Slay the Princess is one of the most visually stunning and conceptually interesting games I’ve played so far at PAX East. The hand-drawn narrative game made me think about my choices during my time with it.
The first thing that caught my attention is the art and how it perfectly sets the mood for the game. Each scene looks like pencil sketches, which plays into the game’s storybook aspect and the creepy horror backdrop in the narrative.
The protagonist in the story is you, dropped into the middle of a forest. A narrator tells you that you need to kill the princess; if you don’t, the world will end. The game offers several different dialogue options; some a bit cheeky, others permitting you to ask why, and even some that will allow you to cut to the chase. I chose to ask why, but eventually, the path sent me to the cabin, where I found the princess chained to the wall. Again, I had several different options to choose from.
I won’t spoil what happened next, but the game got me thinking hard about what I should and shouldn’t do. I began to question everything, wondering what was real. The story's narrator made compelling arguments about why I needed to kill the princess. But I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not.
I completed the first chapter and moved on to the next, and the narrative got me second-guessing everything again. On top of all this, others, almost “conscious-like” voices, whispered thoughts into my ears. In the first chapter, it was just one voice, that of a hero. But in the second chapter, an optimist's voice appeared. These voices aligned well with the rest of the game, making me question all my decisions.
Unfortunately, this is where the demo ended. I left wanting more. I can’t wait to be able to play the full version of this game.