Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut

Branching psychological horror visual novel about slaying a princess

Black Tabby Games · Published by Black Tabby Games, Serenity Forge · Released Oct 23, 2023

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 97% of 34K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 94% of 611 in 30 days
Playing now: 298; right now
Steam Deck: Verified
Last update: 1 year ago; Mar 5, 2025

What is Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut?

A single-player, choice-driven psychological horror visual novel set in the woods and a cabin, where a narrator orders you to kill a princess to prevent the end of the world. You select dialogue and actions through branching routes; what you say and believe determines who you become and how the story develops.

For you if...

+you enjoy choices that substantially change branching story routes
+you like replaying routes to uncover alternate outcomes
+you enjoy abstract, philosophical stories with psychological horror

Not for you if...

−you dislike repetition and revisiting similar dialogue across routes
−you want a straightforward story with clear, concrete answers
−you prefer action-heavy gameplay over dialogue and choices

What players say

97% of 34,241 reviews are positive · 94% of 611 in the last 30 days

Players most often praise the hand-drawn art, voice acting, music, and discovering different routes. Common complaints describe the dialogue as repetitive and overly philosophical, with endings that feel disconnected from the buildup.

Screenshots and trailer

Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 7
Processor: 2.6 Ghz Quad Core
Graphics: Integrated Graphics
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 13 GB available space

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 131
Steam features: Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Verified

All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Full audio: English. Text only: French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Traditional Chinese.