Some RPGs try to win us over with fireworks and bombastic scenes, while others rely on us to bite into quality game mechanics and story. The Nameless: Slay Dragon falls into the second category. In this old school RPG, reading is half the experience, relying on a deep narrative and decisions that carry weight, with well thought out class systems.
The story and the world
The game casts us in the role of a nameless young man who survived after his village was burned down by dragons. Here begins the path of revenge, redemption, seeking justice and understanding why. The world is depressed and half-destroyed, collapsing under the massive attacks of dragons. Humanity has retreated from the great walls of LastGuard's last fortress, while dragons and monsters rule beyond the walls.
The narrative is difficult, but not hopeless. The companions you will meet are not just paper stereotypes: each of them brings their own story and moral dilemmas and values, and your decisions affect whether they will hate you, love you or leave you stranded.
Gameplay mechanics
Here lies the heart of the game. If you enjoy complex stats and puzzles, this will make you happy. The game contains a lot of different mechanics: the Job and Class systems bring different classes, basic at first, and increasingly stronger and more exotic classes. Sparks and traits add different effects, statuses and change abilities. Each ability can thus be modified, upgraded and changed. Skill checks provide that DnD tabletop charm in events outside of combat, through exploration and conversation, with a variety of options to choose from.
Granted, you can't just grind endlessly. The game has a fatigue system that affects abilities. A little anecdote: at the very beginning of the game, I came across a forest where I could pick berries and level up survival along the way. The Min/Maxer in me woke up, so I chose the picking option again and again, and the fatigue only grew. The final result? I woke up an epic wooden monster that totally crushed me in one go.
Graphically passable
The Switch version is a solid port. Since the game relies heavily on reading text and dialogue, portability is a big plus. Graphically, nothing enviable. The text is small and the visuals are static most of the time. There are illustrations of the characters, but they are not animated, and the vast majority of the gameplay is an overworld map of different places and static backgrounds where you will follow the cursor and navigate it to points of interest that then open other options. No rich 3D scenes. It looks fleeting, and doesn't stand out too much. The text is small on a small screen, and the translation from Chinese is questionable in some places, some things can sound... well, unusual. The UI is a bit clumsy, later when you have a lot of party members and a lot of skills and gear it's hard to navigate, and sorting is limited.
Nameless offers different difficulty settings, you can adjust a lot to your liking. Multiple endings, different decisions, optional bosses and side quests offer content to work on, and bring replay value. However, the game can be repetitive. Some battles take a really long time, and unnecessarily so. The soundtrack doesn't stand out, a typical short fantasy loop that gets boring after a while. If you do side quests, you will fight a lot, and often encounter similar opponents.
An RPG with soul, but no instant spark
The Nameless: Slay Dragon will not delight you with its visuals and animations, but it can offer you an interesting story in which your choices matter, and deep combat systems that only become more complex. However, I must admit, he didn't win me over at first. It took a few hours to click with the game. This indie RPG is a good choice for those who like fast-paced combat and I think it's ideal as a short interval game. For something longer, maybe turn to one of the classics on the Switch.
A copy of the game was provided by publisher WhisperGames for review purposes
