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Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

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Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Developer(s)Summerfall Studios
Publisher(s)Humble Games
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
Montaigne, Tripod
EngineUnreal Engine
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

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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.

Cast and characters

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Development and release

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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]

On June 27, 2024, Summerfall Studios released a DLC called Stray Gods: Orpheus. It features six additional songs by the original songwriters along with Tom Cardy.[11]

Reception

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Stray Gods has received generally positive critical reception. Critics praised the voice acting, art style, overall idea,[18][16][20] but were more mixed on its execution and the songs themselves.[16] 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][22]

Accolades

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It was an Honorable Mention for "Excellence in Audio" and "Excellence in Narrative" at the 2024 Independent Games Festival Awards,[23] and was an Honorable Mention for "Best Debut" at the 24th Game Developers Choice Awards.[24] The game was also nominated for "Game, Original Adventure", "Original Light Mix Score, New IP", "Performance in a Comedy, Supporting" with Janina Gavankar as Freddie, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Persephone, and Felicia Day as Athena, and "Song, Original or Adapted" with "Adrift", and won "Performance in a Comedy, Lead" with Laura Bailey as Grace, and "Writing in a Comedy" at the NAVGTR Awards.[25][26] It also won the award for "Best Music for an Indie Game", "Best New Original IP Audio", and "Best Original Song" at the 22nd Annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G) Awards, whereas its other nominations were for "Best Ensemble Cast Performance" and "Creative and Technical Achievement in Music".[27][28]

Year Award Category Result Ref(s).
2023 Australian Game Developer Awards Game Of The Year Won [29]
Golden Joystick Awards Best Audio Nominated [30]
2024 Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media Nominated [31][32]
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Video Game Nominated [33]
British Academy Games Awards Debut Game Nominated [34]
Games for Change Awards Best in Innovation Won [35][36]

References

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  1. ^ McClure, Deven (15 September 2022). "David Gaider & Liam Esler Interview: Stray Gods, A Roleplaying Musical". ScreenRant.
  2. ^ Brown, Fraser (11 October 2019). "Chorus is an interactive mythological musical from RPG veterans". PC Gamer.
  3. ^ @summerfallgames (17 March 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✨" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Williams, Leah J. (28 August 2022). "Stray Gods wouldn't exist without Buffy, and the Australian Government". GamesHub.
  5. ^ Andreadis, Kosta (11 October 2019). "Chorus is Part Musical and Part Adventure Game, with an All Star Cast". IGN.
  6. ^ Brosofsky, Ben (17 April 2023). "Stray Gods Myth & Music Event Previews A World of Possibilities". ScreenRant.
  7. ^ Romano, Sal (11 June 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical adds PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch versions". Gematsu. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (13 April 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical launches August 3". Gematsu.
  9. ^ Vitale, Adam (13 April 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical launches on August 3 for PC". RPGSite.
  10. ^ Jackson, Zach (13 April 2023). "Aussie-Made Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Is Hitting The Stage In August".
  11. ^ "Stray Gods: Orpheus adds six new songs, coming June 27 to all platforms". GodisaGeek.com. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (PC)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (PlayStation 5)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Xbox Series X)". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  15. ^ Perez, Cody (9 August 2023). "Review: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical". Destructoid. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Nightingale, Ed (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical review - Greek melodrama fails to reach lofty expectations". Eurogamer. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  17. ^ Harte, Charles (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review - Hades Meets Hadestown". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  18. ^ a b Ramée, Jordan (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical Review - Worthy Of An Encore". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  19. ^ Liao, Shannon (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review". IGN. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Wachter, Sam (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review". RPGamer. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  21. ^ Bowling, Audra (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Review". RPGFan. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  22. ^ a b Johnson, Odhran (9 August 2023). "Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical review - almost all the right notes". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Visai Games' 'Venba' Leads Finalists for the 2024 IGF Awards". Independent Games Festival. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  24. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (16 January 2024). "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 top GDC Award nominations". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Stray Gods, and Final Fantasy XVI top NAVGTR Award nominations". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Baldur's Gate III wins Game of the Year from NAVGTR®". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  27. ^ Brew, Caroline; Wu, Valerie (13 December 2023). "'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor' and 'Mortal Kombat 1' Among 2024 Game Audio Network Guild Awards Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  28. ^ Hutchinson, Sabrina (22 March 2024). "22nd G.A.N.G. Awards Nominees [sic] – Full List". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  29. ^ Smith, David (4 October 2023). "Australian Game Developer Awards 2023: The Complete List Of Winners". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  30. ^ Loveridge, Sam (10 November 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  31. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (15 November 2023). "Snubbed At The Game Awards, Stray Gods Gets Grammy Nomination". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  32. ^ Smith, David (10 November 2023). "Stray Gods, The Aussie-Made Musical RPG, Was Just Nominated For A Grammy". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  33. ^ "GLAAD Announces Nominees For The 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  34. ^ Hill, Mark Joseph (7 March 2024). "BAFTA Games Awards Nominees Announced". GameRant. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  35. ^ Kerr, Chris (29 May 2024). "Exclusive: Here are your 2024 Games for Change Awards finalists". Game Developer. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  36. ^ Kerr, Chris (28 June 2024). "Venba, Stray Gods, A Highland Song honored at 2024 Games for Change Awards". Game Developer. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
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