Stray Gods review: Buffy-inspired musical hits the right notes
If the concept of a story-driven adventure musical game sounds appealing to you, then look no further than Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical.
Inspired by musicals including Buffy the Vampire Slayer's iconic 'Once More, With Feeling' episode and Wicked, Summerfall Studios' title is a bold mash-up of ideas that makes so much sense to the point where we wondered why there hasn't been a musical game like this before.
Everything starts off fairly normal for college dropout Grace at the start of the game, as she spends the day sitting through auditions for her band.
But her night takes a dramatic turn when she not only learns that Greek gods exist, but also finds herself accused of murdering one. She has seven days to clear her name in front of Athena – and she has to use the power of song to find the truth.
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It turns out that Grace has inherited the dead Calliope's muse powers, and it's through musical numbers during pivotal conversations and confrontations that Grace can coax the various gods that she meets – including Persephone, Apollo, and Aphrodite – to open up about their feelings.
Indeed, there is a clear connection with 'Once More, With Feeling' in more ways than one.
Stray Gods doesn't shy away from its inspirations. Music is a core part of the storytelling – the story simply wouldn't have worked without it – and the way that, through player choice, Grace can steer the song's direction is a genius bit of narrative design.
Tying into Grace's powers as a muse, you as Grace can set the tone and in doing so the lyrics, melodies, and arrangements change, significantly altering the dynamic and context of the scene. Player choice is usually restricted to three options at a time, more often than not representing one of three personality types.
Refusing to step down during a heated confrontation may see Grace, in one song, unloading a rap or belting out with a choir as back-up, while being more sympathetic might slow the tempo down and open up for harmonies.
There are 23 different songs in total (though you won't see them all in one playthrough, such is the nature of choice-based games), and these range from love songs and ballads to rock and song battles.
Laura Bailey delivers a strong performance as Grace, and is backed by an impressive cast that includes The Last of Us stars Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, Rahul Kohli, The Walking Dead's Khary Payton, and Felicia Day. The stars' voices help to bring their individual characters to life, particularly during the musical moments.
There is rarely a dull moment as Grace moves from location to location to investigate the murder and interrogate suspects, while learning about the gods and their history in the process.
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It's just a shame that there is some wasted potential in the storytelling. Despite some emotional moments and tricky decisions to make, the narrative plays out in a relatively straightforward way.
The murder mystery tries to keep you guessing but isn't particularly deep, and the supporting plotlines, characters, and world-building – while strong and often featuring more intrigue than the main story – don't quite elevate the overall story enough to a level where it sticks with you long after the game is over.
The first moments of the game also set up Grace's inner feelings, but there is a lack of a follow-through.
As Grace sings and then shares with Calliope, we learn that she feels adrift and without a sense of belonging. She doesn't know what her place is in life. Grace's life changes later that night when she becomes a god, but how this life-changing moment affects Grace's outlook isn't really explored afterwards, at least to a satisfying extent.
However, none of that takes away from the game being entertaining from the title screen right up to the end credits. The novelty of the idea carries it a long way, but the execution is also polished.
To further emphasise the ambition behind it all, the studio is releasing four different soundtracks for the game's launch, each representing the different paths that you can take.
There isn't really anything like Stray Gods out there right now, and while it falls short of hitting the highs of some of the musicals that served as inspiration for the game, its narrative design and the unique way in which player choice affects the story make for a refreshing and enjoyable ride.
Platform reviewed on: PC
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is out on August 10, 2023 for PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
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