Slay the Princess is one of those games where, the less you know going in, the better. As such, I've taken care not to reveal anything

Words truly cannot explain how much I love this game.

At release, Slay the Princess became one of my favorite games of all time.

With the release of The Pristine Cut, however,
Slay the Princess has become my number one favorite game of all time.

I cannot properly describe with words the profound effect that this game has had on my brain. This is one of those games that will be a part of me for the rest of my life. I have 0 doubts about that.

It is an absolute masterwork of interactive narrative storytelling. No other game I've played or heard of in my life gives as much weight to every single choice you make, every little thing you do. There are so many choices and possibilities, and not once does the game ever make you feel like you've chosen "wrong." It's impossible to see everything in one playthrough, and you would be hard-pressed to get the exact same playthrough twice.

I love watching other people play Slay the Princess. I'll often watch friends, streamers, youtubers, or whoever else play through the game. Without fail, every single time I've watched somebody else play the game, they've stumbled upon something that I've never seen before. This is coming from somebody with 82.9 hours of gameplay & 100% of the achievements.

One full playthrough takes about 3-4 hours. I guarantee that you will want to do more than one.

There are a number of places that serve as logical stopping points, should you ever need to take a break.

The narrative is expertly woven. The storytelling is phenomenal, interweaving paralyzing fear with heart-aching beauty, with a healthy amount of comedy at carefully and expertly chosen places to balance out the tension. The themes are meaningful, run deep, carry through beautifully, especially with the release of The Pristine Cut. I've full-on cried multiple times. I don't do that for just anything.

For those like me who might struggle with games where you have to spend a lot of time reading, you'll be happy to hear that the game is fully voice-acted, with vocal performances by Nichole Goodnight & Jonathan Sims. Their performances were wonderful. Both actors put their heart and souls into their roles, and this care shines brightly in their performances.

The art of the game is beautiful. It is all lovingly hand-drawn, pencil on paper. Thousands of images, and even a few animations, all coming together to form a wonderfully unique visual style that lends itself well to the game's overall design and narrative.

The soundtrack is absolutely breathtaking. It's composed by Brandon Boone, featuring vocal performances by Amelia Jones (the latter of which you may recognize from Alan Wake 2). The music does a phenomenal job setting and supporting the tone of the game, whether it be tension, fear, hope, joy, love, hatred, or anything between and beyond.

Brandon Boone actually recently won the "Game Music Award" at the World Soundtrack Awards for his work on Slay the Princess. This was before the release of The Pristine Cut, which contains my new favorite track in the entire game; a track that even now instills a sense of calm in me every time I hear it; a track that has served to give me a sense of relief during the times I've been the most stressed. I believe that Boone's award was 100% deserved.

Overall, I cannot recommend this game enough. If I could afford to buy a million copies to distribute to anybody who asks, I would. This game took my heart in it's hands, squeezed it into a pulp, and then gently and lovingly pieced it back together, cell by cell, molecule by molecule. It's one of those games I believe everybody should experience, even if they don't experience the mind-bending, heart-melting, rapturous enjoyment that I did. If there are any doubts in your mind stopping you from buying this game, I beg you: just give it a chance. Trust me.

This is the third time I've edited this review.
I've spoken before about how much I love this game, and will continue to love this game.

I meant it.

If you've read this far, I thank you for taking the time to read my review. Have a wonderful day.