OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Stray Gods is a poetic musical narrative journey full of characters from Greek mythology with a modern twist. There are emotions and feelings that can only be conveyed through song and Stray Gods does this in a beautiful way. You are almost immediately thrown into this world with a mystery to resolve. An all star voice cast brings to life these characters with charm and intrigue. Songs are intertwined into the narrative in a choice based battle that reveals different pathways depending on what you choose. There’s a strong focus on getting to know the characters that inhabit this world with some surprising topics along the way. This game plays more like a visual novel or an episode of a TV series and may appeal to those that enjoy other choice based narrative games, such as those from Telltale Games.
GAMEPLAY:
The game overall plays like a choice based visual novel. You’ll mostly be watching cutscenes of character interactions mixed with dialogue choices and musical numbers. Hence, those that connect with the characters, music and visual style will enjoy this title the most. Scenes are displayed in frames like a comic book instead of in full animation. There are some very basic exploration scenes but the majority of the time you’ll be watching cutscenes.
STORY & MUSIC:
The main protagonist is Grace, a musician, that finds themselves at the center of a murder mystery in the hidden world of Greek gods. One of the strongest aspects of the game is the voice cast and focus on characters that works to pull you into this world. By utilizing the Greek gods, many players will be familiar with certain gods but the modern setting gives characters a unique flavor to their design and personalities. The Greek gods exist in the world but have done so mostly under the radar. As Grace, you must navigate this newly revealed world to solve the mystery at hand.
Musical numbers are interwoven into the narrative to allow the player choices in how the song plays out with impacts to the overall story. There’s quite a lot of songs here and many of them are quite well done and match the over arching story. Making different choices also feels impactful and allows the player to select choices that reflect the various paths they want to explore. Many of the songs are quite beautiful and poetic allowing the player to just sit back and enjoy the performance.
ART & CHARACTER DESIGN:
The overall art style is reflective of a modern comic book. Placing the narrative in a contemporary setting allows the game to showcase a modern take on many of the Greek gods that we have all come to know. One of the strongest aspects of the game is the focus on the characters themselves. Combined with the stellar voice cast and these Greek gods are dripping with style, charisma and intrigue motivating the player to get to know them in this new setting.
CHALLENGES:
The overall package of the choice based narrative and musical journey is well done. However, its overall lasting impression is one that is competent and fun with moments of brilliance but doesn’t have the same feeling of execution as other similar titles in the genre. Part of this is that although so many characters and side stories are explored we don’t have the same moments of shock, awe or drama as other similar games in this space. In connection with this, since there are quite a few characters, some elements of the plot and/or side stories don’t get enough time to be fully developed. In addition, although most songs are well executed and match the narrative, there are others that can seem a bit wordy as the songs aren’t just musical numbers but devices that also push the story forward. None of theses aspects are deal breakers and much of this commentary is personal preference.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Stray Gods is a narrative musical murder mystery journey. An outstanding voice cast and focus on characters brings this story to life. Songs are both beautiful and poetic with moments of sheer brilliance that in many ways can only be conveyed through music. This feels more like an interactive TV show. Players that enjoy choice based narratives and musicals should place this title on their list of potential games to check out.
THANKS:
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: Windows, PS4/5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
RELEASE: 2023
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Summerfall Studios/Humble Games
GENRE/TAGS: Musical, Choice based narrative, Visual novel
TARGET AUDIENCE: Those that enjoy a narrative focused choice based game and musicals.
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