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Summary
Players can now return to the enrapturing world ofStray Gods: The Roleplaying Musicalwith theOrpheusDLC. Developer Summerfall Studios - which was co-founded by formerDragon Agehead writer David Gaider - and publisher Humble Games first releasedStray Godslast summer to widespread critical praise for its unique interactive storytelling mechanics. This new addition is short but sweet, managing to capture a perspective completely different from original protagonist Grace in a fresh tone, while still feeling cohesive with everything that came before it.
One of the best things about this new DLC is that it gives intriguing characters who didn’t get much screen time in theoriginalStray Godsnew opportunities, particularly Hermes and Orpheus. After discovering a troubled Orpheus in the Underworld, Hermes uses their psychopomp powers to bring the singer back into the current-day world. WhileStray Godswas all about Grace feeling like a fish out of the water as a brand-new muse, this is almost the opposite scenario -now Orpheus must deal with the follies of mortal life after missing hundreds of years of societal progress in the Underworld.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Orpheus DLC
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a narrative-focused musical RPG where players take on the role of Grace, a woman framed for the murder of the last living Muse, Calliope. Players will embark on a musical adventure with an ensemble cast as they battle and sing their way toward innocence in the eyes of the musical gods known as the Chorus.
The Story Of Stray Gods: Orpheus
A Meaningful But More Lighthearted Journey
Just as in the base game, this DLC takes deep inspiration from Greek mythology while applying its own spin. The real mythological background of Orpheus paints the tale of a talented bard and foolhardy lover who, after rescuing the deceased Eurydice from the Underworld, doomed her a second time by looking back before the pair had fully reached the surface. Though the DLC doesn’t dive too deeply into it, it’s interesting to see snippets of how the world has progressed since the events ofStray Gods, after Orpheus was confronted in the Underworld by Grace and Persephone.
Hermes was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining Idols, andtheir upbeat attitude and silly sense of humor have much more room to shine when they serve as one of the driving forces of the plot rather than a comic relief amid deeply-troubled gods. Orpheus was only seen in a few scenes inStray Gods,but as a famous bard he makes perhaps the most apt replacement for Grace out of anyone in the cast. This game is much more of a comedy than its predecessor, while still managing to maintain an undercurrent of emotional depth.
One a very modernized, well-adjusted Idol living happily in society, and the other an antiquated pessimist who has spent hundreds of years mourning his lost love in the Underworld, Hermes and Orpheus serve as great foils for each other. Their conversations are consistently entertaining and endearing, and the writing is sharp enough that it never trods over the same comedic beats too many times - Orpheus is always finding new ways to be confounded by the world. The story follows the pair as they attempt to find new meaning for Orpheus' life, both in terms of romance and a higher calling.
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Stray Gods' Musical Mechanics
In-Game Choices Take On A Whole New Meaning
The baseline mechanics established in the originalStray Godsremains unchanged, functioning as a game of narrative choice through both conversation and song. During musical numbers, the choices players make will shift the composition -a more aggressive answer may bring in rock elements, while a pessimistic one may shift to a ballad. This means there are a myriad of different versions of the same song to experience, giving it a solid amount of replayability that far exceeds its initial run time of about two hours for those that wish to explore every possible option.
The actors behind the two main characters are incredibly talented, both reprising their roles from the original game. Orpheus is played by the Broadway star Anthony Rapp, known for his long-time role as Mark Cohen inRent, and he brings a fun blend of lightness and depth to his portrayal. Erika Ishii - who voices Valkyrie inOverwatch- provides the perfect upbeat comic relief and unwavering optimism, and both the two of them and the rest of the cast bring their all when it comes to each musical number.
It feels like composer Austin Wintory has gotten more comfortable with the overall malleable composition process since the initial release.
There are six new songs total, and they explore some fresh musical territory from the base game. It feels likecomposer Austin Wintoryhas gotten more comfortable with the overall malleable composition process since the initial release, getting a bit more experimental, as have the games' lyricists. There are still numbers that strike a chord and touch on topics like the intricacies of human connection and finding one’s place in the world, but also songs like one that takes place across several rounds of fairly disastrous speed dating, which players control through their choices of whom to speak with.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
4/5 - “Excellent” by Screen Rant’s Review Metrics
Most of the songs inStray Godshad very high stakes, andOrpheusplaces players in much sillier situations that wouldn’t have felt right in the original in a way that’s effortlessly engaging. It’s not meant to be a grand reentry into the universe that ties up a myriad of loose strings - it’s just a way players can get to know a few characters better and get several laughs along the way.Orpheuscertainly sets the game up for more installments in the future, which - considering the high quality of this continuation - is great news.
The original did feel like it offered a bit more player agency via things like a map interface and the initial choice of a personality trait for Grace, and the romantic conversation options don’t lead to anything nearly as fleshed out. However,Orpheusis about one-third the length and price of the original, making it a more-than-worthwhile pursuit for fans of the first installment, particularly considering the replay value.Orpheusis very much a different sort of story thanStray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, but it continues the stellar writing and musicality in a brilliant new way.
Screen Rantwas provided with aStray Gods: OrpheusSteam code for the purpose of this review.
