Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review (PC)

I’m dueling Persephone in a song, trying to make the Queen of the Underworld understand that I have not killed Calliope to usurp her powers. My character is Grace, a singer who’s unsure what to do with her life, and she is currently directly challenging the Goddess, using her lines to appeal to her sense of justice and her need for revenge. The Last Muse is dead, and her killer is on the loose.

This musical number comes after some long conversations with Hermes, Apollo, Pan, and Eros. The aim was to convince them that this mortal turned Muse needs a lot of help to prove her innocence in one week. If Grace cannot do that, she’s dead and a bigger threat seems to be developing in the background, with the potential to affect the entire Chorus.

The musical number is finished, and Persephone is willing to help. But nothing is easy when deities and their supernatural powers are involved. Grace has little information to go on but big decisions to make. Which God can she trust? Who’s simply using her to gain an advantage? Is a good song powerful enough to get to the truth and convince people to do to the right thing?

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is developed by Summerfall Studios and published by Humble Games. I played it on the PC using Steam. It is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older platforms from Microsoft and Sony. The title is a delightful mix of role-playing and musical, with some great songs and a lot of cool narrative moments.

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The protagonist is Grace, a somewhat lost band leader who suddenly discovers that the Gods exist in her world, hidden among mortals. Her situation gets worse when Calliope, the last of the Muses, is murdered. Her power passes to Grace, who can now draw information and emotion out of anyone using the power of song. She has one week to try and discover who the God killer is and if the rest of the pantheon is involved, otherwise her own existence is forfeit.

The game’s narrative is well-plotted, with players constantly interacting with a range of Greek deities and other mythical creatures. You’ll meet and interact with Athena, Hecate, Apollo, Pan, Eros, Aphrodite, and others. All of them have been hiding in the modern world and none of them is what gamers might expect if they are familiar with classic Greek myths. This is clear as soon as Hermes pops up and whisks Grace to a high rise where the Chorus meets her.

I like the writing and the way it smuggles in references and humor while giving all characters space to reveal motivations and express feelings. Grace can be Charming, Clever, or Kickass, with each of the styles offering unique choices during some conversations. There are also major choices that the game signposts well, where the narrative branches.

The gameplay of Stray Gods combines a visual novel structure with choice-driven conversations and, of course, musical sequences. Most of the time, players will move from location to location, meet characters and then explore dialogue trees, trying to extract information and convince them to help. For the most important moment, the game delivers a musical moment.

Grace/Calliope cannot force anyone to do anything, but she can use draw out their intentions and feelings using the power of song. The musical moments are good and player-driven. Players, as Grace, will decide how the next segment plays out, which will have an effect on her own feelings, how others view her, and the choices she gets in the future.

I like that the song options don’t spell out what Grace will do once the player settles on one. Go for the Charm path to get some modern pop that tries to please. Choose to be Kickass and she turns to rap instead to make a point. There’s a constant feeling of discovery that works well with the murder mystery theme.

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The dialogue trees and the choices associated with them aren’t as surprising or innovative, but they do provide structure. The game also fails to give the deities the time to evolve and show off their personalities. There are romance options that don’t seem entirely organic given the urgency of Grace’s quest to clear her name.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical combines its solid universe and musical numbers with a comic book look. Grace, her band, and the gods all look good, although the game often repeats perspectives and framing during the longer conversations and musical moments. The world feels pretty small, and some locations aren’t very detailed. The interface is minimal and is well integrated with the gameplay.

The highlight of the title’s presentation is the audio. The cast includes many well-known actors, including Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, Anthony Rapp, Janina Gavankar, Felicia Day, Rahul Kohli, and more. Everyone does a good job, showcasing their character’s big emotional moments and generally making their characters come alive.

They also sing their hearts out. The songs might not be Broadway quality, but they are enjoyable and manage to communicate feelings and narrative information. Austin Wintory, Tripod, and Montaigne should be celebrated for their work, alongside the other musicians who bring all the songs to life. There are a few songs where the volume of the different performers feels a little off, but it doesn’t affect the experience too much.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion