Just because he hates what he sees happening and isn't going his way does not stop him sticking to his role and describing what's happening in poetic detail (UNLESS it's far too much for him to handle).
The Thorn was the path I felt where the two of you became the closest (in a mortal sense, the Wild clearly in a literal sense). Unlike the Damsel, you show each other much more genuine and flawed states but still reconcile, which was very sweet.
Well I will try not to spoil anything, but if you and here get very... connected in a literal sense, the 3rd awakening is quite a mind trip and very lore important@@appallingace6449
@@appallingace6449The Wild is the route when you die in very close proximity with the princess, either the cabin squishes you together or you unalive yourself while being digested by her. You're a path in the woods with her, either trying to get out or seek freedom within that makes the narrator go mad.
Agreed, it was nicer at the very end where she seems genuinely happy she is free, but her "feelings" for the player just feel like the Smittens feelings reflected back at him, just acting like a parody of herself because that's how he's seeing her@@funguy3259
@SusanooMain I bought it on a whim during the Steam sales. I had never heard of Slay the Princess. I just saw the trailer and thought: Oh cool, the Stanley Parable but with more gore and a fairytale theme. My God, was I wrong. The Stanley Parable is horror game disguised as a comedy. Slay the Princess is romance disguised as horror.
40:26 - 42:43 I rejoice in the Narrator's agony and disgust with the whole situation, I didn't know the Thorn Route could be even more beautiful than it already is and even be funny. The Witch and The Thorn are my favourite routes too!
Ikr! The only nitpick i have is that you can fuck up and not be able to get a chance to kiss her for The Thorn...if you would get The Cheated instead of The Sim- i mean Smitten
@@315katty she only ever does so as a response of what you do. it's a big theme of the game (the mirror). To be eaten (beast route) you have to stab her first. To be drowned you have to kill her. To get beaten to death you also have to stab her. It's always a reponse of what you've done. She never kills you first.
Honestly, when you kiss someone that you love you don't usually say too much afterwards, there's nothing left to say in words, when feelings are overwhelming in any way it's difficult to put them into words, more so love, and actions speak and say a lot in love
One of the things I find most interesting about this scene is the Narrator's description of the kiss. Hero is certain he is making fun of them (an he might be, to some degree), but I agree more with the Opportunist: the Narrator likes romance. The description is actually very romantic, and it feels serious to a degree. And so, my theory is that he loves it, because it is a part of life. And he loves life. He loves existence, he loves being, he loves the world. But he fears the very thing that he loves coming to an end, which is why he tasks us to slay the princess (even if it comes at the expense of the very thing he adores so much dissapearing and lacking any meaning after it).
That’s an interesting idea. But while I sympathize a bit with the Narrator after thinking about your idea, the Shifting Mound is right to view him as a coward since he fears death so much.
I think it's interesting as well. The game starts with the words "This is a love story," and the Narrator-- the person who caused this whole story to happen-- likes romance. Almost like he knew he was going to separate you from the Princess only to watch you fall back in love with her (yourself) again. Maybe that was part of the point. He was scared of death, but deep inside, knew it was going to be accepted-- hell, even loved-- in the end.
@@EdinoRemeridoShe’s not just death itself shes change(which does inlude death) while the long quiet(the player) is stasis. The narrator wants to rid the world of change which sure gets rid of death but also gets rid of all the things that make life beautiful and things would just stay the same forever
I think it's interesting how the Mound is usually very expressive when it comes to "posing" the vessels, but not here. As you've mentioned, this looks like an eternal hug, perhaps to represent her pain and need for comfort, or maybe to pull her back, as this is the cautious heart.
I think it’s interesting that unlike the Damsel path where the Smitten is very unperceptive and is just happy to love, the Smitten is spot on here. He points out lots of very perceptive things like the thorns being a metaphor for her anguish and stuff like that, so maybe when the love is real the smitten is the expert in the situation as opposed to being a dummy.
42:38 best part she seems so relaxed and filled with a sense of reignited hope that was lost 2 timelines ago The Thorn is my favorite 3 route tied with the Eye of The Needle(Adversary Evolution) and beating the Den(Beast's Evolution)
I’m actually in tears. I was forced to hurt you and you were forced to be hurt. The cycle constrains us to this tango and it infuriates us both. Perhaps we both are the ones in need of saving.
Except you don't have to be forced: You can still do it yourself while she's gnawing at her arm and it leads to a mutual kill. Imo it's better that way since both parties were in the wrong, both hurt each other and ended up being hurt, therefore both have something they can build trust from. Unlike where the narrator possesses you and she doesn't know the full picture and even though you do get her, it's unclear where it was enough to stop her. Though if you resist her once then change your mind, she calls it a betrayal of will so that helps.
