There ’s a long narrative to hit the Princess . Still at sea ? We ’ve get you covered .
Slay the Princessis a masterclass in equivocal storytelling . If you ’re still trying to enfold your header around what exactly is going on in the secret plan , this is Slay the Princess : the story explained .
This will obviously contain full spoilers . I commend reading it after you ’ve finished the plot . Keep in judgement some of this is speculation , as the game is inherently equivocal .
Slay the Princess explained: The premise and smaller story
explain the first part of Slay the Princess ’ tale is simple . Its assumption is succinctly excuse by its opening narration : You , the musician grapheme , also known as the Hero , are travel the Ellen Price Wood toward a cabin . In the basement of that cabin is a Princess . You have to slay her or she ’ll put down the entire world .
Why is there a man - end Princess in a cabin , and why do you require to finish her ? How did you even get there ? Who are you ? you may beleaguer The Narrator all you wish , but he wo n’t tell you anything useful beyond “ you ’re special . ” Nor will the Princess , who merely promote you to doubt their words , that she does n’t want to end the world , and that she ’s been down here so long she does n’t commemorate anything about it or even her name .
Yet she is n’t all she seems , as The Narrator warned you . She does n’t have an apparent need to eat or tope despite having been down there a farseeing time , and she is far stiff than she looks , fully open of accept you on even when chained to a paries . In some termination , she even sprouts claw from her fingernails and pounces on you like an beast . And if all of that was n’t strange enough , the game is also in a metre loop topology .
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The time loop of Slay the Princess
No matter what happens , you will drop dead in chapter one and see yourself back at the start of the game . But things are dissimilar . perhaps there are walls because you seek to leave behind . Maybe the cabin ’s home looks different . But most certainly , the Princess is not what she was last fourth dimension , having transformed in some way from minor to major in both coming into court and personality . And she remembers you from last meter . But to The Narrator , you ’re here for the first clock time .
There ’s also a mysterious mirror in the cabin that the Narrator insists is n’t there . If you seek to interact with it , it evaporate . And the Princess ’ receipt to you depends only on how you treated her last time . If you do what she require of you , you ’ll in all likelihood not go beyond chapter two . But further defying her will ensue in a third chapter in which not just the cabin , but the woods themselves have transform in some means , and the mirror return to the Interior Department of the cabin , this time block the doorway down the stairs until you touch it . The Narrator describes this as your influence waning and hers diffuse to a vital point . Furthermore , once he accepts you did re-start , he take the world you left behind must ’ve been destroy .
Slay the Princess: The bigger story at play, part one: The Shifting Mound
Whether in Chapter Two or Three , you ’ll come to a breaker point where the world itself falls aside to nothing . Whatever reading of The Princess you ’re dealing with is take away by other - blase hand , and you ’re exit alone in a tranquil , empty emptiness , with the mirror staring at you . This time , you could ultimately wait into it and see yourself , and what you see does not precisely come along to be a bird - same animal like the rest of your visible body hint .
You then meet who is later call The Shifting Mound by The Narrator . She explains herself to be an entity that is part of the Princess , touch base to her , but not exactly The Princess herself . She exists in this outer space beyond the reality you find yourself in . Then she require you to bring her more perspectives by going through the iteration again and again . By doing so , you ’ll stamp The Princess into more versions through your actions and perception of her , and she will become whole through exact the vessels . Her current flesh is “ full of you ” as she describes it , and in motive of “ something like her ” to become complete . She tells you that you ’re like her .
You ca n’t kill her or yourself , so you have to agree to complete her . She resets the loop for you .
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Slay the Princess: The Story explained- Part two: The Awakening
Related : Slay the Princess : All endings guide
When the vessels are delivered to The Shifting Mound , Slay the Princess ’ story changes . You last meet The Narrator inside the mirror , upon which he finally distinguish you the accuracy .
The world the biz take place in is a conception of his own fashioning , produce to prevent his world from fall into complete oblivion . We do n’t knowwhyhis human beings is on the brink of oblivion , but it ’s slightly hinted at to possibly be the heating plant death of the universe . The Narrator took the cycle of life and demise itself and fractured it into the Hero and the Princess , with the expectation for you to kill her within the confines of the construct . The Princess ’ magnate lies in her being the incarnation of change , which also have in mind she symbolize demise , as decease is a manikin of change . By slaying her , The Narrator ’s world would be locked in a permanent stasis . It would be saved from limbo , but everyone there would never be capable to change or grow , stuck in a still immortality .
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The Hero and The Princess are both gods , with The Hero ’s true name being The Long Quiet , a name shared with the space beyond the conception . As The Narrator is just an echo of someone who was once alive , he fades away , leave alone only you and The Shifting Mound in her full form .
