You're supposed to Slay the Princess, not archive unused content about the Princess.
Unused Route Ending#
In Chapter III: The Eye of the Needle, the Player can have the Eye of the Needle chase them outside of the cabin, where they have a variety of options. However, none of them include running away.
In adversary_2_start.rpy, there is a block of commented code that if enabled would have allowed the Player to turn around and run into the woods, ending the chapter.
Interestingly, this block of code ends by jumping to the "caught_start" routine, which is used for when the Player makes a choice that denies the Shifting Mound a vessel, instead of "mirror_start", which makes the current Princess her vessel and takes you to the end of the route. In the final game, this is only possible at the start of Chapter II and Chapter III by turning away from the cabin. This implies that an option to abort a route would have been possible later in the route, supported by how the Narrator's line in this ending is similar to the line used when you properly abort the route through this chapter.
Unused Graphics#
The Clown#
Easily found in the game's main directory is an image of a clown version of the Princess. This isn't evidence of an unused route, but rather an in-joke by Black Tabby Games.
The Long Quiet#
A title card for the Long Quiet, never used in the final game. Entering the Long Quiet (known in "Memories" as "The Spaces Between") isn't accompanied with a title card.
Unused Beast Princess Perspective#
In the endgame, the Shifting Mound summons the vessels you collected over the course of your playthrough and shows a moment of gameplay from that Princess' perspective. What is shown depends on the choices the player makes.
Two images are made for if one of the vessels is the Beast. One of these images, named "fight_beast_destroy_p" in the game's files and "reducedtoprey" in the Supporter's Pack, depict the player character after being gored in half by the Beast, as seen on the right. In one ending to Chapter II: The Beast, the Player can fight the Beast, only to end up being gored by her and left "in a nest of your own intestines". However, this ending always leads to Chapter III: The Den, which always has a different perspective, meaning that it is impossible to make the Beast a vessel this way. Indeed, the game never calls for "fight_beast_destroy" in the relevant felina_fight_1.rpy script files. There is also no lines or commentary from the Shifting Mound that alludes to this outcome.
Unused Sprites#
The Razor#
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razor thenyours hehe |
razor impaled hehe |
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If the Player chooses to approach or slay the Razor, she will impale them with her arm-sword or leg-sword respectively. These sprites are unused variations of those respective scenes that have her give a sharp, toothy grin, but the script never calls for them. Unlike the other variations of these sprites, these are not labeled "cg".
Unused Dialogue#
The game has a lot of dialogue and more that you never hear, likely due to changes in story direction or being redundant takes of the same line. For the sake of brevity, only unique dialogue or significant dialogue are listed here.
The Narrator#
The Hero and the Princess#
Sound File |
Transcript |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
As the gap between you and the Princess closes, it's as though your body moves entirely of its own accord. |
The Narrator narrating you lunging at the Princess without hesitation. In-game, he starts narrating after you already stab her. |
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The Princess tries to outmaneuver you, but you're far too quick to be bested here. |
The Eye of the Needle#
Sound File |
Transcript |
Placement |
|---|---|---|
But you never strike. Instead, you bound off into the trees. You coward! There's no winning here. There's no survival when she still lives, there's no... |
The dialogue for the aforementioned unused "caught_start" routine in Chapter III: The Eye of the Needle. |
The Nightmare#
Sound File |
Transcript |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
The saccharine scent of the long-dead corpses you've left unburied. The marriages you've broken. The children you've orphaned. |
Meant to be played during the Nightmare's horror sequence. |
The Princess#
The Hero and the Princess#
Sound File |
Transcript |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
I guess your heart really wasn't in it. How cute. |
Alternate takes on the Razor-Princess' taunt when she stabs you in the neck. |
Named "stab_p_24old" in the files. The file isn't referenced, but the text is present, albeit commented out. |
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Drowning in a pool of your own blood. How undignified. |
Unlike most alternate voice clips, this one is entirely different from the used and unused clip. |
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If you want to try killing me afterwards, you can go ahead and give it your best shot. But it'd be awfully boring if we just rushed to violence, wouldn't it? |
Possibly a response to the Player saying they want to slay her. No code or text is in reference to this clip, however. |
The only file not given a number, instead it's named "stab_p_bonus_shot". |
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I don't know how to destroy the world, if that's what you're asking. |
Said after "Ending the world seems like an awful lot for just one person to do. I wouldn't even know where to start." |
No accompanying voice clip. |
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You must have the wrong address. |
Said after you choose "Hey, I think I'm here to kill you?" |
The file is called "stab_p_4old", but the script references it as "stab_p_4", which is the alternate, used take. |
The Prisoner#
Sound File |
Transcript |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
Don't worry. I wouldn't do this if it weren't for a good reason. But I'll need your help when I'm done. |
Presumably removed to preserve the twist of the Prisoner faking her death to elude the Narrator. |
