The Stanley Parable meets horror visual novels in this brilliant choose-your-own-adventure, freshly expanded for its Xbox release

As a seasoned video game enthusiast with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I’ve played everything from first-person shooters to strategy games, and visual novels like Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut are a delightful change of pace. This game is a masterclass in narrative-driven storytelling, rivaling the likes of the legendary Stanley Parable, a title I hold in high regard.

I really enjoy games with compelling narratives, particularly those that empower players to shape the story’s direction. However, these games skillfully challenge the idea of free will in the narrative without undermining the impact of player decisions.

This game, “Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut,” is one that responds to your actions, yet in a manner you’d never anticipate. It’s like a twist on the traditional monkey’s paw story. In essence, it’s a visual novel with a romantic theme, but beneath the surface lies a deep emotional metaphor about the impact of perspective, the results of our actions (or inaction), and the unchangeable nature of forces beyond our grasp. This game carries a hint of horror, exploring themes that are both intriguing and thought-provoking.

The classic game “Slay the Princess,” long revered as one of the top-tier PC games ever made, has now been released on consoles in conjunction with The Pristine Cut update. This expansion brings a wealth of new features such as fresh artwork, additional dialogue, multiple paths to traverse, alternate princesses to confront (or not), and various endings to uncover. Playing it evokes fond memories of my time assessing “The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe,” yet the technical performance of “Slay the Princess” is somewhat hindered.

What is Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut?

Initially, “Slay the Princess” was launched on October 23, 2023, and it was made available solely for Windows PCs. Not long afterward, it gained high acclaim, earning a top rating on Metacritic.

In this game, you play the role of the protagonist who sets out on a chilling journey to free a captive princess and save the world. A mysterious Storyteller and your internal voices serve as your guides, but you soon discover that you don’t always have to follow orders blindly.

In The Pristine Cut, you’ll find yourself with a unique, open-ended journey through Slay the Princess. The length and depth of your adventure depend on how deeply you delve into exploration, rebellion, and knowledge gathering. This gameplay style closely mirrors that of The Stanley Parable, where completion time can range from just 5 minutes to a whopping 15 hours, all depending on your interpretation of when the story truly ends and what constitutes the ‘end’.

In a nutshell, The Pristine Cut is a complimentary upgrade for the current Steam game, and it coincides with the console debut of Slay the Princess on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Mark your calendars, as Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut will officially drop on October 24, 2024.

Slay the Princess review: The good

The pros highlights

Being a visual novel, Slay the Princess is interacted with through the text-based choices you make.
The entire game is wonderfully narrated and voiced, with a cast of interesting characters.
The branching, multi-path narrative is also incredibly well-written and endlessly fascinating.

In simpler terms, are the decisions we make significant in the grand scheme of things, or do they ultimately hold no weight? Can life and death coexist independently, or do they intertwine and influence each other? Are there true endings, or is everything just a cycle of new beginnings? However, it’s important to remember that “Slay the Princess” is a straightforward tale about a Hero embarking on a journey to rescue the world from a certain princess.

The storyline for “Slay the Princess” consistently commences with: “You find yourself on a woodland trail, leading to a cabin. In its basement lies a Princess. Your task is to eliminate her; failure means the world’s demise.” Initially, your assignment seems straightforward, and your choices are equally uncomplicated. You might wonder about the orders given, completely abandon your duty and flee, or embrace your destiny and press on.

You’re led by the seemingly omniscient Narrator, who suggests a course of action that could save the world and bring you immediate reward. This is the “good” outcome, but will it be your only journey? As you venture deeper, make choices, experience their repercussions, and continue to decide, you’ll soon realize that Slay the Princess isn’t the straightforward story you were led to believe. Instead, the ending of this tale depends on the various paths you choose to traverse.

I won’t say anything more beyond that. Just like with The Stanley Parable, the less you know about Slay the Princess, the better. Go in as blind as possible and don’t let any one ending deter you. “The end is never the end,” after all. Whichever choices you make, Slay the Princess will engage you with emotional voice acting that brings each character to life in whatever form they may come. The words with which the story is woven are beautiful, thought-provoking, or just downright terrifying. You are a character in a play just as much as you are the director, just as much as you are the audience.

