Slay the Princess DESTROYED My Brain (in a good way) | Renegade Cut

[@zarkc4]

So you've been purged from all that made this channel a good source of anarchist essays... Disappointed but not surprised. Sad to also realize how much of a white knight you are under the surface

[@renegadecut9875]

"Be miserable for me or else you're a bad person." 15:23

[@zotaninoron3548]

That's an absolutely wild comment. You don't possess another man's life. Damn.

[@achronos178]

Bruh Wtf are you on about?

[@drydenhillvibes2263]

Dude fuck off. Renegade can do what he wants. Did you not read the community post? Its not like his old content is irrelevant now. Cry about it and leave, baby

[@MonsterX768]

How does not wanting to be miserable make someone a white knight? Grow up and log off.

[@kellyoneil9415]

"Even if the narrator did possess legal authority, I instinctively do not trust the police" 😂😂😂

[@KVerityart]

"No YOU'RE on a path in the woods" I fuckin died.

[@euansmith3699]

I used to be on a path in the woods. Then I took an arrow in the knee..

[@dallasshumaker6148]

You fucking died……..Narrator: “You’re on a path in the woods…”

[@vanirie434]

Slay The Princess as your first visual novel truly is some "House of Leaves as my first hardcover book" type of experience.

[@Churono]

For good reason, a lot of the visual novels people recommend do fun, weird, meta stuff with the presentation, story structure and interactivity. I imagine it happens to a lot of people to some degree!

[@Metaluna2187]

17:32 - Female fan here. We understand. Ghost princesses bring out the worst in all of us sometimes.

[@Artisticmonkey2]

Right? I was right there with him because god damnit is that princess driving me nuts lol

[@leviadragon99]

god, saaaaame. Though I personally was most destroyed by The Adversary. tall muscle tiefling/dragoness makes gay little brain short out.

[@davidbowers6124]

"...like all centism." 11/10, no notes

[@Bluecho4]

Exactly. Based.

[@thequeenofswords7230]

22:37 It's counter-intuitive but, I can tell you; when the blades within me are peeling out from the cosmic horror interior space of my body? That's exactly the right time to flirt with me.

[@n.henzler50]

User name checks out. 😂

[@disposable157]

I'm married but in another life I'd give you the look

[@InfiniteAnvil]

Btw, the voice actor for the Narrator, Jonny Sims, is big in the audiofiction space. He's the main writer and plays the main character of The Magnus Archives. If you would like Slay the Princess's voices to read you a bunch of well-written creepypastas, and then have the creepypastas slowly start affecting the life of the narrator and his coworkers, I highly recommend it. He was also in a band, The Mechanisms, where the gimmick was that the whole band was made of immortal steampunk space pirates.

[@OllieTSmash]

I've been watching your videos for the last 5 years or so and I am here for your Self-Care Arc. Love getting to see videos you actually love making

[@renegadecut9875]

Thank you, I appreciate that. Some of my long-time fans have not been enthusiastic about my videos this year, and it's nice to hear from people who have followed my work for years and still want to stick around.

[@dreadlordvellan733]

​@@renegadecut9875 Until we are all free, none of us are free. And it seems pretty clear to me that that includes the freedom to make content about videogames.

[@alexanderksiazek8790]

whatever heaven might exist, Leon is there, amused at being early

[@gh0stsNcats]

@@renegadecut9875i absolutely love slay the princess, this is a welcome surprise

[@leviadragon99]

I'll echo that sentiment, following the creative impulses where they lead and making things that spark joy is a path that I aspire to.

[@rokdri9983]

"The princess Plonks there" I compromise to use the "plonk" verb more often, thanks

[@Leo-et8mn]

“I say to nobody except myself and the entire universe” is a very good phrase

[@hervvo]

this is the exact type of video I wanted to see when I finished Slay The Princess. I love your approach and analysis, you were able to articulate the way the game makes you more aware of your own voices, as it silumtaneously adds voices to the game to represent them. It's brilliant how it adds those layers and completely reads your mind. Then, your video added more layers in top of that. Chef's kiss!

