I love indie games. The freedom that these creators have when making a game is akin to other art forms. They can pretty much do whatever they want, which I believe is how God has always created mankind to create. The more barriers and restrictions we have, frustration seeps in and we complain about how we can’t make what we have in our imagination. Dust, An Elysian Tale is an example of a beautifully crafted game with a fresh plot and fun gameplay.

I first saw this game at a friends house and I was intrigued at the Asian influences throughout the game. I am a fan of cultural games, so this one looked good! It has lots of Korean items so that’s cool.

I downloaded it on sale and started playing it, but have yet to beat it. as of this writing. In the very beginning of the game, the main character, Dust, wakes up without any knowledge of the past. Basically, all he knows is that his name is Dust and he woke up. He meets up with a flying creature named Fidget, gets a talking sword that gives him advice on how to fight, and he goes onward.

The game continues with him going on errands, battling monsters, learning new skills, and other typical adventure game situations. The artwork is beautiful and the action is fun, though it’s mainly button-mashing. That’s not what drew me to write this though, but what Dust was trying to figure out every step of the way. He was relying on others to give him information as to what was going on in his world, trusting them to be honest. It’s easy to take advantage of someone with no memory, thankfully he has some smart friends around him.

Taking steps towards the unknown in life can be difficult, especially when you have no previous memory. Dust has to go to places he can’t remember, confide in new friends that he isn’t sure who they really are, and helping random people because it’s the right thing to do. It got me thinking how strange I would feel if I forgot everything and was just taking things a day at a time. Not knowing what is my purpose or what I want to accomplish is hard for me to imagine. I am a visionary, as I learned years ago from different books, preachers, and just spending time with God. Sitting around without a plan of what I’m going to be doing next just doesn’t work for me.

Genesis 12:1-4

The Call of Abram
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

The story of Abraham in the bible is similar to what Dust went through. He didn’t have all the details to what was going to happen, like Abraham, but he went ahead and took the first steps. God never told Abraham about this particular “land” that He had for him. There was no GPS to guide him, nor how he was going to acquire it either. There could be other people living there, or maybe it was very far away, or it might be too much travel for a man of 75 years to make. Whatever the case, in life, we can either sit around and wait or start moving forward.

I was encouraged to continue in all my personal endeavors by this game, from finishing up a couple books I have in the works to a couple projects I have for this blog. That’s just on the writing side of things, I have plans I’m working on to improve every area I can in my life. I am constantly looking for ways to better myself, for God’s glory. He made us in His image, and I want to reflect that excellence.

Don’t be afraid to move forward with the ideas you have had in mind. Think about the worst thing that could happen, and often times it’s not really much aside from the door being closed or getting a “no” from someone. Life experience is the best experience, so I encourage you to pray about what you want to do, ask God for wisdom and go for it! Do you want to go to college? Start a business? Write a blog, or a book? Get healthy? Ask someone out on a date? 

Let me know what some of your dreams are below. Even if they are just dreams right now and seem impossible, I want to encourage you to start taking the first step to accomplishing them. God has given us only this one life on Earth, let’s make the most of it!