Stray Gods Turns a Fantasy RPG Into a Playable Musical

Soon after the curtains rise on Stray Gods, Calliope—you know, the Muse from Greek mythology—drops dead in your apartment. Not before she transferred her musical persuasion powers and inspiration to you.

Other members of Greek pantheon may suspect foul-play, even though Grace might see this as an Olympean miracle. She is trying to recruit a singer for a struggling band. The Greek pantheon has given you one week in which to prove that you are innocent or face their wrath.

This is the dramatic setup for Summerfall Studios’ brand-new interactive role-playing musical, which just launched today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The game is an innovative mix of story-driven RPGs with Broadway and urban fantasy. Stray GodsIt’s a musical and videogame for music lovers. Let’s shine a spotlight on how each aspect of this epic fits together.

The urban fantasy fanatics

Stray Gods takes place in a world where the Greek gods we all know—Apollo, Persephone, Hermes, Athena—live in hiding in our own modern-day world. These contemporary Idols are defined by the mythology we’re familiar with, but they’re also struggling with the complications of life as we know it today—and for many of them, the old stories were just the beginning of their personal drama. Apollo, God of Prophecy, struggles with how he’s dealt with thousands of years of visions. Persephone, Queen of the Underworld is no longer. She was cast out for killing her husband Hades.

Some characters may become your close friends. Others will become your enemies. Some might become lovers if romance is your thing. As you play, you’ll find yourself able to forge more serious relationships with Apollo or Persephone, as well as your mortal best friend Freddie and the delightful dubious (and ultra-stylish) Pan.

The role-player

Like your favorite RPGs where character and story take center stage, Stray Gods is driven by your choices and interactions—and if you’re familiar with the work of the game’s creative director David Gaider (lead writer of Dragon Age), that’s probably not a surprise twist.

Like many RPGs, Stray Gods’ narrative unfolds and relationships develop through branching dialogue options, as you choose whether to strong-arm, charm, or use your head to approach the game’s situations. Do notStray Gods is a RPG that includes interactive music and lyrics.

Grace’s defining decisions are characterized by a trio of traits that Summerfall calls Charming (color-coded green in-game), Kickass (appropriately red), and Clever (cool blue). When trait-based decisions turn up at key moments in Stray Gods’ songs, your choice can alter not just the character beats, but the tone, the tempo, and even the musical style of the tune.

Musical fans will love this!

To account for all of the narrative and tuneful possibilities, Music Director and BAFTA-winning composer Austin Wintory, alongside fellow song co-writers Tripod and Montaigne, were faced with the truly Herculean challenge of creating branching music, words, and melodies—and making those branches flow together seamlessly.

Depending on your Charming/Kickass/Clever decisions, a song might take a harder, punk-er, percussive turn, or drift into a more soulful and string-heavy arrangement. You can play through thousands of different song combinations.

The music is brought to life by a modern-day pantheon of voice talent—including Laura Bailey (Grace), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Persephone), Troy Baker (Apollo), Khary Payton (Pan), Janina Gavankar (Freddie), Felicia Day (Athena), Ashley Johnson (Calliope), Anthony Rapp (Orpheus), and more stars from across games, television, and Broadway.

Crafting Stray Gods, Summerfall Studios wanted to ensure as many people could enjoy the experience as possible—and part of that included building in accessibility options related to the music and more.

These options include subtitles and audio descriptions of the events, UI sizing options, control remapping, the ability to control the timing of songs’ progress, and more. You can read the full list of options and decide whether you want to use them. Stray Gods is the game for you, visit www.summerfallstudios.com/accessibility.

Check out Stray Gods The Roleplaying Musical — available today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Stray Gods The Roleplaying Musical

Humble Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

In a modern fantasy world, college dropout Grace is granted the power of a Muse – power she’ll need to find out the truth behind her predecessor’s death before time runs out. You’ll decide who Grace allies with, who she can trust, and who may betray her in this beautifully hand-illustrated roleplaying musical.

Written by David Gaider comes Stray Gods – an urban fantasy tale of finding your place, taking charge of your fate, and discovering answers. You can change both the end result and the route you choose to reach it.

This is a compelling tale of self-discovery and finding your own path.

Find Your Voice
Enjoy the adventure, romance, and music!

Charm, negotiate, or strong-arm your way through their world as Grace, playing through original, fully interactive musical numbers composed by Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory, Tripod (musicians Scott Edgar, Steven Gates, and Simon Hall) and Eurovision Australia’s own Montaigne (Jess Cerro). Fully orchestrated and performed by an all-star cast, you’ll feel as though you’re right there on the stage. With thousands of potential variations based on your choices, you’ll craft the soundtrack to your own one of a kind musical experience.

Get Answers
“Choice and consequence built from the DNA of RPGs – no two playthroughs are the same.

Discover the hidden worlds of Greek myths, monsters, and hilarious characters. Forget what you know about these mythological beings – in Stray Gods you’ll forge friendships and find foes with many familiar names, but not so familiar stories. As a stagehand and star, you will decide what story you wish to tell by using conversation and music.

Find Love
Find yourself, your friends, and love.

Make friends with both mortals and Gods. Stoke the fires of romance if you so choose – explore, pursue, and confess your love with four potential paramours. Choose who you are through each choice. David Gaider’s storytelling and characters come to life with performances by an all-star cast, with the likes of Laura Bailey, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and more cast members across video games, television, and Broadway to be revealed soon.

The Whole New World
Video game fans will enjoy a musical, while music lovers can play a game.

Stray Gods, with all of the drama and comedy of stage productions you love, is a clever and humorous reinterpretation of Greek mythology that combines what we like about musical theater and video games. Characters and stories take centre stage. Collaborating with some of the best in music, broadway, television, and games – Stray Gods is a debut not to be missed.”