[@lazylabyrinth5561]

Couldn't agree more

[@suicaedere7244]

I am the type that got the Good Ending first, because I like to play games as intended, the voices that feel closer to my internal monologue are the Cold and the Contrarian (throwing the dagger is always fun) and the Princess I love is either the Thorn or the Prisoner. I'm also your part of your rare female audience, glad you enjoy the game.

[@TheThunderbirdRising]

I've found this game works as a surprisingly good personality test- what voice you get first says a lot about you, or at least a lot about how you play games

[@lazylabyrinth5561]

As a smitten contrarian myself i refuse to accept that the broken was my first voice...wait! Stay away self-realisation!!

[@katherinesanderson8990]

I also got the Good Ending first because I wanted to see what would happen if I did exactly as the narrator said, the second time around I wanted to see what would happen if I did exactly the opposite of what the narrator wanted and got the Damsel.

[@Kayta-Linda]

My first is Paranoid, but Sceptic is also a good description of me. Gotta love Contrarian though, *very* unique voice and one of the funniest!

[@I_like_dnd_and_cosplay_]

Stubborn is so funny

[@EyeoftheU]

"We are a path in the woods. We have no beginning, and we have no end, but something cold and unnatural sits watching us from just beyond our edge."

[@greatjoke6292]

"You will never be whole again"

[@noobhemingway]

Slay the Princess is such a good game! I broke down crying when I finished it the first time.

[@Halokon]

Honestly, no shade to your other videos, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time, but this is your best work to date. You do what makes you happy and content with KZbin, but the world loses out if you’re not doing more videos like this, loved every second of it.

[@renegadecut9875]

Thanks very much. This is what I want to do now, and I don't think I'll ever go back to the kind of output I was doing over the past few years. My politics haven't changed, but my desire to center my politics in my work is not there anymore, thank God.

[@lazylabyrinth5561]

This is the first video of yours i watched and as someone whos been a gamer way longer than a political scientist i really appreciate the introspective, just sprinkled with political thoughts, way more. Going in depth with the concepts would ruin the jokes and take away from the meaning

[@tsarzamancorpdna]

The dnd bit is too real We've all seduced an npc into a bigger role

[@myladysigyn]

If you want more of The Narrator, I suggest the audio drama The Magnus Archives.

[@mimimalloc]

FIRST HOUR: what the hell even IS the princess?? FIFTH HOUR: what the hell even AM I???

[@endlesslyrium]

ngl annoying the shit out of various versions of jonny sims was a highlight of the game for me

[@christopherschneider2968]

Im so glad you are on a journey of healing because these recent videos feel like shitposts in the best kind of sense. Also a tounge in cheek review of Slay the princess is great

[@NoahChinnBooks]

She is what you bring with you. Whatever do to you in one level influences what she becomes next time. To me, the game is a Rorschach test of sorts. Most people make their choices thinking forward, but I think for this you need to make them looking back. ;)

[@VioletSadi]

Jonny Sims v. Renegade cut is impressive to see

[@general_merten]

I swear by god when I take my final breath and the last sense that leaves your body is hearing, and I hear Everything goes dark and you die... and the next moment I'm standing on a path in the woods I'm going to run head first into the pristine blade. xD

[@DalmatinRus]

Leon, I absolutely adore experiencing your existential crisis with you. Thank you for sharing

[@farukt122]

This game is a combination of Stanley parable and disco Elysium, if you didn't play those i HIGHLY recommend them

[@thomashooper2451]

Slay the Princess was my favorite game of 2023. The “Leave the cabin” conclusion is one of the best endings I have ever experienced. Literal masterpiece

[@BullstrongDVM]

I love this video. You wrote so many great lines for it. I laughed more in this half hour than I have watching anything else on the Internet in recent memory. 10/10 will watch again after playing the game.

