Slay the Princess manages to show blood and brutality without losing sight of its rather clean horror aesthetic.
Visual Novels have become a solid niche in gaming that has seen an increase in popularity over the past decade, largely attributable to indie developers as it provides a podium for them to tell their stories whilst giving the players agency over what route their playthrough could take and the burdens of consequence. Additionally, there is also a freedom in setting an aesthetic for the visual aspect of said stories.
Towards the end of 2023, an indie psychological-horror visual novel was introduced on Steam. The premise? Pave a way through the woods until you find a cabin. You have but one task – Slay the Princess. Although the concept appears straightforward, the story becomes convoluted and bewildering as it plays out.
Slay the Princess has a vast, enigmatic story that keeps you guessing as you go through a time-loop paradigm of dying and beginning again in an ever-changing universe, whilst failing to clarify your actual purpose to finish the game in the conventional sense. The game, the landscapes, and even the princess change to reflect the choices you make.
Terminating the princess might be your first big goal on paper or the most obvious one to accomplish, or it could be something else entirely depending on how you feel. Regardless, once you set out on a path through the forest, every decision you make, conscious or not, does lead you down a distinct path. The only things you’re certain of are that there are no bad choices and that death is only the beginning.
The ways Slay the Princess keeps you guessing and anticipating seem to be limitless. In one instance early on in the game, I encountered a powerful being and quite literally grew wearisome of everyone spewing pretenses. I decided it was time to stand up for myself and reject the advice I was receiving from all ends.
Out of natural curiosity, I challenged the entity to wait an eternity with my being and refused to push forward. Despite the entity’s cautions that I would eventually become bored and return, I was pleasantly surprised when—you guessed it—I was prompted to restart the game.
It was a precursor to the lengths the authors would go to in their attempt to defy my expectations by coding meticulously and adding unexpected twists and turns to the plot. I thought it was great because, generally speaking, it did.
The voice acting, visuals, and early plot of Slay the Princess may not stun you much, depending on your standards—especially in light of what is accessible now. Sure, the game is distinctive and intriguing, but it is the tale’s unconventional development that hooks you and makes this deserving of accolades, which it duly received.
The animation is very mesmerizing whenever it happens, and the princess’s abrupt movements may actually be quite effective—that disturbing staccato movement, when used well, can be downright terrifying.
Part of the concept is that the environment becomes more abstract thanks to the basic abstract images. Slay the Princess manages to show blood and brutality without losing sight of its rather clean horror aesthetic. It’s dark and occasionally scary, but it stays away from anything that would give a child nightmares. I enjoyed it for a good chunk of my playthrough, but I felt like it was starting to wear thin before I got to the end. But that’s just me.
I was engrossed in the story as I progressed because it became more inventive and you could see how your choices affected subsequent chapters. However, as the game progressed, I became less invested in the overall experience. The simple drawings no longer captivated me, and I longed for cleverer fourth wall-breaking humor, which was never implemented.
I experienced a certain level of boredom in Slay the Princess‘ gameplay cycle during this period, and the story’s twists and turns were unable to alleviate it. This is due to the fact that I am personally limited in the amount of time I can devote to an animated picture book.
A sword erupts from the free arm of the princess as she suddenly jumps at you. As I became more dependent on the spacebar to bypass dialogue in my pursuit of speeding through the experience and reaching the next exciting story development, I came to the realization that the game’s hooks were slipping. If you’re looking for a direct comparison between this issue and any of the time loop games currently available, The Stanley Parable is a good bet.
In contrast to the concise and engaging Stanley Parable, I came to the conclusion that, unless you’re a serious completionist, you don’t actually play Slay the Princess to complete it because of the game’s overwhelming number of options and outcomes – You keep playing until you feel like you’ve seen and learned all there is to know. However, I felt a little disheartened since there was no clear conclusion; at least I had never seen enough.
After I believed that I had reached a solid understanding of the overarching narrative, I discovered that there were still numerous additional branches and realities to explore. At some point, I realized that I was merely playing to ensure that I was not missing out on a more significant, broader conclusion that would provide a twist and challenge my preconceived notions.
The bittersweet nature of the experience of Slay the Princess stemmed from my inability to put the game down, my desire to see how the story progressed, and my belief that the writing merited a larger budget, however controversial that may sound.
The brilliance of the game lies in the fact that every player has such a unique experience, regardless of whether they are like visual novels or not. Since you are presented with options from the very beginning, no two players will ever take the same route. At the start of the game, you’d ask yourself whether you turn around before you reach the cabin or not.
I had to die a few times before the second thought crossed my mind. When I made the decision to stop trying altogether, I was struck with a terrifying truth: if I attempted to be nice, I would be punished severely. The game would take a gloomy and sometimes terrifying turn if I became angry and tried to murder someone.
Finally, my identity was revealed to me. Who was speaking to me? I discovered and learned all the details. I thought I understood a lot, but as I continued, I realized I was wrong. While I have no doubt there is much more to learn, I have reached a point where I am just not interested anymore. At one point, I became completely engrossed in the game; nevertheless, I quickly realized that I had played for much too long after that.
The endings, which may be reached several times under various circumstances, aren’t as deep as you would think based on what you’ve experienced throughout the game. The plot centers on an unusually human romance between omnipotent beings, with elements reminiscent of folk tales or comic books, where the message takes precedence over the realistic details, and it Is vaguely philosophical in tone. The world beyond what you can see is rich and expansive. However that was to be expected as the game starts with the message in bold, ‘This is a love story.’
The tale is more about the trip than the destination, yet getting to that conclusion involves crafting your route ahead of you step by step. Not everyone will like Slay the Princess. Despite its excellent concept and production values, it is still an animated picture book, and those unfamiliar with the genre will need to put in some time and effort to get to the meat of the story. However, I do not regret the game since it would have meant missing out on the enchanting epic that blossomed from its modest origins into something that sometimes left me speechless.
So, my only advice is to be wary of the magnitude of the undertaking. Set aside a lot of time, and think about if you’re interested in visual novels enough to finish them. You won’t feel bad about pausing Slay the Princess whenever you want; as long as you save up enough energy for another session, this journey of discovery is the kind of game that, given the chance, will keep you wanting more.
