Stray Gods: The Role-Playing Musical Review – Hades Meets Hadestown

All musicals are my favorites. I’m a fan of musicals in all forms. HamilThe following are some of the ways to get in touch with us:n to La La LandThe following are some of the ways to get in touch with us: Bob’s BurgersIf your characters start singing in the story, then I am more than likely to be on board. Stray Gods The Role-Playing Musical was a game that appealed to both the musical and gaming fan in me. Summerfall Studios has received some criticism for glitches in the game and even awkward lyrics. However, they have managed to harmonize these concepts very well. 

Stray Gods has you playing as Grace. A woman who is accused of the murder of a Muse (a magical entity from ancient Greece). These mythical beings are called Idols in this world. They’re reincarnations from Greek gods who have passed on their powers to humankind, giving them immortality. Grace is a gifted singer because she was with the Muse when it died. The worldbuilding was simple but refreshing. I liked that this had a real-world explanation. Stray Gods has a story so original that it stands out from the crowd of Greek myth adaptations.

Some people may find it misleading that the title of this game refers to a musical “role-playing”. There is no gear, experience, or leveling up – just role-playing in the truest sense of the word by making decisions as your version of Grace. You choose from one of three personalities traits to begin the game: Charming, Kickass or Clever. These personality types unlock various dialogue options for conversations. Communication is the main focus of this game. You can choose to speak or sing to people.

Stray Gods most notable achievement is their music. You can choose from a variety of responses to each song as you listen. While the game offers plenty of time for you to select, the process is timed in accordance with the song, which means you must make your decision quickly. I was at first apprehensive about this idea, but it grew on me as the story progressed. Instead of plotting the exact reactions I wanted, I acted as Grace. In the Settings menu you can disable the Timed Choices if this concept is too much for you or you want to avoid making quick decisions. However, I suggest playing around with the timer.

The storyline changes as you choose different songs. You can choose to have certain characters show up later on in the game, or even die. In my initial playthrough I was Charming, and I tried to empathize as much as possible with the majority of characters. On a subsequent playthrough I chose to try out the Kickass attribute, as it is not something I normally do. It was different but the main difference this time was my interaction with characters. This was fine with me, because it makes the game more exciting to play again. However, each route still requires you to listen to the same song.

However, once I reached those songs, the music was vastly different. The music was completely different. I thought I would hear the same lyrics, maybe with a few changes in accompaniment. But I was surprised at how drastically songs could be changed. A few songs were unrecognisable. I was looking forward to a beautiful, sad song after my initial playthrough. But when I chose a different choice it became a rock tune. It was a great experience to hear these songs again. I’m glad that it improved my overall impression of the game. Discovering the differences is exciting, and I found that I really liked certain songs when I chose different lyrics.

It’s obvious that none of the songs or scenes are enjoyable if they weren’t performed by talented actors, and I am glad to say, this cast is very good. It was a great cast. I had high expectations because the credits were full of experienced voice actors. Troy Baker’s performance as Apollo is excellent, but I was also impressed by the supporting cast, especially Anjali Bhimi’s Medusa. Erika Ishii, Hermes and Rahul Kohli, Asterion, were all highlights. 

Laura Bailey is the star of the show. While she does a great job acting, I felt that her singing skills didn’t always match up with the lyrics. Grace slips into rap like cadences in certain songs. While she excels at singing and belting out more traditional Broadway songs, Grace is definitely not in her element when the music gets too fast. These moments were not up to the same standard as the rest of game. It is hard to tell if the problem was the lyricism or Bailey’s inability to adapt to the new style. Luckily, the game’s design allows you to pivot away from a part of a song you don’t like – just select a different color at the next decision path and hear a new style you might prefer.

One of my main complaints is that there are a few glitches which keep happening. The game has a tendency to begin a line of dialogue a fraction second after the word is spoken, causing a clipping sound. The most common example was Freddie, whose lines were also oddly louder or softer. In some cases, character models disappeared for a single line of dialogue. And at one stage during the second playthrough I was forced to start a conversation all over again with Pan, in a completely different place, after I finished my previous one. I hope these problems are resolved in the near future.

Although these bugs did affect my enjoyment, they were far from ruining it. Stray Gods has a lot of charm. Stray Gods is a great game.

See how Stray Gods was created in our Behind-the-Scenes look.