Stray Gods: The Role Playing Musical, or just Stray Gods, is an interactive musical game, as its name suggests. Summerfall Studios developed it, the first game for this Australian studio.

You play as Grace, a leather jacket- and boot-wearing directionless 20-something. After sitting through uninspiring auditions for a new band member, Calliope happens by. The muse from Greek mythology inspires Grace, weaving the words from her mournful song into hope.

Later that evening, a wounded Calliope bursts into Grace’s apartment. She dies in Grace’s arms, gifting Grace her powers and catapulting Grace on an adventure to clear her name.

Mechanically, Stray Gods is similar to point-and-click dialog games. However, this mechanic extends to songs, where the player’s choice determines the subsequent words and music sung. This design alone puts Stray Gods in almost unique territory.

Some dialog and most song choices are associated with one of three traits: caring (green), kick-ass (red) or clever (blue). You select one at the start and another when you max it out. Choices accumulate. Some options may only be available with a sufficiently high score in its trait. 

A musical lives and dies by the quality of its music. Thankfully, Stray Gods’ music is excellent. One would have expected no less from Austin Wintory with help from Tripod and Montaigne.

“Adrift”, the first song, is probably the best. It sets the game’s moody, elemental tone. Its waltz-like triple time gives the feel of constant motion or bobbing, reinforcing Grace’s relatable malaise. 

“Old Wounds”, another memorable song, is an argument between Persephone and Apollo. Its chorus is a welcome respite between the angry words, and the verses tear open millennia-old wounds. It is almost uncomfortable to hear. It reinforces how the Idols are divided, self-righteous and entrenched.

However, Stray Gods also surprised me with its writing and voice acting. Its story is deceptively deep and intelligent, reminding me of the musical Wicked. Instead of subverting The Wizard of Oz, Stray Gods reinterprets the Greek gods and how they would function in modern society. 

It is not just Grace who is adrift. For example, burdened by history and the guilt of his prophecies, Apollo has receded into himself. He has become a meek, softly spoken shadow, whispering most of his lines. He is the opposite of what a sun god should be.

Persephone embodies rage and resentment, often depicted with her back to Grace or the world. Every word seethes and resents her injustices, like losing her underworld.

Pan is more faithful to himself, revelling in chaos and mischief. He copes by living in the moment and seeking advantage where he can.

The game’s writers also showed love and attention to detail. I spent twenty minutes chatting with Apollo as he mournfully whispered the Idols’ history and current challenges. There is also a bit of humour, such as with Apollo’s or Hecate’s unease with modern technology.

The art style is dreamlike and stylised. The main characters are cell-shaded, with minimal animations between poses. The backgrounds vary. Some are detailed. Some, like Calliope’s apartment, are merely pencil lines over patches of colour.

My criticisms of Stray Gods’ are few. Despite a patch intended to fix this, the sometimes inconsistent dialog volume can be jarring or make some lines hard to hear.

Stay Gods also has superficial libertarian or “woke” undertones. Some romance options are same-sex. It hints strongly that one idol is transgender. Some characters have piercings and tattoos. None of this should matter. However, some will read too much into it.

If you like musicals, Greek gods, murder mysteries and a bit of romance, Stray Gods has you covered. It is short and sweet at about six hours. However, multiple playthroughs are required to see all possible outcomes and get all achievements.