Saving a princess has to be the most overused trope in the fantasy playbook. If pixelated plumbers and heroes clad in green tunics have taught us anything, it’s that princesses need rescuing – right? Not if Slay the Princess has anything to say about it. In this psychological horror visual novel, you’re tasked with killing a princess to save the world – or so you’re told.
It starts with a straightforward premise: an unseen narrator calls on you to carry out a grisly murder for the greater good. But as you question the motives behind this task and mull whether to slay or spare the eponymous princess, the game reveals a surprisingly dense philosophical narrative that probes questions of perspective, autonomy, and existence.
Originally distributed on Steam by developer Black Tabby Games in October 2023, Slay the Princess was released to broad critical acclaim. The Pristine Cut was later offered as a free expansion and is now available on consoles as a definitive edition packed with additional chapters, expansions to existing chapters, and numerous different endings.
Upon completing our first playthrough on Switch, which can take around three or more hours, it was clear why the title had struck a chord and we felt like we had barely scratched the surface. Unfortunately, our second playthrough was marred by technical hiccups that thwarted our progression, so be warned that the current build has kinks that need ironing.
Assuming those issues are remedied, Slay the Princess is a compelling and uniquely original must-play for fans of horror-laced narrative subversion — think Doki Doki Literature Club!, and meta-thought experiments offered by the likes of The Stanley Parable, whereby players can choose whether to obey or wholly disregard a narrator’s guidance.
Without spoiling anything, it’s a given that player choice dramatically shapes each playthrough’s outcome. The game relies on a time loop mechanic in which everything from the environment to the princess’s form and even the voices in the protagonist’s head are altered by the player’s actions, leading to your trust and assumptions being tested in new ways.
The looping cycles of death and resurrection only to be repeatedly tasked with a cryptic princess-killing purpose establishes a sense of both continuity and unpredictability, themes at the core of the game’s broader philosophical binary, which asks you whether it’s better to exist in the world as an eternal fixed entity or as part of a process in constant flux.
While all that sounds weighty and abstract, it’s not thrown at you all at once. More immediate questions will take minute-by-minute priority: Can anything the narrator says really be trusted? Should I confront the princess with a blade in hand or unarmed? Is the captive damsel truly a dangerous antagonist, a potential ally, or even a love interest?
The story is told through exceptionally written prose that is literary and darkly poetic while at times veering into cheeky self-awareness and humour to deliver moments of levity. That said, the game’s exposition can feel lengthy at times, and by design, players will encounter the same dialogue prompts within a playthrough, particularly at the start of a time loop, though it’s all skippable.
Slay the Princess is fully voiced and, though there are only two voice actors, both Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight’s range and versatility are on full display with each playing multiple iterations of the game’s characters. As a result, they succeed in making an emotional impact and building immersion as their different personas emerge throughout the playthrough.
The title’s monochromatic art style and sketchbook-like aesthetic fully complements the story being told. Scenes play out using limited frames of animation paired with eerie, mood-setting sound design. A limited colour palette is utilised, but occasional flashes of red visually pop in a way that elevates the often-imaginative scenes of violence and body horror.
A neat addition is parallax effects activated by motion controls, adding a touch of visual depth to the illustrations. The menu system meets the visual novel standard with myriad save slots and a history tab to review past dialogue. As mentioned earlier, the game froze and left us no choice but to restart on several occasions, so we’re waiting for a patch before continuing.
Though we haven’t seen enough of its endings as we would like, Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut is brimming with content and is highly replayable by design. Though its time loop structure could lead to things feeling repetitive sooner than we’d like, discovering a new narrative arc was always satisfying and something that consistently motivated us to delve deeper.
Conclusion
Slay The Princess: The Pristine Cut is an inverted fairy tale that shatters conventions and questions heroism, opting to pull you into a narrative odyssey that leans into metaphysical themes more than it initially lets on. While its presentation is distinct and superbly executed, extended play sessions can’t help but feel somewhat repetitive due to its recurrent structure. That said, there’s no denying the depth and breadth of storytelling on offer.