The Nameless: Slay Dragon was a fascinating game released on PC that sought to blend genres and bring back elements of older games. It took the classic fantasy RPG titles we have loved over the years and merged them with the choose your own adventure format and sought to modernize the concepts. It didn’t seem like it should work, but somehow it did, and it worked very well.
Now The Nameless: Slay Dragon has come to Nintendo Switch and brought its unique experience to the hybrid system.That is not all though, as this version comes with the Mythic Epic DLC at launch, for a complete experience. But what is the experience you can expect?
The Nameless: Slay Dragon follows a protagonist whose village has been completely destroyed by dragons, setting him on a quest to slay the dragons, or at least as many as he can find. To do this, he sets out to the town of LastGuard to join the order of the dragon slayers and learn their techniques and methods.
The Nameless: Slay Dragon is a narrative focused game, but also a very choice focused one. Your choices shape your character from a blank slate, into who you want him to be. Your choices may not cause drastic changes in the story itself as much as some games, but a wrong decision will be immediately evident, much like in the choose your own adventure books that inspired the game. There is a lot to do though in the game, and you may end up choosing to explore the overworld rather than reach LastGuard, even though there are many monsters and dragons present that can cause a quick death. When you encounter a monster, you can choose to run, hide and escape, and you need to plan out correctly what to do, and save often or you will need to start over fast.
It must be noted that The Nameless: Slay Dragon is a challenging game and requires you to really learn the systems and mechanics in order to get ahead and survive. This includes alchemy, smithing and weapon and armor customization that will let you create the build that works best. If the game is too hard though, then there is an easy mode that will let you take things at a slower pace.
Some of the mechanics in The Nameless: Slay Dragon are rather interesting, such as sparks which are side effects that you can add to your abilities, such as an armor-piercing attack that can have a spark added for a chance of frost damage occurring if it lands. It is a great touch and using these frequently will level up your use and eventually see you gain a mastery of it. This is a great way to give more freedom in terms of character customization as each build you make will be different.
One thing that must be admitted though, is that The Nameless: Slay Dragon is not a very visual heavy game and this is more due to its roots in replicating classic adventure books and tabletop games. That is not necessarily a bad thing though, and it encourages you to think differently about exploration and how to manage your stats. Your stats increase by performing actions, such as listening to people to boost your passive hearing, foraging to boost your passive gathering stat and sneaking to increase dexterity. This is a game that lets you decide how your character will evolve and the amount of freedom is a great callback to early RPGs. Besides that, what artwork and visuals the game does have are truly amazing and go well with the excellent sound that The Nameless Slay Dragon has to offer.
Now I do need to touch on the Mythic Epic DLC that was added to the game, which includes new classes like the lancer and heavy warrior, as well as new talents. There are also new game modes such as Dream Mode, which is an easy mode, challenge mode, and Mythic Epic mode, which adds new enemies, new story branches and bosses and more content for the endgame. There are new weapons and character abilities, and stores are reworked slightly, while there are more accessory slots. These are just some of the changes, and overall, the Mythic Epic DLC really does add to the game’s overall fun and enjoyability, especially with how it gives more replayability options.
Overall, The Nameless: Slay Dragon is a fantastic game with an excellent narrative that makes full use of its deep mechanics and choices. The game is a bit static visually, but when you realize just how much you are really able to do in the game, you will get hooked and want even more. My advice is to start slow and let the narrative draw you in, and take the time to learn and figure out how things work so that you can better enjoy The Nameless: Slay Dragon. This is ultimately an unforgettable experience and I am happy I got the chance to play it. The Nameless: Slay Dragon is highly recommended to all players.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
