Adventure · October 23, 2023

Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut (2023)

trophy131 achievementsextension2 DLClocal_offer-45% current discountgroup1M–10M ownerstrending_up134 peak concurrentrecommend26.8k recommendations
You're on a path in the woods, and at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a Princess. You're here to slay her. If you don't, it will be the end of the world. She will do everything in her power to stop you. She'll charm, and she'll lie, and she'll promise you the world, and if you let her, she'll kill you a dozen times over. You can't let that happen. Don't forget, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders. You're not going to listen to him, are you? We're supposed to save princesses, not slay them... Features Fully voice-acted by the impeccable Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight. Hand-penciled art - every background and sprite is drawn traditionally with pencil and paper by Ignatz-winning graphic novelist Abby Howard. A princess. She's very bad and you have to get rid of her for all our sakes. No, the Princess isn't a “cosmic horror,” whatever that is supposed to mean. She's just an ordinary human Princess , and you can definitely slay her as long as you put your mind to it. Don't even think about trying to romance her. It won't end well for you. Hopefully you won't die. But if you do, you'll die a lot. Be careful and stay focused on the task at hand! A branching narrative where what you say and what you believe determines both who you are and how the story unfolds. Though I wouldn’t recommend taking any paths outside of the one I lay before you. A new roleplaying experience from the creators of Scarlet Hollow. Slay the Princess is a choice-driven psychological horror visual novel/dating sim with dramatic branching, light RPG elements, and hand-penciled art. What’s in the Pristine Cut? 3 brand new chapters replete with mysteries—and consequences. Expansions to familiar routes. The Den, The Apotheosis and The Fury each have each more than doubled in length. Over 35% more content overall—and all of it filled with great opportunities to listen to me and do your job. A new ending. And hopefully one that saves the world rather than damns it. Track Your Progress: Cherish your memories, relive your exploits, and uncover deeply hidden secrets with the new gallery feature. Over 1,200 New Hand-Penciled Frames hand-illustrated by Abby Howard. Over 2,500 New Lines of Dialogue fully voiced dialogue by the impeccable Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight.

Adventure releases from 2023

74 Adventure titles launched in 2023 — top 6 by review volume.

Position in Adventure

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume24.0k Steam reviewsTop 10% in Adventure
Positive rating97% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 15%
Metacritic90/100Genre average 77 — top 4% of Adventure titles
Concurrent peak134 playersTop 18% in Adventure by live player count
Engagement hours6 h averageTop 52% for session depth among Adventure

Peer Adventure titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Visual Novel · 622
  • Choices Matter · 611
  • Psychological Horror · 565
  • Horror · 467
  • Choose Your Own Adventure · 436
  • Story Rich · 427
  • CRPG · 416
  • Lore-Rich · 410
  • Point & Click · 401
  • Simulation · 399
  • Hand-drawn · 388
  • Romance · 388
  • First-Person · 385
  • Interactive Fiction · 377
  • Dating Sim · 374

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (12)

  • English volume_up
  • French
  • Italian
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Polish
  • Portuguese - Brazil
  • Russian
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Spanish - Latin America

Full audio (2)

  • English
  • Traditional Chinese

Features & Capabilities

Community

  • Steam Achievements
  • Steam Trading Cards

Accessibility

  • Adjustable Text Size
  • Narrated Game Menus
  • Playable without Timed Input
  • Subtitle Options

Input & Comfort

  • Full controller support
  • Custom Volume Controls

Other

  • Single-player
  • Keyboard Only Option
  • Mouse Only Option
  • Save Anytime

Reception Metrics

Steam community

97%Overwhelmingly Positive · 24.0k reviews

23.2k positive · 719 negative

Metacritic

90/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Curator recommendations

26.8k

Peak concurrent players

134

Press Quotes

“An existentially horrific visual novel, with an incredibly well-written plot, a beautiful score and graphics that will enrapture all senses. One of the best narrative games of 2023.” 10/10 – Voxel Smash “Slay the Princess is a dazzling game, dripping with charm, brilliance, and emotion. Last year, GameSpot included the title on its Best PC Games of 2024 list. A year later, both time and The Pristine Cut have intensified my love for the title” 9/10 – Gamespot “The Pristine…

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

6h

short (5–15 hours)

Median

4h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

2h

Current engagement

Achievements

131

Steam unlocks available

Release & Availability

Release dateOct 23, 2023
DeveloperBlack Tabby Games
PublisherBlack Tabby Games, Serenity Forge
Base price$9.89 -45%
DLC / Add-ons2 released
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · [email protected]

Content Notes

Slay the Princess is a horror game, and it is not intended for children or those easily disturbed. Please visit our website if you need a full list of content warnings. If suicide is a significantly triggering topic for you, we suggest you take care of yourself while playing the game, or for you to possibly avoid playing it.

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut