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Pay To Slay
A painterly, top-down wuxia action RPG set in a martial world where even a hero has a price. Find your own way through a riverside town, where martial arts meet everyday life and deadpan absurdity.

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Features
Single-player
Multi-player
Family Sharing
Profile Features Limited 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔
Simplified Chinese ✔

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“We want to use Early Access, once the core experience is ready to play reliably, to gather feedback on combat pacing, controls, interface clarity and exploration. We plan to refine a focused experience first, then use that feedback to help prioritize further development.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect the game to be in Early Access for roughly 12–18 months from the start of Early Access. This is our best estimate based on the current development plan, during which we will add new regions, story, martial arts and everyday-life activities and refine the game based on player feedback. The actual timing may change as development progresses, and we will share any changes through Steam announcements.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to expand the areas to explore, story and martial arts content, develop more everyday-life activities, and continue improving balance, controls, performance and stability. The scope may change as development and feedback evolve; these are development goals rather than guarantees of a specific content count or completion date.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is in development and is not yet available to purchase in Early Access. This store page introduces the project. Current development focuses on Baishidu, character controls, inventory and basic everyday-life interactions; combat and other systems are still being iterated on. Before sales begin, we plan to update this section with the playable content, limitations and known issues of that version.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The game is a one-time purchase with no real-money in-game purchases, paid currency or paid random items. The Early Access price will be lower than the full-release price: we plan to gradually raise the price as we add new regions, story content and systems, so the full release will cost more than the Early Access launch price. We will announce every price change on Steam in advance.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We plan to collect bug reports and suggestions through Steam Discussions and our support email, with a focus on combat pacing, controls, interface clarity and technical issues. We will consider feedback alongside development constraints and describe addressed issues and significant changes in update announcements.”
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About This Game

No martial art can beat money... or can it?

Pay To Slay is a single-player, top-down wuxia action RPG painted in a bright gouache style. In the Daqian dynasty the throne was bought, every office has a price list, and even the ferry crossing and the water supply are itemised, priced and subcontracted. You arrive in Baishidu Village, a riverside ferry town, as an ordinary martial artist with no famous school behind you. Before you have earned a single coin, you are handed an interest-bearing bill and a recycled registration number. Its previous holder was recorded long ago as having died at the canal's last lock gate, but the unpaid fee for closing his record has been passed on to you.

A story that starts with a bill

The contractors have sealed the Old Canal Works "for maintenance". The ferries have stopped, the water mill has stopped and the clinic is running out of water, yet the Canal Upkeep Levy is still collected. Two canal workers are locked inside, and the man guarding the last lock gate is waiting for whoever signed the order to come back. You will play through a complete opening chapter in Baishidu Village and the Old Canal Works beneath it, with side stories along the way.
  • Six connected main quests, from your very first lesson all the way to the last lock gate and a final public hearing
  • Many problems have more than one answer: pay up, find the right connection, turn the rulebook against the people who wrote it, or fight
  • Deadpan humour from absurd rules enforced with a straight face: a tax collector dutifully renews a dead man's fees, and on the day refunds are paid, a "refund handling fee" goes up on the notice board

Martial arts and combat

  • Real-time action combat built on External Arts, Internal Arts, Mind Arts and Lightness Skill, with blocking and dodging
  • Spar with a martial instructor, face the guardian of the Old Canal and take on powerful foes out in the field
  • Collect martial arts manuals of different quality grades, learn new techniques and keep training them
  • Equip weapons and change outfits to shape your own hero

Making a living

Martial arts take practice, and life still has to be lived. In Baishidu Village you can:
  • Chop wood, mine ore, gather herbs and go fishing
  • Craft gear, cook food and prepare medicine
  • Trade at the market, and pay taxes, set up instalments or obtain permits at the tax desk

Taxes: pay, delay or defy?

Everyone here owes something. Paying on time saves you plenty of trouble; falling behind escalates step by step, all the way to a public notice. You can pay in instalments or work off what you owe, or you can fight the collector who comes knocking. Just expect him to come back with more guards.

A world painted in gouache

Indigo rooftops, pale walls, riverside paths and narrow streets give this martial world a lived-in warmth. Baishidu Village has its own daytime music and ambient sound, and combat, life skills and the interface all have their own sound effects.

Plans for Early Access

During Early Access we plan to add more regions and towns beyond Baishidu Village, Mystic Realms, more side stories, martial schools and meridian training, as well as more weapon types and everyday-life activities. The exact scope may change with development progress and player feedback.

At a glance

  • Single-player, keyboard and mouse
  • Autosave plus multiple manual save slots
  • One-time purchase with no real-money in-game purchases. The only paying to slay happens inside the story

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Generative AI was used during development to assist with artwork, audio, narrative text and localization, including store and marketing artwork. The resulting content is reviewed and edited before inclusion. The game does not generate AI content during play and does not connect to external AI services.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS: Windows (64-bit)
    • Additional Notes: The minimum Windows version and hardware requirements are still being evaluated and will be updated before the game becomes available to purchase.
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