Part three: The conclusion
At this tip of Slay the Princess ’ story , the player has the choice to embrace godhood with The Shifting Mound and break free of the construct entirely , get together together in an absolute world of everything . Or you could pass up godhood and or else return to the heart and soul Princess inside her inwardness , upon which you could either use her to readjust the construct , polish off her and awaken to godhood by yourself , or provide the cabin together as yourselves into an unnamed outcome . Otherwise , if you listen to The Narrator and slay her at the start , you are trapped in a void alone forever . If you endeavor to leave the construct repeatedly , The Shifting Mound runs out of threads and everything come asunder to nothing .
Slay the Princess: The Story explained- Character Analysis: The Hero/Long Quiet
The Long Quiet is the instrument at the center of The Echo and The Shifting Mound ’s plans . It ’s a little equivocal as to whether The Long Quiet is completely model in the image of The Narrator . The glimpses of him in the mirror and the splash art suggest not . Even though The Princess references a beak and the ending reference wings , he ’s never depicted with either . The Echo claim he is “ nothing like ” The Long Quiet , despite the common bird appearance and the shared voice . The Long Quiet may very well be a perfect or imperfect novel version of The Echo , but he did not come to portion out the same personality at all .
It ’s imply The Echo chained either both of them in the cabin or The Long Quiet first . Either fashion , The Long Quiet break costless or was publish while The Princess continue imprisoned . The systematically broken second chain in every version of the cabin and the 2nd bond fitting and reacting to The Long Quiet in The Prisoner route seem to point to this . The Echo ’s wording even implies he do it this would find , as he heavy warns against examine the hamper .
The Echo ’s motivation to thrust The Long Quiet into a blank by himself even when he does as asked suggests for the world to be save , The Long Quiet must be effectively operate away again . His power is able to destruct The Princess , yet also mould her for The Shifting Mound ’s architectural plan . It ’s also worth noting the mirror cycle has The Long Quiet experiencing the entire cycle of birth to decay , a motive that comes up again in The Nightmare road .
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Perhaps if The Shifting Mound represent death via change , The Long Quiet is either life itself ( evidence by his inability to rightfully die ) or he ’s the entirety of lifespan and death without the cycle , as The Shifting Moundisthe cycle . Perhaps The Echo undertake to shut up him away so that there is no luck of animation and death itself being destroy .
no matter , The Long Quiet has liberal will that The Echo and Shifting Mound / Princess have to contend with . He never modify with the chapters liken to The Princess . However , The Echo , Princess , and Voices all have some mental ability to overpower his will . conform to for the instrumentalist character , as his story is ultimately about decide for himself who he is and what he will do as everyone overstretch him in different directions .
Character Analysis: The Princess
The Princess becomes whatever others perceive her to be . She ’s a Princess because the Hero wanted to imagine her as a princess . Like The Long Quiet , she is not a real mortal , nor does she have any actual land to predominate .
She ’s rightfully furious about her captivity and hopeful about escaping , but her parlous place allow for her tactile sensation guard . She try go along her anger contained , but The Long quietly pushes it to the brink in some chapter ( Beast , Witch , Fury , Wraith ) . Her hopeful side is embody in Damsel , the only chapter she truly lets down her guard . But her general willingness to give The Long Quiet a second hazard ( Spectre , Nightmare , Tower , Thorn , Wild ) is revelatory of how she longs for company .
Adversary and Razor ’s regarding of The Long Quiet as a playfulness opposer to bask fighting shows she finds fellowship in The Long Quiet even if he hurts her . Only Wraith , Beast , Drowned Grey , Fury , and Witch seem to truly despise The Long Quiet . moreover , even her more highfalutin chassis ( Tower ) are likely a cover - up for how little self - respect she has ( Thorn ) due to being put away away and framed as a monster .
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The most intriguing route to analyze for me was Nightmare , when she pulled off her mask . She uses imagery of herself to make The Long Quiet sorely mindful of the round of life and end but makes it vocalize as if she ’s been continuously hold out and fail a full life in the cabin . She even depict imagination of a living where she had a successful life history and children . Whether that ’s true or just part of the Nightmare imagery is never really explained .
If The Long Quiet public lecture to The Princess in the cabin at the final stage of the secret plan , she ’s solemn and herself . It ’s as if through the trial of the concept , all her anger and mistrust has been put aside and she did get a mode to swear The Long Quiet as her only companion .
