Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Reviews
This role-player in which you have to solve the murder of a Muse by battling Gods through song presents a new form of storytelling and all the charm of the Buffy musical episode
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.
One playthrough of Stray Gods takes about five hours, but one of the most impressive things about the game is its immense replayability. Different dialogue choices coupled with the huge amount of musical permutations mean that no two runs are the same, and it's hard to resist going back for more even after the mystery is solved. The title certainly isn't for everyone - those who completely abhor anything even adjacent to musical theater are certainly not the target audience. However, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical presents an engaging story and song mechanics that feel beautifully personal, making it worth looking into even for players who don't consider themselves musical lovers.
Part murder mystery, part visual novel, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is an audacious experiment. Happily, it pays off in a unique video game experience. There aren’t many games that use songs in a theatrical way. Being able to direct the flow of the music in real time is exciting and engaging. Pacing issues aside, it’s a concept that’s definitely worthy of continued development. I hope Wintory and Gaider continue to iterate on this new IP.
The story twists and turns, and the company Grace keeps over time is a joy to spend a few hours with. Given that Stray Gods is the child of some of the folks behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Dragon Age series, the game’s strengths shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s hard not to be disappointed at how much it fails to teach the old gods some new tricks.
Stray Gods is worthwhile for all fans of good story, multi-layered characters and, of course, musicals. Only the RPG aspects are neglected.
Review in German | Read full review
Stray Gods is an interesting and mostly successful experiment in creating a new gaming genre, one that I am ultimately hoping leads to more refined experiences in the future. Despite a few grievances, I enjoyed my time unraveling Calliope's death and diving into the lives of these diverse Idols, all while tapping my feet along to some well-constructed songs.
While Stray Gods is subtitled The "Roleplaying" Musical, it plays much more akin to a visual novel or adventure game than what one might call an RPG, though the musical part still applies. The music is especially fun and some tracks definitely would have a place in theatre.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is an incredibly memorable visual novel boasting an amusing interactive musical experience.
Stray Gods is truly a mixed bag, full of strong actors, average singers, clever storytelling and weak songs. There are points of brilliance mixed with cringe-worthy presentations, making this one hard to recommend because of its inconsistencies. If you’re itching to play regardless, I’d strongly suggest those players pick it up on either PC or Switch because of the one-two punch of visual and interface issues. I can certainly vouch for the issues plaguing the Xbox version, and I’d wager the PlayStation version would be similar.
Stray Gods felt like it was made for me. If you love musicals in the rock opera genre, then dive in immediately as there is a story full of emotion and fantastic music waiting for you.
Stray Gods from developer Summerfall Studios and publisher Humble Games is a beautiful and engaging musical branching narrative game that succeeds in delivering a powerful story with compelling characters. While not every song in the game is gold, the music that accompanies the gameplay mixes well and makes for one of the more entertaining gaming experiences of 2023.
Stray Gods might be a well-written, narrative-driven murder mystery that drags us to Olympus and back again, but it fails to deliver anything remotely close to an earworm after hours of forgettable melodies. Though Bailey and Baker do enough to earn their flowers, the production itself does little to land Stray Gods a place among the musical pantheon.
A wonderfully peculiar blend of visual novel, choice-driven RPG, and off-Broadway musical, Stray Gods embraces the theatrical duality of comedy and tragedy and wraps it into a narrative experience that can be at once gut-wrenching and cheeky. Through some excellently written and performed dialogue, incredible audio production, and effective use of player choice, it provides an intimate and personal music theatre experience. While its semi-animated visual style and simplified gameplay may prove off-putting for some, Stray Gods is a unique and compelling love letter to the theatre kid inside us all.
Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical offers an enjoyable murder mystery visual novel musical.
Be part of a musical and use your powers to direct the course of events.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a must-play for visual novel lovers, thanks to an engaging story, a rich cast of characters and a compelling original soundtrack.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical has a sharp eye for aesthetics and a kind heart but its ambitious concept buckles under uneven implementation and a lacklustre sound.
It’s a shame that the songs in Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical didn’t have quite the impact on us that we hoped, but it might not be the case for everyone. Still, while we won’t be rushing to listen to its soundtrack on any streaming platforms, we’ve very much enjoyed our time with the game, and we’ll no doubt be returning to it for another playthrough or two in the future.
One of the best RPGs of this year. Stray Gods is an experience not to be missed for lovers of music and mythology.
Review in Turkish | Read full review