![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Slay-the-Princess-Cabin.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe game\u00a0combines\u00a0some key elements that\u00a0construct\u00a0an overall pleasant experience.\u00a0I must give credit to the great performances when it comes to voice acting, and I deeply appreciate the fact that\u00a0the player is given a backlog of the dialogue in written form in case they accidentally skip something.\u00a0In addition to what is\u00a0read aloud in game, there is a stunning\u00a0soundtrack in the background to appreciate whilst everything, chaotically good or bad, is happening.\u00a0Another crucial factor in making the game the way it is has to do with\u00a0the unique hand-drawn art style of Abby Howard, who together with her husband Tony Howard-Arias founded Black Tabby Games\u00a0in 2019\u00a0and published\u00a0Slay the Princess<\/em>\u00a0in 2023.\u00a0My only complaint\u00a0revolves around\u00a0slight repetition in\u00a0the story\u00a0due to the game\u2019s structure, but nothing that would make me uninterested during the whole gameplay\u00a0or a single \u201crun\u201d,\u00a0lasting around five hours total.\u00a0For\u00a0some, the game may be slightly on the expensive side especially\u00a0if\u00a0only played\u00a0through once. However, given the\u00a0sheer\u00a0amount of work it took to draw every single\u00a0scene, the\u00a0price is more than justified.\u00a0There is\u00a0enough\u00a0content\u00a0for\u00a0the player\u00a0to\u00a0get an entirely\u00a0different experience\u00a0upon replay.<\/p>\n Slay the Princess<\/em>\u00a0is a visual novel game\u00a0with bare-bones\u00a0mechanics\u2013\u00a0\u201cclick a button to proceed\u201d without any exception.\u00a0Of course, the player\u00a0often\u00a0has\u00a0one or more buttons reflecting various branching dialogue choices which in turn will directly affect the game\u2019s story. The impact of each choice is\u00a0rather instantaneous,\u00a0simultaneously building up towards the end in a satisfying manner. Whether the game should be called horror is debatable, as the tone is often humorous and the anticipation comes\u00a0from the gradual build-up of an intensifying mood. There are no jump scares or interactable items of sorts besides the dialogue in any scene, you are only a passenger watching the view unfold in front of your eyes. This gets us to the main point of the game, which\u00a0arguably could\u00a0also be questioned\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is Slay the Princess really a game<\/em>?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What the \u201cgame\u201d is in its literal sense, is an interactive story and the literal definition of a visual novel. You hear the characters speak and the narrator paints you a picture of how the story progresses along with beautiful visual illustrations. But it goes much deeper than that, and I dare say the game is played somewhere completely outside of the script or digital device:\u00a0inside the player\u2019s mind. It creates a liminal space in between reality and fiction for a twisted\u00a0divine\u00a0comedy\u00a0to play out. To be more precise, it is existential horror, there are no easy choices, and the game is testing your\u00a0morale, your very thinking and decision making.<\/p>\n We are\u00a0now\u00a0reaching the point where you as a reader might know too much before stepping in to the experience.\u00a0Then again,\u00a0the game\u00a0title\u00a0is quite self-explanatory and gives away at least\u00a0something obvious\u00a0about what is going on in it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou’re here to slay her. If you\u00a0don’t, it will be the end of the world.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n -Narrator in Slay the Princess<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The game is indeed about slaying a princess. In fact, it is portrayed as your sole\u00a0objective\u00a0and\u00a0the whole story builds on this premise. You may have some questions as to why this is, and rest assured that the game is\u00a0also generously offering answers, though it may do it through riddles or\u00a0mere clues. What matters is the journey the player takes, who they decide to be, or even who they decide the princess should be.\u00a0The\u00a0game characters are not\u00a0really there\u00a0before you play and progress, they have no story or background, they simply exist\u00a0as blank slates.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At its best, the game is a mirror, only reflecting whatever choices you make and where those will lead you.\u00a0It is masterfully forcing you\u00a0to\u00a0question your morality, the core of your\u00a0character and who you\u00a0represent.\u00a0Everything and everyone in the game depends on\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n