Quick Links
With the release of thenewPristine Cutupdate,Slay the Princessadds more routes and new endings, expanding more on preexisting paths.
There is no doubt thatSlay the Princessis a narrative masterpiece. With dozens of winding and twisting paths, this terrifying visual novel devolves into more terrifying storylines with each time loop.
As apsychological horror game,Slay the Princessplays into thefear of the unknown, as the Princess can undergo terrifying and unsettling transformations in each chapter.
Very early on in the game, you are tasked by the Shifting Mound, a nascent eldritch god to collect Vessels–different versions of the princess who will shape the entity to its fullest potential.
You can collect a maximum offive Vesselsper playthrough, and the in-game gallery, known as “Memories,” even provides hints on how to find these Vessels and their respective moments.
You’re reading this most likely because you want to see every possible path, or you’re achievement hunting. Before you make any decision, make sure to make aclean saveso that you can easily return for a different path.
Warning: This article containsMAJOR SPOILERSto every possible path inSlay the Princess.
10 Underrated Indie Horror Gems
As Halloween draws closer, it’s a great time to explore underrated horror gems, including games. Here are some indie games that could use more love.
A Being Of Perception
Before we get to each vessel, I’ll first describe a basic rule of thumb that can help guide your playthroughs.
As is hinted at throughout the game (Last warning:SPOILERS!), the Princess is a being of change. Her form and personality change based on how the player character’s perception of her, dependent on who or what you think she is capable of.
Grabbing the blade before entering the basement means you perceive her as a possible threat, so she will become cold, distant, and distrusting. In contrast, entering the basement unarmed renders her friendlier and more innocent.
Withevery time loop, the Princess undergoes a dramatic transformation based on your perception of her. The more scared of her you are, the more monstrous and terrifying she becomes.
Each path to the vessel tells aunique, introspective story,and no matter whether you resolve to slay the Princess, you’ll still get an interesting story out of it.
The Adversary
The Adversary is the epitome of stubbornness. She’s practically unkillable–stronger, faster, and more resilient than most other variants.
To trigger the Adversary path in Chapter 2, you’ll need to make the Princess want to fight you by talking to her while still believing she’s dangerous. Here are the choices you’ll have to make:
In this path, you can give her the fight she desires, run away (like a coward), or become a pacifist. Either way, you’re in for a formidable foe who won’t hesitate to beat you to a pulp.
This path can either end here or further branch out to Chapter 3 through the following:
The Tower is encountered when you lose your will to slay the princess, which instills in her next incarnation a dash of godhood and a tinge of a superiority complex.
By transforming into the Tower, the Princess becomes a domineering figure, viewing you as a lesser being whose only purpose is to serve her.
She is perhaps one of the most powerful Chapter Two forms the Princess can take, capable of forcing the Narrator out of your head and making you do everything she wants.
The Shifting Mound can claim her here, or she can become much more:
The Spectre
This variant takes the form of a ghost because you’re convinced she’s dead after you’ve slain her.
The Spectre’s path opens up when you do exactly what the game tells you to–Slay the Princess.But the Narrator rewards you with eternal nothingness, so you take the blade to yourself. Everything goes dark, and you die.
When you return to the cabin in Chapter 2, you’ll find the Princess long dead, the blade still pristine. You’ll then find the ghost of the Princess lingering near her corpse, and now you’re able to choose to do whatever you want to do with this path. You can either let her possess you or upset her, which could branch off into differing ghastly paths.
You can give the Spectre to the Shifting Mound byleaving the Cabin with her. You can also further the Princess’s transformation in Chapter III by doing the following:
The Nightmare
If you try to leave your Princess-slaying job unfinished, she becomes a vengeful, nightmarish entity whose very presence can cause sheer heart-stopping terror.
There are a total of four opportunities to leave the Princess in the basement, each with minor dialogue differences. ensure you’re doing the following:
As the Nightmare, the Princess has a terrifying aura, capable of literally scaring you to death just by being close to you. Thankfully, with the Voice of the Paranoid in tow, he keeps you just barely alive with a useful grounding chant.
But if you explore the Nightmare’s route even more, you’ll discover that she’s a sad, lonely doll whose fear of abandonment has caused her to lash out.
The Princess is unpredictable precisely because she becomes whatever you think she is. If you kill her but second-guess yourself, she’ll stab you and you two die together.
There is more than one way to reach the Razor, but here’s the most guaranteed route in Chapter 1:
The Razor is the epitome of sadistic joy, taking pleasure in killing you as many times as she can. There’s no malice nor anger, just the desire to sate her boredom by slicing you to ribbons.
The Razor is one of the only two Chapter 2 forms with a singular path, and perhaps the only form leading to a unique Chapter 4.
The Beast is a transformation that manifests if you attack the Princess but give up midway through the fight.
Through her desperation for survival, she becomes like a cornered animal, and your changed perception of her transforms her into exactly that. Here’s one of the two routes to get to the Beast:
The Beast is ananimal driven only by her desire to consume you. While she is capable of speech and will taunt you, she cannot be reasoned with, and she will do whatever it takes to devour you to escape the basement.
When you confront her in Chapter 2, she will stalk you like a predator, invoking a primal fear that has been with our species since time immemorial.
The Beast can evolve into one of two forms:
Despite your initial intentions to free the Princess, you betray her by driving the knife into her back. Hurt by your sudden treachery, the Princess reincarnates into the Witch, a feline form who is equally sly and distrustful. Here’s how you can unlock the path to the Witch:
In Chapter 2, the Witch is a conniving, bitter opportunist who harbors resentment from your betrayal. Whether you choose to try and make amends or continue to kill her, the Witch proves to be as playful and sneaky as a cat, and will not hesitate getting hurt just to see you suffer. The Witch can lead to two other paths:
The Stranger
If you decide not to engage in the story at all and try to do your own thing, you’ll inevitably break the world, creating strange and perplexing geometry that fractures into infinite possibilities.
Your refusal to stick to the script transforms the Princess into the Stranger.
What makes the Stranger’s chapter scary is that it’s unsettling and uncanny. The Princess is a horrifying amalgamation of multiple different versions of herself fractured and molded together.
Thankfully, this path is a pretty linear one, as you only need to play through this once to get all the achievements related to this Princess variant before the Shifting Mound claims her.
The Prisoner
A version of the Princess who is composed and pragmatic, the Prisoner is encountered after she is forced to kill you to escape. This version is patient and accepting of her situation, showing no hostility or malice, but is also willing to do whatever it takes to survive. To unlock the Prisoner’s path, you’ll need to do the following:
As the Prisoner, the Princess is more cynical and serious, speaking more bluntly and honestly, though her humorous side is still hidden beneath her cold exterior.
