Software:Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

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Short description: 2023 video game
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Stray Gods The Roleplaying Musical cover.jpg
Developer(s)Summerfall Studios
Publisher(s)Humble Games
Writer(s)
  • David Gaider
Composer(s)
  • Austin Wintory
Montaigne, Tripod
Platform(s)
Release
  • August 10, 2023
Genre(s)Roleplaying, musical, narrative adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a roleplaying musical adventure game developed by Summerfall Studios and published by Humble Games. The game was released on August 10, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Synopsis

In Stray Gods, players assume the role of Grace, a college dropout who finds herself accused of murdering the last muse. Grace must prove her innocence to a pantheon of Greek gods, consisting of Athena, Apollo, Persephone, and Aphrodite, all within seven days. She must learn to wield her newly developed powers of music to find out the truth behind Calliope’s death.[1] Players select dialogue choices, which change the lyrics, musical style, and even outcome of the songs.

Development and release

Stray Gods is developed by Melbourne, Australia -based developer Summerfall Studios. It is written by founder David Gaider, formerly of BioWare, and scored by Austin Wintory, composer of Journey. The songs were co-written by Wintory with singer Montaigne and the Australian musical trio Tripod. Stray Gods uses 2D hand-illustrated visuals, featuring comic book-style aesthetics with stylized character design.

Originally named Chorus: An Adventure Musical, the game had successfully crowdfunded on Fig.co in 2019, after it was announced at PAX AUS in an opening keynote by David Gaider.[2] The name change was announced on March 18, 2022, as well as Summerfall Studios’ partnership with Humble Games for Stray Gods.[3]

Chiefly inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode "Once More, With Feeling", the developers of Stray Gods wanted to make a video game that combines hallmarks of musical theatre with interactive storytelling.[4]

The game includes branching narrative paths, where player choice will not only determine the story and tone of the dialogue spoken, but also the melodies, lyrics, and styles of music that Grace sings.[5] According to Austin Wintory, the "combinatorial potential of the songs" in Stray Gods is so large that it is virtually impossible for anyone to have the same playthrough twice.[6] In June 2023, Summerfall and Humble announced that the game will also be available on all major home consoles alongside its Steam release in August.[7]

On April 12, 2023, Summerfall Studios and Humble Games unveiled the cast of Stray Gods in a live event at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles .[8] Titled Myth & Music, the one-hour event was hosted by Troy Baker and livestreamed on Critical Role's Twitch channel. With live performances by Laura Bailey, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, and Ashley Johnson, Myth & Music also included various Q&As which revealed the casting of Felicia Day, Rahul Kohli, Anjali Bhimani, and Janina Gavankar.[9] The full cast list was revealed at the event.[10]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPC: 74/100[11]
PS5: 74/100[12]
XBX: 79/100[13]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid7.5/10[17]
Eurogamer3/5[19]
Game Informer8.25/10[16]
GameSpot9/10[15]
IGN7/10[18]
RPGamer4/5[21]
VideoGamer.com7/10[20]

Stray Gods has received generally positive critical reception. Critics praised the voice acting, art style, overall idea,[15][19][21] but were more mixed on its execution and the songs themselves.[19] Some critics also found the audio mixing to be subpar and felt that some of the singing was not satisfactory in comparison with the voice acting.[20][21] At the IGEA Australian Game Developer Awards 2023, Stray Gods won Game Of The Year.[22] Stray Gods was nominated for "Best Audio" in the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards.[23] Stray Gods was nominated for "Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media" in the Grammy Awards.[24][25] It was an Honorable Mention for "Excellence in Audio" and "Excellence in Narrative" at the 2024 Independent Games Festival Awards,[26] and was an Honorable Mention for "Best Debut" at the 24th Game Developers Choice Awards.[27] It was also nominated for "Game, Original Adventure", "Original Light Mix Score, New IP", "Performance in a Comedy, Lead" with Laura Bailey as Grace, "Performance in a Comedy, Supporting" with Janina Gavankar as Freddie, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Persephone, and Felicia Day as Athena, "Song, Original or Adapted" with "Adrift", and "Writing in a Comedy" at the NAVGTR Awards.[28]