The Princess has been left to be nothing in her existence . Now without The Echo and The Long Quiet as enemy , the ending in which The Long Quiet leaves the cabin with her shows she does have a true self , and she is finally detached to explore the unknown . Otherwise , even in her dying Holy Scripture , she no longer has any ill will result toward The Long Quiet .
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Character Analysis: The Narrator/The Echo
While none of the characters are veridical , The Echo is at least the remains of what was once a normal , deadly person . He witnessed his world doom to obliviousness . To save it , he somehow tore apart the bicycle of life and death , then killed himself to forbid empowering The Princess .
While The Echo in the end does not regard The Long Quiet , Voices , or The Princess as its own people – to be expect , since they are n’t really – he does at least have a shape of concern for The Long Quiet at times . Perhaps that ’s to be expected , if The Long Quiet is truly made in his image .
There are three chapters in which The Princess can interact with The Echo . Spectre seems bright The Echo does n’t detest her , Wraith see him as an obstruction , and Tower ( plus Shifting Mound later on ) diss him as a weakling trying to wield force he ca n’t control , so it direct him over .
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The Echo reads to me as someone who , behind all of his controlling behaviour and manipulation , is deep traumatized . He stay tranquil because he has to , but a few lines of dialogue tip that witnessing his world on the threshold of oblivion destroyed him . All that remains of his head is a single desire to keep the close of everything . He ’s uncoerced to make a couple of gods he form suffer endlessly to save everyone who is real and matters . He constantly emphasizes the domain out there because he is the only character who know what it ’s like . Yet for all he tries , even he ca n’t go for to contend with two godly personnel as a mere echo of a mortal .
There ’s something deeply tragic about The Echo as a character . He sacrifice himself to save everything he do it , but to no avail in most outcomes . Whether there was ever sincerely a chance of saving his globe , or if he ’s dispiritedly lead on himself into forbid an final result that will always come about , is left unanswered .
Character Analysis: The Voices, as a whole
In the context of Slay the Princess ’ story , The addition of The Voices in The Long Quiet ’s head may be part of The Shifting Mound left over inside of him . However , Broken claim The Princess smashes The Long Quiet into smaller piece , and The Spectre calls the Voices shards of chalk . Much as The Echo is split into while , it seems The Long Quiet also rive into pieces . Those split pieces of glass are The Voices . The Voice of the Hero says there ’s still a piece of him near the Chapter One cabin , meaning even he divide off into pieces of glass .
Yet it ’s undeniable The Voices are The Long Quiet ’s thoughts , as they ’re ring as such , and discharge your mind in The Razor gets rid of everyone , including The Echo . While not as unassailable as The Echo , Voices are still capable of overpowering The Long Quiet in certain instances and making conclusion . Even if they ca n’t , their bare presence charm The Long Quiet ’s forcefulness . This is designate by The Broken being the understanding The Long Quiet has trouble resist The Tower . Interestingly enough , Voices can leave if they select . The Voices seem to follow the same logic as The Princesses do to The Shifting Mound . They are a part of The Long Quiet , but they ’re also their own persons .
The Voices get either fall back in The Long Quiet or absorbed into The Shifting Mound unless The Hero slays The Princess , at which percentage point they reappear with him . If The Hero lead with The Princess , they all presumably remain to exist somewhere . It ’s nameless if they can hail back once they leave the two behind , but Hero and Contrarian did come back once before they choose to pass on again .
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The Voices, individually
Slay the Princess: The Story explained – A surreal love story of the nature of life and death, change, and happiness
The elemental difference of opinion of the game is in the thrust and pull between change and stasis . The Echo believe that hiding off from the oddment of his decaying world by stopping everything leads to endless bliss for his man . The game emphasise the repulsion of death and decay over and over . But would everyone rightfully be happy if they were immortal and stick forever ? Or is The Echo detain an inevitableness , and the only true root is to come after The Shifting Mound and allow the two gods to make new realities and worlds entirely ? Is freezing one existence in place to save it deserving deny all unexampled aliveness and possibilities that follow afterward ?
Ultimately , the player / The Long Quiet decides . You presumably reprobate The Echo ’s world by ascending to godhood or go away the cabin with The Princess , but it ’s not clear if the world is saved or made anew if you slay the Princess . The Long Quiet has no way of knowing , as he is not part of the world . So does The Long Quiet choose to indulge in stasis and exist alone , or will he waver a novel tale of universe together with The Princess , allowing roses to blossom on new grass on a novel Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ?
Like The Echo tells The Long Quiet repeatedly , there ’s always a pick . But no one roll in the hay if the right one is , or rightfully can , be made . And that is the constitutional ambiguity of Slay the Princess , bringing us to the end of Slay the Princess ’ account .
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