Bow down all other waifus, your true queen here! Whether you like it or not, the perfect waifu has finally been determined, and it is Slay The Princess‘ Princess, a truly exemplary waifu.
Despite releasing in a maelstrom of highly anticipated releases like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake 2, most of my attention this past week has been focused solely on Black Tabby Games’ little horror game Slay the Princess. The premise of the game is quite simple; you need to kill a princess. She may try to convince you otherwise and you may doubt yourself, but the narrator of the game assures you that this is the right thing to do. With such a simple yet gripping premise, I was all in and followed this game for months, eagerly awaiting getting my hands on it and see my own adventures with the princess unfold.
But as I began to replay this adventure and see the multiple different endings begin to unfold, I had a realization that at first shocked me but eventually became completely understandable; the Princess is a perfect waifu. She is the perfect character for some lonesome person to look at and think aloud “God I wish I could be with her!” And while some may groan at the prospect of making a waifu out of a character as unnerving as The Princess, a character who is capable of so much psychological trauma and will probably murder you a fair bit in the game, let me make my case. Besides, who says you can’t have a little bit of fun with horror games?
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Despite not bearing the “dating sim” moniker on its Steam store page, Slay The Princess is undeniably a dating sim. Your choices matter in the game and depending on how you interact with her, her actions will be affected by your decisions. In some scenarios, she may become romantically attached to you and will fall in love with you. In other circumstances, she may begin to doubt you or even become hostile to you, which is again, par for the course in dating sims.
Whether it be through dating mechanics in RPGs like the Persona series or the meticulously developed and universally acclaimed dating sim series Huniepop, understanding that your decisions carry weight is the barebones essential of a proper dating sim. If you play your cards right, then you’re able to fall in love with your desired lady of choice and ride off into the sunset together with a happy ending in tow. I mean, when everyone romanced Yukiko in Persona 4 because she was the best girl in that game and I will not be taking questions on that statement, it was because you dedicated time and effort into understanding her character and wanting to see more of it, flaws and all.
But the Princess from Slay the Princess is unique not only because she has no flaws, but because of how much we get to see her. There are no other extraneous characters that will divide your focus away from her. Sure, there’s a narrator who keeps on telling you stupid and blatantly incorrect statements like how you shouldn’t trust the princess and killing her will save the world, but the only person that you really interact with that matters is the Princess. You see all sides of her. You see her happy, sad, angry (a lot of that side actually), and plenty of other emotions as we are able to develop a complete picture of her.
The comprehensive nature of her character’s examination only serves to endear her to players in the same way that players became more and more endeared to Monika of Doki Doki Literature Club fame. When people say “just Monika,” it isn’t because of the nightmare inducing purgatory she thrusted players into as she wiped all other female characters from existence to have you all to herself. It was because players understood and accepted that Monika really was the only person for them. In a way, the Princess did what Monika could not and has you as her literal captive audience without the need for any tricks.
And while some players may balk at the Princess being just a damsel in distress, I will gladly retort back that you simply didn’t get to know her well enough. There are numerous facets to her character that can and will appeal to all players who take the time to get to know her! During my three playthroughs of Slay the Princess, I saw plenty of different versions of the Princess that will surely appeal to multiple different types of suitors. Sure, you can be boring and romance her as a damsel, but let’s be honest here, people that go for that route aren’t really interested in really getting to know her and just want a stereotypical happy ending. There’s nothing wrong with fulfilling some of your base desire, just look at DeviantArt for proof of that!
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If you’re interested in a version of the Princess that is more dominant, then the Tower version is for you! Fan of cute anime girls? Take a look at her Nightmare form and those pretty eyes she has! Or maybe you’re interested in her furrier Beast form! Hey, there’s no judgment here whatsoever! After all, we’re already talking about romancing a fictional video game character, so who cares if she has a shaggy coat on her? Slap it on and you’ll be in for a very fun, tense, and horrifying enjoyable ride with a cute and cuddly lady of your dreams!
But if we’re going to get deep and psychological, the brilliance of the Princess as a waifu is that she is a reflection of you. Your perceptions of the princess influence how you see her, so all of your actions will gradually morph her into what you want her to be, your dream waifu so to speak. Most other waifus in games tend to be very static, with very little that actually changes them. No matter how much you may botch their romantic arcs, your Persona party members will still be with you to fight against God and the harem that you assembled in Genshin Impact will still fulfill the same basic functions that you require them to do. Not so with Slay the Princess’ Princess. Her character progression dynamic, making her a multifaceted woman that is capable of interacting with you in a variety of ways, all of which will leave a lasting impact on your heart and soul.
And what really helps to sell her as a richly developed character is the solid voice acting by actress Nichole Goodnight. I admit that this is my first time hearing her and my research about her seems to indicate that this is her first performance in a video game, but I still have to give props to her as an actress being able to convey all of these different depictions of a character that, frankly, must have been a nightmare to prepare for. I do mean that legitimately without any sense of parody or irony. It’s no small task developing characterization for a character, but for a role with as many variations as the Princess, it must have demanded a lot of time and dedication on her part. Kudos to Ms. Goodnight I say and I hope that this serves as a gateway to further acting jobs on her part.
In all seriousness, Slay the Princess is a great little horror game that is sold almost entirely by its central character. The Princess is a character that controls the narrative of the game (in more ways than one) and if you want to find a good psychological horror game for the Halloween season, I couldn’t recommend Slay the Princess enough. As far as dating sims go, this is a wonderful new addition to the genre and I can’t wait to see forum discussions and read comments on which version of the Princess is the best. My favorite is the Adversary! You may now judge me accordingly.