I heard legends of the alternate version of thorns with the smitten and the kiss, and it didn't disappoint it was very funny. But i have to say i feel like it held a lot more emotion with the cheated
@@Scarifar1 you pick up the Cheated like going taking the Witch route giving you the opprrtunist, then take the blade with you downstairs, and offer it to her as a peace offering. She doesn't believe you and betrays, stabbing you in the back. This results in her final moments before chapter 3 being horrified and guilty at what she did when she realizes you truly tried to make ammends and she killed you for it. It also is what gives you the cheated Then thorns plays out as normal, but with the cheated instead of the smitten. There's no option kiss after you cut the lines, but it strikes me as the more meaningful version of thorns. It's presented as more meaningful than despite the hurt you both feel at each other you're just barely willing to put enough trust in each other to make ammends. It's honestly my favorite chapter in the game
@@fatguy4137She's not necessarily death. I believe she represents the concept of change of which death is a part of. She brings about death as a natural consequence of what she does, but she doesn't actually bring about death outright.
If we can get a bonus picture of The Adversary putting you in a chokehold, i'm sure we can nudge the dev into giving us playing with the Witch using a cat toy
This path probably has the most to it, the Opportunist and Smitten are the perfect voices for it, one constantly shifting decisions, which can cause annoyance in others, the other always sure of his love, it's a thing that cannot be changed, that is what i'd call true love
Its actually hard to argue with the Mound at the end. All the strife and struggle and change really did bring the 2 of you closer, it wouldnt have been the same if things were more static. She says that the perfect world needs the same to die so that the new can exist and the game seems to prove it, the creators world vision where the Long Quiets neverending dawn lasts forever just doesnt seem as inviting as the Mounds chaos and growth
The game doesn't prove it, it's only the princess who is like that all the time which is the one that we have to encounter and face all the time throughout the entirery of the game because it is what she is, that's not the case of the Long Quiet or even other beings, and she is also now a goddess, not only a concept or part of a cycle which simply are and don't have a mind of their own, so she would have a duty to the world and its creatures, its people, a duty to nurture it and spread wisdom and comfort and hope to her people, since she is now a rational entity, a goddess, so she wouldn't have an excuse, which she doesn't seem that she would do that, and the Narrator said in a question where he was asked about how was the absence of any change not similar to death or even worse that because he knows that he made the cut rough when he separated and created the Shifting Mound and the Long Quiet, so the Shifting Mound has a part of the Long Quiet and the Long Quiet has a part of the Shifting Mound, so things would still work out and there would still be some kind of change when the Shifting Mound were destroyed, it's funny and ironic (and hypocrite too) that she says what she says and that she's so obssesed and adamant with constant change no matter the kind when she is so set and adamant in her being the only one to not change herself at all, in the end she only thinks and wants to be right no matter what and do whatever she wants, no matter what anyone including the Long Quiet who is like her and her equal want or say and she simply disregards others perspectives and feelings including the Long Quiet's ones, besides no, chaos isn't an attractive notion anywhere and doesn't help nor balances things in the slightest, the thing that does that is order, chaos disbalances things and creates endless and unnecesary suffering, evil, and it isn't nor promotes "growth", those are two different and separate things, in chaos belong things like killing and rape (among many other questionable, immoral and harmful things), which aren't good things at all and are terrible, who says the opposite and isn't able to understand that and what's wrong with it is lacking empathy and a sense for what's right, I disagree a lot with many of the things that the Shifting Mound says and that aren't right, but there are certain things in which I agree with her or at least somewhat agree with her, I even felt myself identified with ceratin things at certain points, and I did love that "battle" and how it was done, however I can't say them here because this would be too long and I don't remember the exact words
I give my compliments to the game developers and the actress voicing the Princess. The devs made a great choice when picking the lady to voice the Princess, and the actress does an excellent job giving character to the Princess. 👍 Whenever I hear the Princess' "H-Hello? Is someone there?" when you enter the basement unarmed, my heart feels sympathy for her, my sense of chivalry rises and I wish to help her in any way possible. On the other hand, if you should come down armed and choose to challenge her, she maintains her grace and composure while speaking, but you can tell that there is a hidden strength and power to her, and that she's not one to trifle with. And should you get on her bad side, she doesn't freak out and speak as though she's lost control, but you know something's gone horribly wrong, and that she is incredibly dangerous. To sum it up, the actress did an A+ job on her voice roles, and gave her character every ounce of personality the game needed. 👍 Just my two cents worth.