[@renegadecut9875]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@Owesomasaurus]

To be fair, Slay the Princess is an exceptional visual novel. Most dont have nearly as many branching paths

[@joearnold6881]

“I’m sorry mister narrator”?? Yo that’s the guy who did The Magnus Archives. You need to listen to that and understand how lucky you are to have him read to you! 😉 (It’s an amazing horror podcast. Start at the beginning)

[@Desavenencia]

I had this "Long time listener, fisrt time caller" conversations many times and it is alwas a pleasure to hear how someone fell in love with something they just enjoyed till that moment, testimonial, book or in your case a game "clicked" the rigth way. First time I can hear or see about it on this platform with good editing and poignant commentary , congratulations are in order. Everyone who knows me finishes this idiom with me: "Still alive, still kicking, still talking about it". Most even integrate themselves in it with a: "still drinkning" or something of the sorts... so still narrating good sir? Good!

[@TheAshenCouncil]

Oh hell yeah I saw this drop and immediately had to like it before it even started because Slay The Princess fucking RULES.

[@bicokun]

Kinda fun to see the thought processes for making all the choices I really didn’t want to make for this series. Like, it was honestly interesting to see that you never once in the initial play-through left that blade behind. Gave you all the most aggressive branches by doing that and I could see how that influenced your mindset going forward.

[@renegadecut9875]

I didn't take the blade the first time. I said so.

[@NikolaitheBard]

I love this game so much. It is legitimately one of my favorite games ever. I love watching my friends play and seeing how they react. The art is beautiful, the voice acting is phenomenal, and i love the story.

[@AlexGreat87]

I was about to start to watch your review, and then I told myself "stop it, just play it already instead of getting it spoiled for you". I lost myself in the game for hours, and now I'm finally watching this review. I can't even start to explain how much of a masterpiece this is, what an amazing experience, and I can't stop thinking about it. Might not have been your original intention, but thank you for giving me the last push into finally playing it.

[@poomar]

Ooo I recognized the voice actor of the princess immediately, she's Nichole Goodnight. She's a regular on the nosleep podcast, great voice actor especially with horror

[@anewhero1216]

I recall that they’ve got a pretty big update in the works - The Pristine Cut - that overhauls a lot of the game. Personally, my and most people’s favourite route is The Thorn - act distrustfully towards Act 1’s Princess without communicating your intentions, and your Act 2 will be The Witch. Hand the Pristine Blade to the Witch-Princess, and she’ll have a crisis about your honesty. Your Act 3 will be The Thorn from there lol

[@TheAzul_Indigo]

I got the witch by not taking the knife, and letting the narrator slay her in act 1. When the option appeared to give her the knife my reaction was “sure, why the hell not.” Every voice in the room is BEGGING me not to do this, so obviously this must be the right choice, and maybe I’ll even get the contrarian! It was truly a surprising experience getting stabbed 2 seconds after I did, but my experience with the thorn was the most fleshed out and emotional princess ending by far!

[@Sephiroth1204]

I appreciate how the game thwarted your attempts to subvert it and slowly beat your down into accomplishing its objective with greater vehemence. Love how the voices in the your head in the game slowly change names to reflect the real world changes in your attitude

[@goddessofanguish]

Female audience here; I’ve yet to play this game but essays like this make me really excited for it’s new cut when it comes to consoles. Thank you!

[@renegadecut9875]

You're certainly welcome.

[@Leshoyadut]

Others have said this already, but despite deeply appreciating and loving the content you've made in the past, this is perhaps my favorite video of yours so far. Seeing your journey as you got sucked into Slay the Princess, and not just understanding it on a meta level, but really getting into the story itself was a real joy. Glad you're enjoying this new content, too.

[@tenebrousoul9368]

I think you might like the Sucker for Love series, Renegade. It turns Cthulhu into a waifu. It's dark, and it's funny, and it's charming AF.

