Faisal Ghaffar 
There have been some unique genre combinations seen in video games, but Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is certainly one-of-a-kind. The supernatural murder mystery musical is completely bonkers and that is what makes it so great. There are musical battles where you have to decide who will sign and how they express their emotions. The game comes with some wonderful art and the voice-acting is definitely top-notch that will keep you entertained.
The story
Laura Bailey, the Last of Us star, has voiced the character of college-dropout Grace, the character you will play. She ends up in the wrong place and at the wrong time, as she is falsely accused of murder. As it is a musical, every character needs to be able to sing and this is exactly what you will find.
The voice acting is exceptional, as there are others from The Last of Us, including Ashley Jonson, Merle Dandridge and Troy Baker. There are also some screen and stage stars like Anthony Rapp, Rahul Kohli and Felicia Day.
The interpretation
While the story is fantastical, the character interpretation is overly safe, which seems a tad underwhelming. They decided to explore Greek mythology, but did not introduce new sides to characters like Persephone, Pan and Athena. But, there are some surprises like Apollo is a lot moodier than how the God of the Sun is usually shown.
Nonetheless, they have stuck to the basics for the most part, which can be a bit disappointing. This could also be because the campaign does not take more than three hours. Therefore, they have had to sacrifice character development to accelerate the plot. You do meet characters at a party, or a bar and speak to them briefly, but the primary goal remains finding the murder suspect. There are only a few dialogue choices and these are also optional that you can skip and focus on the main goal.
The art
One thing that is absolutely wonderful about Stray Gods is that it has fantastic art. The characters are hand-drawn and they appear vivid and distinctive in terms of their bold fashion choices and lines. Several gods also have accessories like edgy piercings that add more personality and suits their voice performances and writing.
Likewise, the color schemes that have been used for backdrops, whether for a luxury apartment or a lair, are downright amazing.
The gameplay
Another good thing about the game is that its gameplay is accessible and simple, so much that it starts feeling like a TV special. You have to look for clues in different places and it is up to you to decide if you want to sneak past, interrogate, or charm some of the characters or obstacles you come across. There is also the option of violence, but you can also decide to be more subtle.
You also have the freedom to choose the dialogues for Grace and the choices are timed in tense song battles. Nonetheless, the stakes are low because if you do not make a choice, they will pick one for you.
The Verdict
The musical murder mystery presented in Stray Gods is undoubtedly worth a try, as the artistic choices, musical theater and the songs are definitely appealing.
