If you attended PAX East this past spring, or followed coverage of it, there’s a good chance you heard about Slay the Princess. Intrigued by the title and the eerie monochromatic art design by Abby Howard, I went hands on with the title at the convention. And as a fan of indie horror, I craved more.
So fittingly, last week’s Fear Fest revealed a release date of October 20th, 2023. Players can experience the dilemma of the title themselves just in time for Halloween.
Developed and published by Black Tabby Games, Slay the Princess tasks players with a seemingly straightforward quest: slay the princess and save the world. But each time you attempt this quest, the world resets. Is the princess even the same one as before? Is the narrator, your quest giver, someone you can trust? And will killing the princess really save the world?
In a press release, Tony Howard-Arias, Lead Writer at Black Tabby Games, took a stab at some of these mysteries:
“It starts out simple. And, ultimately, it stays simple — the premise never changes. You’re here to slay the Princess, and you need to slay her to save the entire world. But trust is a fragile thing, and the context around the goal changes dramatically the more decisions you make and the more you develop your relationship with the characters and the world. We’re really excited to see how everyone navigates these surreal gray waters.”
Players can attempt to solve this royal ethical dilemma for themselves when Slay the Princess launches on PC, Mac, Linux, and Steam Deck on Friday, October 20th for $19.99. Those who purchase the game early on Steam can get a 10% launch discount. Another bundled discount will include Black Tabby Games’ Early Access title Scarlet Hollow, if players would like two indie horror visual novels to play.