[@Gutock]

I found it a little bit more bothersome (particularly the last bit) than Slay the Princess, but for sure, it's very funny and it does something a little different, which is more than can be said for a lot of games!

[@pteroid11]

I want the voices from this game and the skills from disco elysium to have a ludicrous chaotic discussion.

[@AjnosFTW]

There's a crossover fanfiction with that, called "The Fury of a Shattered Mirror", and it's excellent. Our fandoms overlap quite a bit. TheStP devs love DE too, and cited it as an inspiration!

[@Katsi404]

This game captivated me with its premise when I first found it on Steam. I could feel the alluring pull of its surreality and moral quandaries, and this overview has thoroughly convinced me that I need to dive into the Hairy Ethics Dimension. Some ideas require untangling.

[@pedroportillo1585]

I love your video game analysis. They bring new perspectives even to games I already played.

[@iamjustkiwi]

Slay the princess is the only game ive ever immediately bought a copy of to send to a family member because of how much i wanted them to get the chance to experience it as well, and it was my first visual novel i really got into ever. So, so much respect to the writers and illustrators, I was glued to my screen from start to finish and im glad other people had the same experience

[@elilla3583]

Game: The next thing you'll say is "Slay the princess harder". Renegade Cut: I'm gonna slay the princess hard-nani?!?

[@calicow]

I have watched and been a fan of your work since the CA days and I think this has to be one of my favorite videos of yours. I've laughed out loud several times as I've been pulled along in your existential crisis. It seems like you had a lot of fun making this video, so I hope that's true!

[@raven_g6667]

I was decently surprised how great this game is.

[@mysticoferis]

Black Tabby Games' other visual novel Scarlet Hollow is also phenomenal

[@renegadecut9875]

I'm going to play it when it's out of Early Access and all the episodes are done.

[@mysticoferis]

@@renegadecut9875 fair

[@tmesian]

And Abby Howard’s books are fricking amazing

[@raye-raphaelsashay8521]

I've never seen that Stranger princess in the end cabin before. I've run through the game about three times now, and watched a bunch of playthroughs, but there's still secrets! It's so great.

[@HeyJudie]

The same team that made Slay the Princess also made a fantastic visual novel series called Scarlett Hallow. I've played that game so much I have all the achievements, though I didn't have the patience for that with Slay The Princess.

[@LavendelBrei]

One can only beat doom by killing John Romero in doom PVP. I have beaten doom.

[@CanIswearinmyhandle]

I’ve seen a complete playthrough of this game and I don’t get the hype. It seems to me it’s just acting like it has something important to say but then doesn’t really say anything. Also the artwork is so bad

[@mikeyahl7363]

Renegade Lynch over here, making us question if any of it was real

[@harenmelan]

I really enjoy this. It was kinda amazing to get a sense of how these sorts of games feel for someone who plays them for the first time. I hope you enjoyed. And heck, sometimes we use words that society feeds us when we don't expect to use them. Thanks for sharing.

[@stevebravo1422]

Fantastic analysis of a game that incidentally I don't even need to play now

[@Maradrafts]

As someone who has completed Slay the Princess (as in: all branches and achievements), but certainly not _finished_ it, this was a fun video to watch. I deeply resonate with your perspective at 28:68 - and in my opinion, one of the strengths of this game is how open-ended it is. Rather than explaining its lore and providing definite conclusions to its mysteries as the game progresses, there's a lot that's left to the player to infer and piece together themselves. Depending on who's playing, they'll relate to its content in different ways and take different things from the experience. And this makes the game stay with you longer. I'll still find myself thinking about a particular dialogue line or track or princess iteration months after my last session, while in the middle of taking a walk or doing house chores. ... I am very happy the first visual novel you chose to play had to be this one, because while there are a lot of great, enjoyable or interesting titles in the genre, this is one of the very best examples of the medium.

[@magicash8701]

The battle of the Narrators is such a fun concept Love this video so much

[@renegadecut9875]

Thank you!

