I need to see how handsome I am.

Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re talking about Slay the Princess, a narrative focused “collect the endings” game that has a truly impressive amount of writing to account for all of a player’s possible choices. The numerous endings, scenes and dialogue choices within those scenes, all voice acted by two people no less, are the player’s primary motivation to try new things and follow new paths. Fortunately for the game, though, the quality of that writing is also surprisingly good. The tone runs the gamut between horror, comedy and romance, in part reactive to the player’s decisions but also in service of a greater narrative, that is largely up to the player to interpret. The fact that the game ends coherently at all, let alone with the possibility of something with real emotional resonance is a testament to just how well put together the game is. We’re going to be talking about the special something the game’s visuals possess that gives it a familiar, appealing quality, the way your initial experience will shape the way you progress through the game, and we misinterpret the game as getting a little…steamy.

Thank you for joining us again this week! We wanted something short and simple to end the year, and while this kind of filled that role, I don’t think we were prepared for the surprising amount of depth on display here. We’re also surprised the game came out as long ago as it did. Did you play it back then? How literally did you interpret the title? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re coming back with The NOCLIP Awards, so we hope you’ll break out the champaign for us next time, and don’t forget to get your suggestions in for Fanbruary!