Slay the Princess
A horror visual novel where the goal is to slay the princess.
Slay the Princess is a horror adventure game that came out in 2023, developed and published by Black Tabby Games for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It launched on October 23, 2023. The game flips the classic damsel-in-distress idea: instead of rescuing the princess, the player’s goal is to kill her. A bigger version, called *The Pristine Cut*, arrived on October 24, 2024 for consoles, alongside a paid expansion for PC players that also included some free bug fixes. Serenity Forge handled the console releases. Critics praised the game for its story, hand-drawn art, music, and voice acting.
In terms of gameplay, it’s a visual novel where the player sees hand-drawn scenes from the main character’s point of view. The main way to interact is by picking dialogue or action choices. The story changes based on those choices and responses, using a branching, looping structure. Each loop usually revolves around whether the player decides to save or kill the princess, and what they do to achieve that. The first loop of any branch always starts the same, but the player’s decisions affect the next loop’s story, visuals, and the princess’s appearance—often leaning into eldritch or body horror. In later loops, the player can try again to slay or save her. Some branches have two or more loops before ending. A narrator and other unseen voices comment on and try to sway the player’s choices. The first loop only has the narrator and the Voice of the Hero; later loops add different voices depending on the branch. The number of chapters varies by choices, and the game loops with persistent consequences rather than following a fixed set of branches that reset cleanly between them.
The plot starts with an unnamed hero in a forest. An off-screen narrator (voiced by Jonathan Sims) tells him to kill the princess locked in the cabin’s basement, claiming she’ll end the world if she escapes. The hero can follow orders, try to save the princess (voiced by Nichole Goodnight), or even refuse to enter the cabin. If he kills her as told, he leaves the basement to find the outside world gone—the narrator calls this his reward. If he refuses to kill himself, he stays alone in the cabin forever, ending the game. Any other choice leads to his death, and even following directions still results in his death. After dying, the hero wakes up back in the woods in a parallel world, ordered again to kill t
- Developer
- Black Tabby Games
- Publisher
- Black Tabby Games (PC); Serenity Forge (consoles)
- Release Date
- October 23, 2023
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
- Genre
- Horror adventure visual novel
- Notable For
- Twist on damsel-in-distress archetype; branching narrative
Lore & Background
Slay the Princess is a visual novel wherein the player advances through hand-drawn scenes from the player character's perspective. The player's primary interaction is selecting dialogue or action options. The story unfolds based on the player's choices, featuring a branching and looping narrative structure. Each loop centers on the player's choice to save or slay the titular princess. The initial loop is always the same, and choices affect the narrative, visual design, and the princess's appearance, often along lines of eldritch or body horror. A narrator and other unseen voices comment on and attempt to influence the player's choices. The number of chapters varies by choices, and the game loops with persistent consequences rather than following a fixed set of branches that reset cleanly between them.
Reader's Guide
Slay the Princess received critical acclaim for its narrative, art, music, and voice performances. The game was developed by Black Tabby Games, a Canadian indie studio consisting of husband and wife Tony Howard-Arias and Abby Howard. Development began in May 2022, inspired by a game jam entry and a scene from their previous game Scarlet Hollow. The pencil drawing art style was chosen to save time but kept for its dreamy aesthetic. Voice acting is provided by Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight. The game's significance lies in its subversion of the classic damsel-in-distress trope, its complex branching narrative, and its exploration of themes such as choice, perception, and cosmic duality. Its legacy includes a console expansion and continued recognition as a standout indie horror title.
Did You Know?
- The game was announced with a demo in July 2022 and garnered 25,000 wishlists on Steam within two weeks.
- All artwork for the demo was made in one week.
- The voices in the player character's head were inspired by Disco Elysium.
- The developers estimate Abby Howard worked the equivalent of three months on the game, while Tony Howard-Arias worked seven to nine months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Slay the Princess and how does its unreliable narrator work?
It's a 2023 horror visual novel by Black Tabby Games in which a narrator guides the player on a quest to kill a princess, yet constantly reframes, contradicts, and distorts what is actually happening. The narrator's shifting reliability means the same events can be read as a heroic mission, a tragic misunderstanding, or something darker depending on which branch you follow.
What is the real goal of the story in Slay the Princess?
On the surface the player is sent to slay a princess, flipping the classic damsel-in-distress trope on its head. In practice, the unreliable narration gradually undermines that premise, revealing the princess's role and the player's true motivation are far more ambiguous than the narrator initially presents.
How does Slay the Princess handle multiple playthroughs and branching paths?
The game offers a branching narrative where different choices lead to different narrator interpretations of the same core events. Because the narrator is never fully trustworthy, each route can recontextualize earlier scenes, so no single playthrough delivers one definitive 'truth' about the princess.
What is The Pristine Cut and how does it relate to the base game?
Released on October 24, 2024, The Pristine Cut is an expanded edition that brought the title to consoles (handled by Serenity Forge) while PC players received a paid expansion alongside free bug fixes. It adds new narrative branches and content on top of the original October 2023 launch.
Why do fans and critics highlight Slay the Princess's narrator as a key feature?
The narrator is the sole lens for every scene, line of dialogue, and moral framing, and it deliberately lies, omits details, and contradicts itself across the story. This makes the player actively question whether the princess is a threat, a victim, or something the narrator simply cannot—or will not—describe honestly.
More in Video games with unreliable narrators 1-24
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