I’ve invested 10 hours playing Slay the Princess, but there’s still much more to uncover. Despite having access to a cheat sheet provided by Serenity Forge and Black Tabby Games, I prefer not to use it. The thrill of discovering the route leading to a fresh ending is part of the enjoyment for me. This visual novel is remarkably rich, seamlessly weaving in numerous themes and philosophies that enrich the overall experience. If only the technical aspects were as flawless, there wouldn’t be much for me to criticize.

Slay the Princess review: The bad

The cons highlights

During my review, I encountered multiple issues with dialogue not playing or ending properly, and an entire path that was completely unplayable.
Slay the Princess’ menus are also very rough to navigate and lack the quality-of-life features I expect from a modern game.
A pre-release patch improved matters, a launch day patch is planned, and menu navigation will supposedly improve after launch, but I have to review the game as it is now.

Title Adjustment: “Defeat the Royal Princess: The Crystal Edition

Occasionally, the dialogue wouldn’t play as intended, might not stop properly when skipping, or persist into subsequent sections. Additionally, menus experienced visual problems, such as items and options not highlighting appropriately or responding sluggishly. Moreover, there was an entire section that proved unplayable; it initially froze the game, necessitating a restart, but after a pre-launch update, it simply crashed every time I reached a particular spot.

The Pristine Cut” seems unpolished. Navigating through it using a controller can be clumsy, and your position within menus isn’t consistently saved when you open and close them, adding to the confusion. Additionally, some areas lack detailed information, like save files not specifying which chapter or part of the story they represent. This is in stark contrast to the highly polished, near-perfect storyline and writing found in the game.

During my review process, Black Tabby Games rolled out a significant update addressing some problems. They also plan to release a launch day patch aimed at resolving a progression-halting bug I encountered. Additionally, the developers have informed me they’re working on post-launch fixes to enhance menu functionality and navigation. While it’s promising news, these issues persist as of now.

Slay the Princess review: Final thoughts

You should play this if …

✅You love playing a role in an interesting story

Experience the game “Slay the Princess” as if you’ve stepped right into the character’s life. Here, you don’t merely occupy the role of the protagonist; instead, you become the decision-maker yourself. This is an outstanding choice for those who relish participating in engaging narratives where your decisions truly shape the course of events.

✅You’re a fan of visual novels

While not typically known for their high-octane gameplay, visual novels serve as an exceptional platform to convey extraordinary, disorderly, or utterly bizarre narratives that could prove challenging within other gaming contexts. And this visual novel is a prime example of such a captivating tale – it’s simply fantastic!

You should not play this if …

❌You want lots of gameplay in your games

As for myself, I’m quite fond of nearly all types of video games, excluding sports ones, which don’t really appeal to me. However, I respect those who find little enjoyment in playing video games. This visual novel could be seen as a gift or a challenge, depending on your point of view. I see it as a blessing, but others might consider it a challenge instead.

As a researcher studying “Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut,” I found it challenging to assign a definitive score, as the task of encapsulating the entire gaming experience – from graphics and gameplay to storyline and replay value – into a solitary numeric value felt somewhat limiting.

Among the many games I’ve experienced, The Stanley Parable stands out as one of the finest narrative-driven titles, offering an engaging story, exceptional writing, top-notch voice acting, and immersive gameplay (it belongs to the visual novel genre). This game has earned a place among my all-time favorites. Playing it is like discovering a kindred spirit that weaves a mind-bending tale capable of twisting and challenging your perceptions. However, as I’ve mentioned before, my evaluation is based on the product as it currently stands, rather than its potential future improvements.

Initially, playing Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut has left me deeply impressed as a visual novel, given its expanded storyline, art, and dialogues. Yet, there are lingering issues such as bugs and unpolished menus that persist in the console version. Consequently, I’m unable to rate it higher at this moment, despite its captivating narrative. If Black Tabby Games addresses these concerns effectively (and I become aware of their progress), I might need to revise my review with fresh insights.

To wrap it up, I must express my profound disappointment that there isn’t a Collector’s Edition available for Xbox. However, I can appreciate the reasoning behind why numerous physical editions bypass the predominantly digital Xbox platform.

2024-10-24 20:09