for the Unbound is varied and full of personality, much like the inhabitants of the town Atma and Raya are in. What starts out as a charming adventure becomes a cathartic and emotional story about trauma and timeless friendships. How do you do this? By entering their hearts via a magical red book and figuring out what plagues them. As you follow him and his girlfriend Raya, you begin to mess with the laws of nature, space, and time as you try to fix the various issues plaguing the residents of your home. Ī Space for the Unbound is a 2D-pixelated adventure about Atma, a young teen in an Indonesian town. This article contains spoilers for A Space for the Unbound.
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