Slay the Princess Devs Talk Making the Pristine Cut

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Slay the Princess Devs Talk Making the Pristine Cut

As a fan who’s been following Black Tabby Studios since their Scarlet Hollow days, I can’t help but feel like I’ve witnessed a marriage made in gaming heaven. The Pristine Cut of Slay the Princess is not just an upgrade; it’s a testament to the power of reflection and collaboration.

A year after its debut, the terrifying “Pristine Blade” from the game “Slay the Princess” returns as a director’s cut, enhancing it into a horror genre classic: “Slay the Princess: The Pristine Edition“. This expansion enriches the storyline by introducing additional paths and conclusions, aligning the beloved indie game more closely with its creators’ original vision. It also beefs up certain chapters and adds three entirely new ones to the narrative.

The married programming pair, Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias (creators of Black Tabby Studios), recently chatted with Game Rant prior to the launch of Pristine Cut, sharing insights on what sets this fresh incarnation of their indie game apart from others.

Why Slay the Princess Deserved Another Cut

Black Tabby found that working on Slay the Princess was a non-stop race from beginning to end, as they were creating it amidst the development of their episodic series, Scarlet Hollow. They mentioned this rapid pace meant they didn’t have much time to fully appreciate and analyze the game. However, after the release of Slay the Princess, they were able to observe the game from an external perspective, which helped them identify flaws in the game’s structure and sparked ideas for refining their creative vision.

Tony mentioned that many projects, especially those undertaken by small teams, will often have inconsistencies or discrepancies. These occurrences are a normal consequence of a single project being developed based on various visions from multiple team members. For instance, Tony employed the term “You strike true” in the storyline, which left Abby perplexed because her illustration depicted the blow landing, a detail Tony hadn’t anticipated in his writing.

They further elaborated on how an unsatisfied feeling generated by a story can indeed hold significance in storytelling. This was a creative concept that Tony had developed during his undergraduate years – he believed that a narrative could be fulfilling yet leave the reader or, in this context, the player with a sense of dissatisfaction. However, Abby suspected that some gaps, similar to those they identified post-release, might have unintentionally produced an unwanted sense of dissatisfaction among players.

The problem might have originated because some people felt there was more potential in the story, so the inconclusive ending left them wanting more, as if they had been expecting a grander conclusion, rather than feeling unsatisfied due to time constraints. In essence, the dissatisfaction could simply be the result of unfulfilled expectations. It’s quite simple to end a tale prematurely when it still has room for growth.

Abby pointed out that three routes – The Beast, The Tower, and Adversary – which were intended to be unsatisfying but fell short, required additional work to achieve the desired level of dissatisfaction. There were aspects of these routes that the developers hadn’t fully explored, so they went back to specific chapters in each to expand the storylines. These chapters needed more depth to delve into the character of the Princess and the player’s journey leading up to their current situation.

Additionally, fresh chapters were incorporated into various storylines. Specifically, “The Specter,” “The Damsel,” and “The Prisoner” each received additional chapters. This was done to extend these narratives, making them as long as the others. The new development includes Chapter Three, a part that was originally missing from these stories.

The additions made to the story were so vast, it required additional time as a whole new conclusion was needed for The Prisoner within the game. Abby shared this information, leaving Tony feeling exhausted and needing rest afterwards. Further developments led to another new ending being added to the game later on. In essence, Tony outlined the process of creating an extended director’s cut version.

During the creation process, a work of fiction evolves and transforms, much like a living organism. Initial concepts may remain, but the final product on day one will not resemble the finished version after ten days or at the end of development. In essence, the refinements serve to align the original ideas with what the game eventually became in its final form.

Black Tabby admitted that the structure of the game “Slay the Princess,” with its various paths and non-linear nature, is suitable for growth like “The Pristine Cut.” Yet, maintaining the game’s concentration and consistency around the core themes was difficult. It was challenging to ensure the narratives stayed centered on the game without becoming too repetitive or similar to previous content.

Regardless of the setback, the latest edition of Pristine Cut was launched approximately a year after the debut of its first version.

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2024-10-23 14:23