References

  1. ↑ McClure, Deven (15 September 2022). "David Gaider & Liam Esler Interview: Stray Gods, A Roleplaying Musical". https://screenrant.com/david-gaider-liam-esler-interview/. 
  2. ↑ "Chorus is an interactive mythological musical from RPG veterans". 11 October 2019. https://www.pcgamer.com/chorus-is-an-interactive-mythological-musical-from-rpg-veterans/. 
  3. ↑ @summerfallgames (March 17, 2022). "We are so pleased to announce a partnership with @PlayHumbleGames and a brand new name for our debut title. Introducing...✨STRAY GODS: The Roleplaying Musical✨". https://twitter.com/summerfallgames/status/1504474321368268805. 
  4. ↑ Williams, Leah J. (28 August 2022). "Stray Gods wouldn't exist without Buffy, and the Australian Government". https://www.gameshub.com/news/features/stray-gods-musical-development-funding-release-27798/. 
  5. ↑ Andreadis, Kosta (11 October 2019). "Chorus is Part Musical and Part Adventure Game, with an All Star Cast". https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/11/chorus-is-part-musical-and-part-adventure-game-with-an-all-star-cast. 
  6. ↑ Brosofsky, Ben (17 April 2023). "Stray Gods Myth & Music Event Previews A World of Possibilities". https://screenrant.com/stray-gods-myth-music-preview-event/. 
  7. ↑ Romano, Sal (June 11, 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical adds PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch versions". https://www.gematsu.com/2023/06/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-adds-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-versions. 
  8. ↑ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical launches August 3". 13 April 2023. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/04/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-launches-august-3. 
  9. ↑ Vitale, Adam. "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical launches on August 3 for PC | RPG Site". https://www.rpgsite.net/news/14040-stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-launches-on-august-3-for-pc. 
  10. ↑ Jackson, Zach (13 April 2023). "Aussie-Made Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Is Hitting The Stage In August". https://www.well-played.com.au/aussie-made-stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-is-hitting-the-stage-in-august/. 
  11. ↑ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical" (in en). Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  12. ↑ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical" (in en). Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5. 
  13. ↑ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical" (in en). Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x. 
  14. ↑ Bowling, Audra (2023-08-09). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review | RPGFan" (in en-US). https://www.rpgfan.com/review/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Ramée, Jordan (August 9, 2023). "Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical Review - Worthy Of An Encore" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/stray-gods-a-roleplaying-musical-review-worthy-of-an-encore/1900-6418099/. 
  16. ↑ Harte, Charles (August 9, 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review - Hades Meets Hadestown" (in en). Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/review/stray-gods-the-role-playing-musical/hades-meets-hadestown. Retrieved 2023-08-13. 
  17. ↑ "Review: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical" (in en-US). https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical/. 
  18. ↑ Liao, Shannon (2023-08-09). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-review. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Nightingale, Ed (2023-08-09). "Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical review - Greek melodrama fails to reach lofty expectations" (in en). Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/stray-gods-a-roleplaying-musical-review-greek-melodrama-fails-to-reach-lofty-expectations. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Johnson, Odhran (2023-08-09). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical review - almost all the right notes" (in en-US). https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-review/. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Wachter, Sam (2023-08-09). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review" (in en-US). https://rpgamer.com/review/stray-gods-the-roleplaying-musical-review/. 
  22. ↑ Smith, David (2023-10-04). "Australian Game Developer Awards 2023: The Complete List Of Winners" (in en-AU). https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/10/australian-game-developer-awards-2023-the-complete-list-of-winners/. 
  23. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (2023-11-10). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2023-winners/. 
  24. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (November 15, 2023). "Snubbed At The Game Awards, Stray Gods Gets Grammy Nomination" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/snubbed-at-the-game-awards-stray-gods-gets-grammy-nomination/1100-6519187/. 
  25. ↑ Smith, David (2023-11-10). "Stray Gods, The Aussie-Made Musical RPG, Was Just Nominated For A Grammy" (in en-AU). https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/11/stray-gods-the-aussie-made-musical-rpg-was-just-nominated-for-a-grammy/. 
  26. ↑ "Visai Games' 'Venba' Leads Finalists for the 2024 IGF Awards". 2024-01-11. https://igf.com/article/visai-games-venba-leads-finalists-2024-igf-awards. Retrieved 2024-01-31. 
  27. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (2024-01-16). "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 top GDC Award nominations". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-baldurs-gate-3-top-gdc-award-nominations. 
  28. ↑ "Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Stray Gods, and Final Fantasy XVI top NAVGTR Award nominations". 2024-01-30. https://navgtr.org/2023-nominees-topped-by-spider-man-2-stray-gods-ffxvi/. 

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