Slay the Princess - The Pristine Cut review: falling in love over and over

The Pristine Cut makes one of the best “choices matter” games of all time even better

Slay the Princess / Black Tabby Games

I first played Slay the Princess earlier this year when developer Black Tabby Games launched a free update for the game. Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias have now released their definitive version of the Slay the Princess, The Pristine Cut, which will be the last update the game sees. We dove into the latest update to see what’s changed, and if one of the best games of 2023 could get even better.

I won’t rehash what I talked about in my original Slay the Princess review but if you’re new to the game you should check that out first. Instead, I want to talk about what’s new in The Pristine Cut, which includes three new Princesses, and a memory board to show you how much of the game you’ve already seen.

Slay the Princess / Black Tabby Games

When I originally played the game, I had no idea just how many paths there were, or how many ways I could affect the outcome. Now I know there are a lot of ways your answers change the story, and Slay the Princess might be the “choices matter” game with the most outcomes. The memory board has a section for each Princess and route and there are about 20 pictures you can unlock for each one.

Each image you can unlock isn’t linked to an individual decision, but there are multiple decisions that have an outcome in each route. The memory board not only lets you revisit scenes you’ve already seen, but will let you know what you’ve missed. It removes a bit of the mystery that Slay the Princess is known for, but replaces it with goals for players to strive for, and gives more reasons for people to replay.

Slay the Princess / Black Tabby Games

In an interview with Black Tabby Games the couple told me that the new Princesses are some of the best in the game. In the original release some Chapter 2s could only lead to one Chapter 3, but now every Chapter 2 leads to at least two different Princesses. I won’t spoil anything that you can see in these new routes, but I can confirm that the developers were right to be confident in the new content – they are the best routes in the game. If you are playing Slay the Princess for the first time they will blend in naturally and delight. If The Pristine Cut isn’t your first rodeo, then these are the routes that you’ve always wanted to see.

The Pristine Cut has made one of the best “choices matter” games of all time even better. The new routes weave into the overall narrative perfectly and add more depth to an already excellent game. Black Tabby Games is going back to finish Scarlet Hollow before working on a new game, and I’ve never been so excited to see what’s in the kitchen.

Score: 10/10

Version tested: PS5