NAMELESS

Not what I expected

True to the game’s name, you’re thrown in with almost no information. It all begins with a phone call telling you there’s a gun waiting in one of the deposit boxes inside a bank. Moments later, you’re already in control of your character, their face completely hidden behind a mask, goggles, and a hat. You walk into the bank, and before you know it, you’re being escorted straight to the box without raising any suspicion. The moment you pick up the gun, the game starts introducing your abilities. Shooting is your main tool, and you never have to worry about running out of ammo. There’s only a reload period, but otherwise you can fire endlessly. Damage changes depending on whether enemies have spotted you. If they’re alert, they take more damage, but if you catch them off guard or hit them right as they notice you, marked by an exclamation point, you can take them down in less hits. That said, you can go through the entire game without firing a single bullet thanks to your close combat skills. If you get close enough or catch someone by surprise around a corner, you can knock them out instantly, or after a few punches for stronger enemies. There’s no cooldown, which means you can clear whole groups just by mashing the button quickly. As you progress, you’ll unlock new gear, some of which behave in unique ways. You can also lure enemies toward you by snapping your fingers. If you prefer keeping your distance, there’s a tranquilizer gun and other non-lethal optionswith unlimited ammo as well. One of the most distinctive abilities is your temporary invisibility. For a few seconds, enemies can’t see you, and your movement speed increases, letting you reposition or slip behind someone for an easy takedown. The bank job doesn’t go as planned. You get overwhelmed by SWAT and shot down. Somehow, you survive, and instead of ending there, you’re given a second chance. The police recruit you to put your skills to use by infiltrating a hotel taken over by terrorists. It’s here that you finally learn your name and get a glimpse into why you tend to keep to yourself. From there, the game moves into a series of stages inside the hotel. Each one is fairly compact, made up of simple rooms with minimal detail and a handful of enemies you can approach however you like. Early on, you deal with basic melee fighters and standard grunts, but later the variety expands. You’ll encounter machine gun drones and their operators, heavily armored enemies, boss fights, and hazards like bombs and EMP devices that can disable your invisibility. Once you clear the last enemy, the stage ends immediately and you’re pushed into the next one. These aren’t strict puzzle levels where there’s only one correct solution, but some situations drop you right into the middle of danger, forcing you to think quickly. More often than not, things turn chaotic, and you’ll rely on invisibility to escape or reposition. Exploration isn’t really encouraged. Aside from coins that let you buy weapons, there’s little incentive to look around. The exception is in calmer sections where you can interact with objects, read notes, and occasionally solve small puzzles or play mini games. Those are optional, and while most are enjoyable, especially later in the arcade, the first one, tennis, feels frustratingly unbeatable no matter how hard you try. Achievements are where things get frustrating. They often feel more like a chore, and it’s surprisingly easy to lock yourself out of them for an entire playthrough. Some can be missed just by leaving a stage too quickly, others depend on specific choices, and a few are affected by awkward design decisions. For example, if you’re attempting a non-lethal run and a bomb accidentally kills the final enemy, the game still counts it as your kill and ruins the whole attempt. Since there’s no stage select, your only option is to start over and hope everything goes perfectly next time. Even with these issues, the game is genuinely fun and backed by a surprisingly engaging story. Still, it doesn’t do much to encourage a second playthrough. The main reward for finishing it is a hard mode where you move faster, but you only have one health point. Ironically, a second run can feel quicker if you abandon the non-lethal approach altogether. Playing more aggressively not only speeds things up but also leads to alternate scenes.

A shame that this game doesn't have more attention it is awesome the gameplay is fun the story is interesting and the characters are great these kinds of high quality games make me wish i could play it again like its the first time 10/10

This game was an experience I was not prepared for. Not to say it was completely insane or anything, it was just such a more momentus and impactful game for me then I was prepared for when I bought it for $2.79 on sale. Can't even remember how I found the game, and I only really bought it because it seemed like it was made with love, and some people in the reviews were in my opinion unfairly judging this game. I truly think this game has an interesting graphical style, BEAUTIFUL music, a nice gameplay experience, and an engaging story. I so far have only beat the game once, and have begun a second playthrough, but rest assured that I will most definitely at some point beat this game at least once or twice more, as it seems to have quite a few little hidden things in it. I don't think this game is for everyone, if you are someone who judges games based off of their realism of graphics or what engine they were made in.... just don't play this. But if you you aren't, please give this incredible hidden gem of a game a chance. I can't promise it will be as special an experience to you as it was to me, but I choose to believe it will surely be worth your time and money. Plus the game regularly goes on sale for much cheaper so if you don't want to pay just wait a bit and buy it for less than half the price. Oh, and by the way.... Press c to make noise :)

I have two things to say. 1. Gameplay good, weapons are varied and the different rooms are nicely designed to make you think about how best to use them. And the waterslide is glorious. 2. I don not know how to feel about the story. It's very crazy, and sometimes it is fun but just as often it is just weird. I commend the dedication to the vision, even when it makes for a rough experience.

at the start I wasn't so sure about this, but 3 hours in I can say that I'm very sure that Nameless is worth the price and anyone's time