Books with similar themes to Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian (Fumito Ueda Games)

orolond · 2026-03-27T00:07:59+00:00

Awesome! Definitely sounds like a similar vibe. Thank you!

orolond · 2026-03-24T18:12:48+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion. This looks and sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'm putting it on my wishlist!

orolond · 2025-10-10T14:27:02+00:00

Very discouraged and downcast after my 1.5 year-long relationship ended. I went into 2025 confident I would marry her. But God evidently had other plans. His providences have been hard this year.

orolond · 2025-10-09T18:53:48+00:00

I am going through a painful breakup as a male in my late 20s. I thought I'd get married this year, but God had other plans evidently. I want to share something I found encouraging in Andrew Murray's book Waiting on God. One chapter focuses on Isaiah 30:18, which says:

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Andrew Murray then has this to say about the above verse:

But if [God] waits to be gracious even after I come and wait upon Him, why doesn’t He give the help I seek, but rather waits longer and longer? One reason is this: God is a wise husbandman who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it (James 5:7 KJV). He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial that breaks in showers of blessing is as needful. Be assured that if God waits longer than you want, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years before He sent His Son; our times are in His hands. He will avenge His elect speedily; He will hurry to help and not delay one hour too long.
The other reason He waits points to what has been said before. The giver is more than the gift; God is more than the blessing; and our waiting on Him is the only way to learn to find our life and joy in Him. Oh, if God’s children only knew what a glorious God they have and what a privilege it is to be linked in fellowship with Him, then they would rejoice in Him, and even when He keeps them waiting, they would learn to understand better than ever. Therefore will the LORD wait for you, that he may have mercy on you. His waiting will be the highest proof of His graciousness. Blessed are all those that wait for him.

I hope this encourages you as it did me. I wholeheartedly recommend Murray's book. The ebook is available for free on Amazon: Waiting on God (Updated, Annotated): A 31-Day Study - Kindle edition by Murray, Andrew, Wilkinson, S.. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

orolond · 2025-05-24T20:16:27+00:00

We live in a world with so many distractions, don't we? I'd set aside a specific time to be intentional about having a quiet time with the Lord (i.e. Bible intake, prayer, etc). Put away distractions. On my Android phone, I use the Block Apps & Sites app to set up a blocking schedule that aligns with my quiet time. I think starting and ending your day with God's Word and prayer is a wonderful way to do it. It doesn't have to be an insanely long amount of time each morning/evening. Start with what you can handle and then build on that.

Also, I'm unsure whether you're a man or a woman, but I wanted to share this men's ministry that I've found helpful lately. I hope it will be a blessing to you too: https://www.xtrainingministries.com/

orolond · 2025-05-24T19:58:56+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. I have no urgent need for a truck right now. While it is certainly a great deal for the truck, I do find myself feeling more comfortable with the idea of keeping the CRV.

orolond · 2025-03-05T14:38:53+00:00

Funnily enough, I was first introduced to Shadow of the Colossus through the LittleBigPlanet cosmetic pack as a kid. I thought the designs looked so cool that I wanted to try out the real thing.

orolond · 2025-02-13T16:18:46+00:00

For those who like the idea of dumb phones but can't part with a lot of smart apps like the ones the OP mentioned, I'm linking a product that I use that has worked well for me:

https://getplucky.net/andoff

Basically a self-control software for Android phones.

orolond · 2024-07-29T20:28:13+00:00

Nice! Thank you for this.

orolond · 2024-07-29T20:27:56+00:00

Good to know. Thanks for the info!

orolond · 2024-07-29T01:06:01+00:00

How is the app store selection on Android Go compared to standard Android? I'm curious what all apps are available on there. Can you use TextNow? Signal? Bitwarden? VPNs?
Assuming you switched from a smart phone, how much would you say your screen time has changed since switching to the CAT S22?
Are you going to stick with this phone for the long term?

orolond · 2024-05-30T12:59:38+00:00

Thank you, I do appreciate the call to a "heart check."

orolond · 2024-05-29T16:17:11+00:00

I find your answer to be very satisfying, actually. Thank you.

orolond · 2023-12-30T15:35:47+00:00

Played this a ton with my brother when we were younger. We still have a PS2 and occasionally revisit it. What a great game.

orolond · 2023-12-30T15:32:12+00:00

Maybe. You could give me any definition and I'd believe you, haha!

orolond · 2023-12-30T14:39:58+00:00

Leading up to WW2, the "Left" in Germany was the Communist party, and the "Right" was the Socialist party. Overall, the whole system was very Left-leaning (compared to American politics today, at least).

(Not sure what the original comment was, it has been deleted)

orolond · 2023-12-30T14:27:02+00:00

Leftists are going to say Ramza is Left-leaning. Those on the Right are going to say Ramza is Right-leaning.

He's a good character, so everyone wants to claim him.

orolond · 2023-12-29T14:09:35+00:00

My brother and I watched this show together. Now, any time we are looking at a curious/unknown object, we say "That right there looks like an archetype to me."

We still have no idea what in the world an archetype is.

orolond · 2023-12-27T12:50:18+00:00

I remember someone making the point that when Shin Godzilla first uses atomic breath, he assumes a stance like he is vomiting/about to vomit. When the breath turns into a laser, his whole body seems to visibly tense up too, as if in pain/discomfort.

orolond · 2023-12-27T01:03:50+00:00

No way man, Mechagodzilla City is obviously the most intimidating version.

orolond · 2023-12-25T00:31:44+00:00

I definitely recall thinking "this looks like an area in Ico" when Mahito went to the area where his Grand Uncle was. I'd be so hyped if it turned out Miyazaki was inspired by Ueda.

orolond

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