[@Kagomai15]

I haven't watched this whole thing yet (or played the game) but you thinking Johnny Sims was gonna do something so simple as just a gotcha commentary on old tropes made me kinda giggle because oh no, I bet it gets really messy and world-endy and monster-y. The Bifrost Incident and The Magnus Archives come to mind.

[@side1981]

Another thumbs up for Magnus Archives is excellent very much worth listening.

[@scouttyra]

Afaik he was only a voice actor in this, but still true. And I guess he opens at least one door here too

[@mbulsht]

May this video mark the beginning of this becoming an otome game review channel

[@unicornucopiaclear]

Loving that you're just vibing.

[@renegadecut9875]

It's the way to go.

[@p3r3n5]

I fell in love with that princess so quick and in my first loop she ate me

[@evanthomass]

An overpowered ethical dilemma to be sure. Luckily we have Renegade Cut and his talismanic anarchist card on our side.

[@ZyllasAthenaeum]

Incredible. I've never wanted to try a visual novel so much. Ego death awaits.

[@fenris2355]

Setting Slay the Princess specifically aside, this is fascinating to me as the tale of someone playing their first visual novel. It's my favorite game genre and while I loved Slay the Princess I wonder if some small part of its impact was lost on me because the presentation and format aren't so novel to me. There are many, many amazing visual novels out there, though the barrier to entry is sometimes high (many of the best either don't have official English releases at all, or the releases that do exist are so poorly made a fan patch is basically required to make the game playable).

[@leviadragon99]

Funny story, a friend purchased this game for me to prove me wrong, after I was initially put off by the first thing I had seen of it being The Razor, a path that seemed to just be lurid, edgy and shocking, I was convinced that the story could only be transgressive for the sake of it. That impression of the game is one that I carried into it, and that perception affected how I played. It is not the perspective I held by the end of the experience.

[@007whitespy]

We all should strive to have an odd unearned confidence.

[@TheMexRAGE]

This is the best Slay the Princess video i have seen...

[@nerd_mus]

I usually listen to videoessays on the background while I do my chores, but both your narration and editing made me stick to the screen all the way through the end despite social media having destroyed my attention span a long time ago. 11/10

[@lordrefaiv]

Best new format video yet. Looking forward to seeing where you go from here.

[@efg-smca]

I kept seeing this on Steam. I'm going to pick it up when the updated version is out. I love your new videos btw. Thanks for the entertainment.

[@estherpont4189]

That Dnd crit roll changed my life...

[@indieIist]

**Slow yet Endless, Extremely Enthusiast Golf Clap** Somehow, out of all my previous favorites, THIS becomes your best. To me. The best you've created, to me, in my mind. For me? For all. Yes yes.

[@falkorornothing261]

Normally I put on a 20m video while I make and eat breakfast, then put on something longer while I play my video game with coffee and cigarettes. I reluctantly decided to watch this, knowing I'd be on coffee before it was finished. Now, here I am, a half cigarette in and typing in the comments to most likely nobody. I question my life choices knowing I'd repeat it all over again if I got the chance to respawn. I'm on a path in the forest...

[@HalfLight333]

I really need to play this game again. I have a rant/essay I want to write on it about how it resonated with me and it’s one of those games that’s just stuck in my head. Very few games these days manage to do that.

[@ladybugclue9674]

I love this. Visual novel that there is no winning or losing vs guy who wants to win.

[@Arv4789]

23:02 ...Silas and the wink herd around the world. I can not believe ive been listening to dice funk that long and still remember that off the dome.

[@Gutock]

Definitely thoroughly enjoyed both the game and your essay. Thanks!

[@gilberthamilton9312]

That's a huge cabin. That means it has huge narrative potential.

[@limberlad]

You've got fantastic a dry sense of humour that I don't think I ever caught onto before. Keep up the great work. Love the new videos . I hope gaming is helping keep your head clear. It helps me

[@Rime_in_Retrograde]

omfg I recognize the voice actor. That's never happened before, I had to use google to confirm it, but it is!