I had to eat my words playing this game. First I thought it was just another one of "those" games where it's a horror game masked as silly romance but this hit different it's almost like an actual love story masked as a horror game. This had to be my favorite route because how good it was
Love how the blade recontextualises to being a symbol of power and vulnerability. To love is to make yourself vulnerable, to open yourself to the possibility of immense pain, but you have to trust the one you love not to hurt you. Here your hand was forced and you hurt her, you then apologise and make yourself vulnerable to her and she hurts you back, she then makes herself vulnerable to you and you fall more in love. It’s beautiful
Well your hand doesn't have to be forced. It's better if it isn't tbh. It's better if you take action yourself. Then that way it leads to a mutual kill and you truly feel like both of you are making up for actions that were your own.
My favourite part is when Princess kills us and immediately regrets it. "Why did you let me do this?". Thinking that it was another trick but then realising that we actually wanted to help.
This path is what truly sold me on this game. I was lucky to make the choices to happen upon it and was pretty disappointed with my options to speak after really knowing her situation. Not saying the game lacked options, but it makes you want even more.
Knowing the ending, it makes it fascinating how the narrator was always trying to keep the protagonist calm and think of princess as weak. This way he would be able 5o kill her Him lying this is the first time he is doing it and princess is not stronger than him, but he can kill her easily and only he can
It's only genuine, at least imo, if you don't flirt with her and instead tell her someone needs to make a change or you'll keep killing each other forever.
I didn't get to kiss her on my first run because I had the Cheated with me. Thorn was my fourth princess, and lemme tell you, I was *conflicted* the whole time. Very different experience. edit: It wasn't as overt as this, but it definitely was still romance when we walked out together hand in hand. 🥺
One of the most horrible things is when you betray her again in the Thorn route, it's so slimy and gut wrenching that even the Narrator breaks and refuses to continue
Goddamnit, really was hoping you can trigger Smitten in EVERY route lmao! Like in the Prisoner's paths (Tower and etc.) because you just either end up chained with her or her being only a head lmao...
I always found this route so interesting because it's the one route that proves to the Shifting Mound that her view is not absolute. The Smitten was correct, we've been on this amazing journey of change, betrayal and redemption, but the Shifting Mound beind what she is, has to end it. It doesn't matter if it serves some greater purpose, what matters is that now it's all gone and it won't come back to us. That's devastating, and explains why someone would want it to not happen at all. For it to not end. To not change. But it also shows the inherent contradiction. If you want it to never end, you wouldn't have the journey at all.
on minute 8:00 there is a option the says, warn her. Is there any way you can choose that option? maybe anything you could have done diferent to choose that option?
The reason its greyed out is because I've already chosen and played that route previously on part 1 of my playthrough: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZTkwtoypLJs.htmlsi=W38XUHwnRLvukP73&t=717
@@randomstuffdrawings IIRC, you'll find yourself in similar situations: all options being the same except one. Once you pick that one, you can't choose it again.
Poor guy’s just trying to kiss and he’s got all those voices wittering on in his head. It’s a funny moment, but all the voices going quiet while they’re kissing would be sweet
Going through it all it's basically Two concepts trying to kill each other. The issue is you both seem to grow close to each other, each run leaving a remnant of emotion to each other.
yk, if you really think about it, everytime you die, both you AND the princess are transported to another world, or universe, or whatever the flip. meaning that she never left the cabin and ended the world that we died in previously. so what is this narrator going on about???? 😭
My favorite voice is the voice of the opportunist he sounds so sarcastic without being sarcastic it’s funny at times. The smitten is my second favorite voice it’s funny most times but it gets repetitive at times.
You know... I´m not sure, call me wicked and unfeeling but I´m with the Narrator on this the Smitten, for all his pompous gallantry and hopeless romanticism is, when you break it down to the essentials extremely selfish he is quick to give others the role of villain and is seemingly also more than willing to doom the Narrator and his world for the sake of short lived moment of bliss One of the few truths the Narrator speaks is, that his world, all those close and dear to him are on the line everytime, so in a way he is going through an existential crisis in each of these moments, although he does not recall past ones, aside from learning that they took place If I was in his shoes, I would probably shriek at the top of my lungs everytime one of these stoogies goes off-script, I cannot begin to fathom the levels of frustration it must generate to be a disembodied voice within Limbo, desperately trying to direct a volatile presence while your influence vains with time
I mean, Moment of Clarity and the two Razors, but those don’t really count since they have every voice. I don’t know if there’s one with just those two, but I’ll check.
