The Price of Flesh is an adult Survival Horror visual novel by Boyfriend To Death fame Gatobob.
You begin the game in an auction, and you are what's being sold to one of three bidders—Mason, Celia, or Derek. No matter who purchases you and where you are taken (whether it be the Canadian mountains, an underground office, or an open desert), you must rely on your wits and skills in order to survive your new harsh conditions.
The game was released on May 2nd, 2022, and can be found on Steam
and on itch.io. Free DLC, containing a bonus additional route, was released on April 4th, 2023.
Viewer discretion is advised.
The Price of Flesh contains examples of:
- Auction of Evil: The whole experience begins with you getting sold off at one of these, with all of the bidders having twisted plans for you.
- Bears Are Bad News: Whatever you do, do not go to sleep outdoors with any fresh food on you. Seriously. Your life will thank you for it by avoiding the possibility of luring a hungry bear right to you and forcing you to wake up when it's already too late.
- Bear Trap: You can end up stepping in one in Mason's route if you aren't careful. You can also turn the tables on Mason by having him step in such a trap in one ending.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: In Mason's route, if your Sanity Meter reaches zero, you can can choose to interact with your knife and choose to "end this" in order to deny him the pleasure of the victory of killing you.
- Color Motifs: For each of the main captors:
- Mason: Green.
- Celia: Blue.
- Derek: Red.
- Fox: Black.
- Content Warnings: When you open the game:THIS GAME IS 18+This game includes many triggering themes ranging from murder, gore, and suicide to sexual assault.It is NOT for minors.If you are under 18 and someone is showing you this game, get away from that person.For more information about triggers, please visit the Warnings page.
- The Dog Bites Back:
- The "You Became the Hunter" ending has you placing a bear trap right in Mason's cabin.
- You can injure Celia in some ways throughout her route, and even kill her to escape in one ending.
- Expy: Derek seems to be of that to Strade, both of them being some rather energetic psychopaths.
- Fatal Fireworks: One ending has Derek killing you by forcibly shoving a firework right into your mouth.
- Faux Affably Evil: Mason is at least polite and merciful enough to give you a backpack with necessary supplies for the wilderness—right before aiming his crossbow at you.
- The seller also fits this role in the DLC - he seems kind enough, up until the player realizes they're part of his next livestream.
- Foil: Mason and Derek; Mason is a more careful, calculated older man with a penchant for working alone in the chilly Canadian mountains, while Derek is an amped and fiery younger man who primarily thrives with his gang in the scorching hot desert.
- Gender-Inclusive Writing: It isn't specified what gender the player character is, and the sexual scenes are written in a way that doesn't specify a particular gender.
- Golden Ending: The endings where you survive in one piece and with your mind still intact are the best outcomes as well as the most difficult to achieve.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The seller, the guy who had gotten you into this mess in the first place. This is further emphasized in the DLC, which has far more graphic and intense scenes than most of the other routes.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Both Celia and Derek are very easy to set off.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Mason's entire scenario involves him hunting you down akin to General Zaroff. It is even possible, if you're lucky enough, to imitate Rainsford by turning the tables on Mason.
- In Vino Veritas: Celia's cool exterior completely melts away when she's drunk.
- Know Your Vines: Eating the red berries will lower your sanity.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Derek's gang all wear animal masks and are very cruel to their victims, although Derek himself doesn't wear such a mask.
- The Many Deaths of You: Each route has many, many different ways for you to meet your untimely demise.
- Mountain Man: Mason fits the bill by being a tall, burly middle-aged man living in a cabin in the Canadian mountains.
- Nothing Is Scarier: There's no way to tell time in the underground office—meaning that you'll never know when exactly Celia is going to pop her head in.
- Off with His Head!: 'Machete' finishes off the first victim in the desert by beheading her with his machete.
- Resources Management Gameplay: Whether you will be in the mountains or in the desert, managing your limited food and water is very important.
- Rule of Three: Letting Mason catch you three times will automatically kill you.
- Sanity Meter: One is present, and it's an especially critical component to survival in Mason's route.
- Schmuck Bait: Considering the desert setting, water is extremely hard to come by, so it's an especially inviting sight to see fresh water in a fissure. However, it's too good to be true; if you choose to drink the water in the fissure, a member of Derek's gang will go after you.
- Shout-Out: The bidders' surnames come from Final Fantasy Tactics characters - Goffard (Gaffgarion) and (Delita) Heiral from the retranslation, and (Celia and) Lede from the original.
- Silliness Switch: You can activate Memelord Mode, a mode that adds a lot of shitpost-y dialogue and comedic edits to numerous scenes, after reaching 100% Completion through unlocking all of the endings and CGs.
- Slashed Throat: Near the endgame of his route, you can kill Mason this way if things go in your favor in order to escape his captivity.
- Thirsty Desert: Derek's route takes place in a hot, arid desert with psychopaths abound and limited water and poor shelter available.
- Too Dumb to Live: The player can die in some pretty stupid ways provided that they have less-than-average wilderness skills.
- If your Sanity Meter completely depletes and then you go find Mason’s cabin and try to sleep in there, your character notes that you would have to be crazy to sleep there...
- Unusual Ears: The seller bears a striking resemblance to Ren Hana, complete with red fox ears and a tail. In fact, the DLC reveals that they really are one and the same.
- Video Game Caring Potential: Being nice to others (even when you really wouldn't have to be) will increase your chances of living.
- You Are Already Dead: In some circumstances, you may end up running yourself into an insta-death situation:
- If you're spotted by Jack or meet up with Derek again after the first meeting, you're basically toast.
- Choosing to stick around at the start of Mason's route will result in him getting after you.
- Your Head A-Splode: If you're unlucky, one of the ways that Derek can finish you off is by jamming a lit firecracker into your mouth and waiting until your head blows up.
