I’ve always loved musicals. Not because I’m queer, although that certainly helps, but for my entire life I have adored how a mix of compelling characters and toe-tapping musical numbers can flow together to create a story worth caring about. How themes often seen as complex and nebulous can be tackled so easily with the right melody. It’s beautiful, and one part of musical theatre that Stray Gods more than understands. It embraces all it takes to be a musical theatre geek before thrusting us into a narrative that is emotional, riveting, and not once refuses to hold back its punches.
Grace is a young woman in her 20s going through a complicated time in her life. She is lost in almost every way such a word can be defined. With no career, no family, and no way to figure out which direction is right for her, she floats through life with her best friend Freddie hoping that something will come along to spark her inspiration. Until one day she happens to meet Calliope, the Greek Muse who turns up to audition for a local production as Grace sits in the stands. She sings her heart out with a foreboding melancholy as our heroine joins the fray and tries to figure out precisely what is wrong with this girl. Fast-forward a few hours and Calliope is bleeding to death in Grace’s arms, passing on her godly powers to a girl without the faintest idea what to do with them. What follows is a thrillingly catchy murder mystery.
From creative director David Gaider of Dragon Age fame and composer Austin Wintory who worked on Journey, it’s clear from the outset that Stray Gods wants to enrapture us with a narrative adventure that we haven’t seen before. As Grace adopts the power of a Muse she is able to turn what surrounds her into a plain dictated by song. Characters are aware they’re singing about their true desires, pouring their hearts out into the palm of Grace’s hand as she tries to convince larger than life gods like Apollo and Athena to see her point of view, to understand she isn’t the murderer of Calliope. This happens across the course of a week before a trial determines her unruly fate.
It’s a simplistic but enthralling take on the typical decision-making we see in similar games like The Walking Dead or Mass Effect, but at any time Grace’s eyes could glow a gorgeous gold and see the world plunged into song. In the opening hours you’ll be asked to pick from three natures which decide the inner workings of Grace’s character. ‘Charming’ capitalises on the importance of emotional honesty, ‘Kickass’ is all about not taking any shit and striving for what you want in life no matter who objects, while ‘Clever’ touches on logic and dictation, even in moments when more human elements might prevail. An early choice determines the dialogue options you can select in normal conversation, while each choice allows Grace free rein to change the tempo and intention of songs, depending on what actions she wishes to take. It’s a liberating idea, albeit inconsistent when certain songs chop and change so much and the audio mixing throughout is barbarously uneven. It can be hard on the ears at times.
You’ll solve centuries long sibling rivalries between Apollo and Persephone, help Asterion and Hecate fall in love with a charming ballad, or take down lofty leaders like Athena with songs that question the nature of what it means to be an ancient god in a modern world that for millennia has forgotten you exist. Stray Gods could have taken this ingenious concept of Greek gods in the present day and done very little with it beyond aesthetics, but consistently goes the extra mile and folds its thematic brilliance into individual lines of conversation and musical numbers which tie into the nature of individual identity and being left behind. It’s a touching tale which brought me to tears on more than one occasion, and I’d expect nothing less from a director like Gaider who evidently wanted to highlight a female perspective like this. Grace is a wonderful character, both thanks to her writing and a stunning performance from Laura Bailey.
Speaking of, the entire cast knocks it out of the park here. Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, Janina Gavankar, and Khary Payton are just a few of the fierce talents you’ll find in Stray Gods, all of which aren’t afraid to belt out a song or two if their situation calls for it. I fell in love with these characters, coming to understand each one’s plight, even as larger than life gods. Apollo is hampered by the power of his own internal prophecies, while Athena believes she must act as a guardian to the fallen idols she is watching over, even if it means making horrible decisions that get people she holds dear killed. If it’s in the service of progress, such a move is arguably justified if it keeps alive a tradition which is slowly fading away. Stray Gods is a story about ultimately letting go.
Hermes quickly became my favourite, a non-binary take on the character who had to watch the previous iteration of their godly powers commit suicide, taking on their identity in a move that acts as both an honour and a burden. Stray Gods depicts a world where its deities have only persisted for centuries because as each one perishes, their powers and memories are passed onto a willing successor. With time, everything they’ve experienced and all they’ve been through becomes a vice each one must carry forward with them. It’s heartbreaking in a way, and speaks to how it’s impossible to run away from the trauma that defines you, even if the easiest solution is to end your life and try and pass that responsibility onto another. Not once did I expect Stray Gods to ask these questions of me, but I was more than happy to provide thought-provoking answers that turned a fascinating concept into something special.
Stray Gods can be inconsistent in its musical numbers at times and presents a selection of irksome technical issues, but these foibles are trivial to overlook when Grace’s journey fires on all cylinders. It is marvelously written with a beating heart lined with poignancy, which at every turn expresses the joy, fear, and unpredictability of human life you can’t help but feel represented by. Much like Grace, I’m a lost, lost girl with little direction in life, but sometimes a game like this comes along and convinces me it’s only a matter of time until I’m found.
