This game has a hold on me in a way that some have had in my past, where it touches on real life in a way that no other style of entertainment can. I'm enthralled that a developer decided to make a full-fledged game in a black-and-white, pencil-and-paper visual presentation in today's age and have it come out quite well. The interactivity of player choices is massive for a choose-your-own-adventure visual novel. The music gets you right in your soul. It must be said that Brandon Boone's work on the soundtrack is key to the experience. The voice work, especially for a genre like this, is also paramount for making Slay the Princess what it is. Having the bulk of the dialogue actually spoken helps to give so much more clues to what is happening moment to moment. Even when given the option to skip dialogue I've already read and heard it was tough to choose fast-forward because that voice work is good enough to hear many choice lines over and over. The hardest part to succinctly put in writing is, well, the writing. It's hard to say that I've ever experienced a tale where, after I close it, it comes back to my thoughts in almost all of my day-to-day life. I've played this on and off for nearly 6 months and I still say that is true. I gotta say that personal curiosity and boredom aside, the game is genuinely that well thought out that trying every scenario imaginable is quite rewarding. There are a few complaints I have with Slay the Princess before and after the Pristine Cut, but a big one was the A Song To Remember achievement. Before the update released I had pretty much seen most of the scenarios given and earned every achievement. Once the update came out I, without question, had to play the entire game all over again to complete the Gallery to get this achievement. I heard that the developer had trouble integrating the feature for those that already played the game before the update released. After played the game for about 10 more hours to repeat everything I've already seen, I want to say that I wish they had found an easier way to trigger that achievement for existing players. For as important repetition is as a theme in the story, I don't want to think the developer intended to actually waste our time replaying every string of events a second time around. In summary, this is a game that anyone should play through once, but if you feel inclined afterword to start over again to try different choices, beware of how much further it can get in your head. That aspect of Slay the Princess is the part that really goes full Horror.

This game has a hold on me in a way that some have had in my past, where it touches on real life in a way that no other style of entertainment can. I'm enthralled that a developer decided to make a full-fledged game in a black-and-white, pencil-and-paper visual presentation in today's age and have it come out quite well. The interactivity of player choices is massive for a choose-your-own-adventure visual novel. The music gets you right in your soul. It must be said that Brandon Boone's work on the soundtrack is key to the experience. The voice work, especially for a genre like this, is also paramount for making Slay the Princess what it is. Having the bulk of the dialogue actually spoken helps to give so much more clues to what is happening moment to moment. Even when given the option to skip dialogue I've already read and heard it was tough to choose fast-forward because that voice work is good enough to hear many choice lines over and over. The hardest part to succinctly put in writing is, well, the writing. It's hard to say that I've ever experienced a tale where, after I close it, it comes back to my thoughts in almost all of my day-to-day life. I've played this on and off for nearly 6 months and I still say that is true. I gotta say that personal curiosity and boredom aside, the game is genuinely that well thought out that trying every scenario imaginable is quite rewarding. There are a few complaints I have with Slay the Princess before and after the Pristine Cut, but a big one was the A Song To Remember achievement. Before the update released I had pretty much seen most of the scenarios given and earned every achievement. Once the update came out I, without question, had to play the entire game all over again to complete the Gallery to get this achievement. I heard that the developer had trouble integrating the feature for those that already played the game before the update released. After played the game for about 10 more hours to repeat everything I've already seen, I want to say that I wish they had found an easier way to trigger that achievement for existing players. For as important repetition is as a theme in the story, I don't want to think the developer intended to actually waste our time replaying every string of events a second time around. In summary, this is a game that anyone should play through once, but if you feel inclined afterword to start over again to try different choices, beware of how much further it can get in your head. That aspect of Slay the Princess is the part that really goes full Horror.