While early on the Switch indie RPG scene was pretty scant, over the years there’s no doubt that it has filled in quite nicely. Not only have there been quite a fair number of RPGs released to the system, they’ve also managed to be quite diverse, of course including the likes of Skyrim and Square titles, but also indies that have covered the gamut in terms of style. The Nameless: Slay Dragon happens to be in one of the less well-represented categories overall, and that’s because its approach to everything from character setup, to combat, to even how random encounters are handled, tends to use old-school pen-and-paper sensibilities.

Having lost their family and everyone they knew in a dragon attack as a child, your main character is absolutely a driven individual who is out for vengeance. Along this journey he’ll thankfully be joined by some cooler heads, with each of your companions sort of filling out a useful party. You’ll end up with a primary character that you can go to some pains to customize, a thief, a mage, and a cleric. I appreciate the fact the flow of the overall story doesn’t neglect the rest of your party either, focused only on your main character, and that helps to flesh the narrative out a bit, providing a little more levity or pain at times for the sake of some variety.

The tricky part may be the fact that because the vision for this game is more unique, providing for a great deal of customization and generally allowing you to forge your own path to some degree, some people may get thrown off by it. While the combat system feels more authentically old-school, that also tends to make it a bit more plain and lacking in flair. Similarly, while the game’s art style has its own unique flavor, I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly exciting either. The emphasis here is absolutely more on the substance of the experience, and honoring a specific style of play. Whether or not that aligns with what you may be looking for may be another matter.