Here’s a critically acclaimed 2023 horror adventure game by Black Tabby Games. A narrative-first indie studio of just two people in Toronto of that there Canada, Slay the Princess is a twist on the damsel-in-distress trope.
It’s available on all consoles and PC (yeah, even the GAYSTATION 5 LOL LOL LOOOOL!!!!) and offers a rich, emotive storyline alongside dramatic artwork and an excellent score. Indeed.
Should You, Or Should You Not, Slay the Princess?
Okay, so we played The Pristine Cut version of Slay the Princess, which launched in October of 2024. It includes expanded sections and the like. The core of the game is the same, a visual novel where players enter a hand-drawn world. Your main goal is to select from dialogue trees to advance your progress.
For the plot, you find the princess imprisoned in a basement. She’s locked in a cabin deep in some woods, but you’re warned if you set her free the entire world will come to an end.
However, the princess is pretty determined to let you know that’s all nonsense and, of course, she should totally be set free and all that. That’s where all the drama plays out, with a very well written narrative arc that’s as impactful as story rich indie game classics such as Disco Elysium (2019).
Okay, you get about three and half hours of gameplay here. The main thing to remember is it’s, obviously, not a traditional game. It’s more of an interactive novel.
This means we’re trying not to drop any story spoilers here, so we’ll just add the critical acclaim is all thoroughly well deserved. Alongside the beautiful animation, told out in monochrome, the story is engaging and emotive. Plus (see below) there’s a fabulous soundtrack.
Very good indeed, then, and one to immerse yourself in if it appeals. We should imagine you’ll know from the trailer whether you want to give it a whirl, but it’s a dagger to the heart in agreement from us.
Slay The Princess’ Glorious Orchestral Soundtrack
As we’ve covered many times over the years, indie game studios don’t mess around when it comes to their scores. This one was composed by American musician Brandon Boone. For his work here, he won the World Soundtrack Award (WSA) for Best Game Music.
The singer Amelia Jones provided vocals, whilst the range of instruments included guitar, cello, piano, woodwinds, and violin.
Slay the Princess’ score is performed live quite often. The above clip was from three years ago, but the below is from London in late October 2026 (to celebrate the game’s third anniversary).
That’s Brandon Boone conducting there (nice beard, too). Plus, it’s Amelia Jones there for the vocal performance.
We’re not 100% sure, but we think the redhead violinist here (Nat Willow) was one of the violinists we saw perform live at the Spiritfarer concert at Cadogan Hall. That was a year ago. We think it’s her! She’s very good, anyway, and demand she appear in all future indie game video game concerts.
