“We make games with character,” reads the motto of Summerfall Studios, developer of Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical. Being a fairly new indie studio from Australia, Stray Gods acts as their debut title. However, the passion and dedication these developers have put into this game truly feels like they have been doing this for a lifetime.
Stray Gods follows the story of Grace (played by Laura Bailey), a college dropout who feels like she has lost direction in life and is searching for purpose. Being a musical, the game’s first song, “Adrift,” conveys Grace’s life story as she sings about being lost and alone in a way that the players can relate to the character while also humming along to a catchy tune. The monotonous normalcy of Grace’s life is shattered when Calliope (Ashley Johnson), the last living Muse and an Idol (essentially a God), mysteriously dies in her arms.
The story unravels from this point, centering around Calliope’s murder and placing Grace at the forefront of it. When Grace has one week to prove herself after she is wrongly accused of murder, the game turns into a classic “Whodunit,” but stays fresh by adding Greek Mythology and some leg tapping music into the mix. Despite having many characters show up in the story, Stray Gods manages to keep its focus on Grace being the main character while also giving others their own moment to shine. Everyone and their relationships gets established in very clear ways throughout the game’s three acts.
In the beginning of the game, the players are asked to choose between three traits for Grace: charming, kickass, and clever. Based on your choice, the dialogue options change, affecting Grace’s relationships with other characters during dialogue and throughout the story. For example, on my first playthrough, I selected the “charming” trait which led to the dialogue choices feeling more empathetic and friendly. Additionally, the game also offers four romanceable characters. This adds a nice little change of pace during gameplay. I tried to flirt my way with multiple characters but, of course, you can only solely romance one character at a time.
Selecting a trait can be confusing but you can’t go wrong with any of these choices.
Music is the soul of Stray Gods and Grace’s newly developed Godly powers highlight that very well. With the powers of the last living Muse, she is able to evoke feelings of the people around her, usually in the form of a song. This is where the game brings in its unique gameplay elements. Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical introduces musical battles where choice is the key. After a song sequence had begun, narrative choices would pop up on screen. As opposed to the dialogue choices, the song’s choices are time based where there are only a few seconds to make a decision.
If you are an overthinker like me, this is where the game gets challenging. As Grace, the players can decide how they want these song sequences to go. You can either decide to take a bold stance, or perhaps you want to be charming or witty. The lyrics and the tone of the song change depending on your choices, which also affects the story and the supporting characters’ relationships with Grace.
As you play Stray Gods, you’ll realize the developers do not take the word “musical” lightly. I was greeted by a new number every moment. Each song sequence has a variety of versions depending on the player’s choice. What song I get might be completely different from what another player gets, and this is what makes the game so unique.
Austin Wintory, the composer for Stray Gods, magnificently captures the game’s heart and soul through his music. With over 90+ original songs the studio releasing four separate albums (yes, FOUR!), I can surely see the game’s music slowly consuming my life over the next few months. Move over Hamilton, a new competitor is in town!
Time based choices during a song sequence were fun but also challenging at times.
Stray Gods performed well throughout my time with it. I did encounter one minor performance issue towards the end of the game, a song sequence going silent, on both my playthroughs. After some time, the sound thankfully came back on. I imagine this will be addressed in a post-release patch as the developers have been made aware.
Usually I am not very big on visual novel style games but I didn’t mind it with Stray Gods. Instead of having continuous fluid motion cinematics, what the game does feels more creative. Beautifully hand-illustrated, the visuals felt like I was flipping through vibrant comic book pages, watching the story unfold with characters playing their roles. I appreciate the studio for trying out a different art style and incorporating it into a musical RPG that, in the end, works very well.
The character designs in Stray Gods put a modern twist to Greek Mythology. It reminded me of the comic book series The Wicked + The Divine. Living among the humans in secret for years, the Idols are given a more trendy look but at the same time representative to their individuality. I really liked how each God had their design reflect their personality and background stories, creating a perfect blend with the game’s themes.
This review is not complete without mentioning the top tier voice acting. Stay Gods is carried by its stacked cast. From Laura Bailey to Khary Payton to Anjali Bhimani, the voice cast shines in each and every moment. Personally, my favorite performer was Laura Bailey. She embodies Grace with so much talent and perfection. She is an excellent singer and each time she sang, I fell a little bit in love. She clearly steals the spotlight, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the cast is far behind.
Stray Gods is one of the most ambitious games I have ever played. It sets a high standard in terms of creativity and conceptualization. The storytelling, visuals, the ensemble, and, most of all, the music come together to form a magical experience for gamers and non-gamers alike. You can play it multiple times without the fear of boredom settling in. As someone who deeply appreciates music, this game was a joy to play.
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