[@thagomizer4711]

Been wanting to try this game for a minute, and this was a delightful way to dip my toes in. Your videos consistently makes me the 4th happiest man in Connecticut, behind Clark, and two others I assume. Loving this era of you.

[@Dizzimagic]

So glad you played this, your brand of prose is such a good fit for this review.

[@Artisticmonkey2]

Great video! Really been enjoying your latest run, been here forever through all the eras. I like hearing you have some joy again :)

[@AerialHoopGuy]

Lol, this video was intense! Game looks crazy too, and I love how you added the "Doom" ending there. 🤣

[@Ebenezer_Spooge]

As much as I really enjoyed your video essays, I have to say that I've really love your videogame content and probably - technically-speaking - get more out of them. I picked up El Paso, Elsewhere and Felvidek and had a fantastic time with both of them, so Slay the Princess seems like a no-brainer.

[@commonviewer2488]

Much like the Princess, I laugh at your attempt at predicting what comes next. This is a wild ride

[@InfiniteAnvil]

It's OK, KZbin is shit at knowing which of its users are women. I'm quite sure it thinks I'm a man, based on what kinds of ads it serves me, and one time where Jose said KZbin told him literally 100% of the viewers for one of his videos had been men, and I had watched it days earlier. I have to assume that's based on some kind of algorithmic stereotyping about my viewing habits, and/or KZbin defaulting anyone who doesn't explicitly set their gender as male. (That's the KZbinr with channel name Jose and a bluejay for a profile picture. I'm not just dropping the first name of a youtuber and expecting you to know who I'm talking about.) Slay the Princess is a good choice if you're trying to reach out to women though. It's doing numbers on tumblr.

[@glitch42]

As an EU4 player, I agree. I hope you love your doom run

[@monsterverse]

It’s honestly so satisfying hearing you narrate your experience of this game! I love getting to hear other people’s mindsets while playing, plus your voice is really nice to listen to 😁

[@efg-smca]

In all this confusion known as life after 2016, I seem to have lost my attention span, but at least for 4.5 hours, I found it again when playing Slay the Princess to one of its many conclusions the other night. Had to come back for another viewing of this amazing review that got me to play my first visual novel.

[@ChiliB0tArt]

as an avid slay the princess fan, this has got to be one of my absolute favorite playthroughs and videos. makes me wanna play doom

[@Jermbot15]

Kudos, you called me out and got a hearty laugh.

[@tristantheis3971]

With the Pristine Cut coming out yesterday I finally started this up proper. Oh no, it's destroying my brain...

[@trentfarrell]

Dr. Katz reference. A+

[@trentfarrell]

The peach flavor sugar free energy drink is the one I’m drinking literally as I’m watching this. 😮

[@renegadecut9875]

Switching from my former Monster drinks to sugar free Monster was a good and necessary change. I'm not diabetic, but I'm not taking any chances as I push through my 40's.

[@trentfarrell]

@@renegadecut9875I am right there with you. Diabetes runs in my family, so I figure better safe than sorry. And on the plus side, Monster Ultra Zero comes in a variety of flavors. I am very fond of the strawberry.

[@melvv18]

I love that you call the nightmare route the centrist, route because the game treats as a cowardly choice. You get the paranoid voice, and even the princess calls you a coward.

[@Loveless1128]

The Pristine Cut is out! And knowing that your playthrough would've had some different outcomes after that update, I hope when you play it again you choose some of the same choices to see what is different. It's so good!

[@hawkeyetherailfan]

That was a badass moment when you took control and the theme came on. I think a better comparison of L.A. Noire is to to think of it as a more involved TellTale game.

[@darkninjafirefox]

These videos about video games have been really fun

[@TheMjsanty]

Well… now I HAVE TO play this game

[@hex3930]

Really enjoying your content these days, thanks for the video