The Voices in Your Head#
The Hero and the Princess#
Sound File |
Character |
Subtitle |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Voice of the Hero |
Do you hear the conviction in her voice? Do you see that razor sharpness in her gaze? I don't think she's bluffing. |
When the Princess threatens the Player if he threatens her or refuses to let her out of the cabin. |
This line and two very similar voice clips are consistently commented out of |
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Voice of the Flinching |
No, no, no what are you doing, we were so close to getting out of here! |
Unused lines when you give up on turning away from the cabin. |
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Voice of the Flinching |
No, no, no what are you doing, I'm sure if we just looked harder we'd find a way out of here! |
No accompanying voice clip. |
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Voice of the Stubborn |
I guarantee you that every second you spend running away is time She's going to use to get stronger. Just get in there already! |
When the Narrator tries to force the player into the cabin a second time. |
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Voice of the Hunted |
It's like we're being herded back here time and time again... I don't know if our guide is the one doing this, or if He's as helpless to shape this place as we are. |
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Voice of the Smitten |
He's right, you know, at least about the universe bringing us back here. It's our destiny to save her from this place. |
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Voice of the Paranoid |
He's being so infuriatingly obvious. Keep moving. Don't go in there. He's bound to break eventually. |
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Voice of the Skeptic |
Is He the one pulling the strings here, or is this the work of something else entirely? |
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Voice of the Flinching |
I don't care how many times we keep winding up here, we can't go into that place. We just can't! |
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Voice of the Opportunist |
Well, if the universe wants us to go in there... |
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Voice of the Broken |
He's right. There's no use trying to get out of this place, is there? It's like reality itself wants us to die all over again... |
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Voice of the Hero |
Maybe this is the safest way forward for us. |
The Hero's response to the Hunted seeing the cabin again. |
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Voice of the Hunted |
I don't think anything is safe in this place. |
Follow-up to the Voice of the Hero. |
Commented out. |
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Voice of the Paranoid |
Sigh. I guess you're the one in control aren't you? So if you want us to die again, I guess we'll die again. Good luck. To all of us. |
When the player goes to the cabin after turning away twice. |
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Voice of the Opportunist |
Eh, this is probably for the best. |
The Nightmare#
Sound File |
Character |
Subtitle |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Voice of the Paranoid |
Just. Heart. Endure. Lungs. It. Liver. This. Nerves. Has. Heart. To. Lungs. End. Nerves. Eventually. Heart... |
Meant to be played during the Nightmare's horror sequence. |
The Prisoner#
Sound File |
Character |
Subtitle |
Placement |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Voice of the Skeptic |
I knew it! |
Related to the Prisoner's unused voice clip about her plan, likely removed for a similar reason. |
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The Voice of the Hero |
So she wasn't dead? And you knew? Why didn't you tell us?! |
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The Voice of the Skeptic |
She couldn't tip her hand to Him. He wouldn't have let us leave. |
Unused Achievement#
In Chapter III: No Way Out (which shares the same script as Chapter III: The Arms Race), the game calls for the achievement "ACH_RAZOR_PUNCH" when the player chooses to punch the Princess. However, this achievement no longer exists.
Demo Leftovers#
Turning Around and Leaving#
The starts of Chapter I and any Chapter II (with the exception of the Stranger) are nearly identical. This is merely an illusion: the game begins in a different script, one unique to the chapter. However, Chapter II does jump to Chapter I for the routine for walking away from the cabin.
The Narrator attempts to trick you into going into the cabin twice before you're sent to Chapter II: The Stranger. However, the player only has one chance to continue the chapter before the "caught_start" routine and the route is "aborted" in Chapter II. When the player reneges on their decision, the additional Voice will comment on it.
This is behavior left over from the demos, which explains why the Voice of the Skeptic is the Voice of the Flinching instead. This also makes it the only reference to the Flinching in the game's code.
There are a few interesting extra details:
- The Voices were supposed to comment after you reject your first chance to continue to the cabin. Oddly enough, the Voice of the Cold has no line.
- Since you don't get to see the Narrator's second try in Chapter II, the Voices' response for when you go into the cabin are unheard. Only the Voice of the Paranoid and Opportunist have a unique line for this occasion, however.
Oddities#
Felina#
All files related to the "awakened" Shifting Mound at the end of the game is named "felina", as opposed to "mound" or "shifting". "Felina" is an anagram for "finale."
Off-Screen Content#
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In-Game |
Full Image |
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In-Game |
Full Image |
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In Chapter II: The Prisoner, the full image of the Player inspecting the shackle is cropped, obscuring some of the Princess and her expression.