A CYOA musical! I was excited to give this a shot, it seems ambitious and I've heard good things about it. Alleson and I played the first half in March 2025.
I like musicals, and many of the ones I like move along at a stunning pace such that you miss things and pick up lyrics through repeat listening. (Think Gilbert and Sullivan, Sondheim, Miranda.) Stray Gods, at least in its first half, is downright sluggish by comparison - and I think this is intentional, because (a) they really want you to understand all the lyrics, so you can follow the plot and make informed decisions, and (b) the timed decisions during songs are nearly overwhelming even at this speed - you are listening to a lyric while reading multiple on-screen choices for an upcoming beat. It's remarkable that it works at all. As a lover of musicals I want it to pick up the pace, but it would definitely make the work less accessible.
That said, the choice design is very good, with very brief choice text you can scan quickly that seems to lead to an appropriate outcome.
The absolute highlight so far for me is the end of the early song with Fred and Pan, the only really polyphonic bit I've encountered with that pace and density I want. It's no Sweeney Todd but it felt like it demanded something of me as a listener.
By the way, Pan is my favorite vocal performance so far. Perfectly devious and charming – too good to trust.
The whole thing is headier that I expected. There's a fairly large cast and some great world building going on. That's the other reason the game drags a bit - between songs they are pushing some pretty dense ideas about mythology, reincarnation, relationships and trauma. I didn't expect that! It's welcome, but at the same time there are some lore-dump segments affecting the pace. You've gotta be in the mood for that.
Excellent character designs. The animatic presentation can be a little distracting.