One of the coolest things about my career right now is that I get to frequently collaborate with Austin Wintory, a man whose talent is matched only by his generosity of spirit. It is always a joy and excitement when he sends me an email with work, and this was no exception.
Stray Gods was released a few weeks ago, and I had the honor of contributing Additional String Arrangements to this behemoth. For those of you unaware, Stray Gods is a Roleplaying Musical – possibly the first ever created in the sense that it’s not just a musical on rails, but a game in which you can make choices mid-song and consequently change the song, altering everything from the tone of it, to potentially the hook itself and even plotlines and setlists down the road. This resulted in a game that you could literally never see the same story and set of songs unfold twice in one lifetime, even if you were to play all day every day.
So naturally, this was a monumental task, and one Austin could not complete without help. He assembled a massive team to contribute more than usual because there was so much to do. As a result, I got to do more than just part-making for sessions or arranging for concerts: this was my first video game credit in which I actually have a creative role! He trusted me enough to have creative input on one of his big-time games, and that feels good.
I contributed a total of six string arrangements to Stray Gods, and I’ll go through each of them because they were so fun to be a part of. Spoilers ahead!
The Ritual
This is probably my favorite song of the lot that I worked on, and the entire branch of it isn’t even heard unless you hit the green option at the very beginning! It’s a very somber affair, with one of the immortal gods undertaking ritual suicide to try and avoid the pain of past horrors. In this branch, you take the comforting approach, empathizing with the suffering she has endured. It’s hauntingly beautiful and such a chillingly light touch. This was one of the ones where I was initially given strict parameters of what Austin wanted out of the string accompaniment, but as the song goes on there are more branches, featuring more variations in the song. Here is where he let me experiemnt a bit. What you hear below is still only a fraction of the options available after the first branch.
The Throne
This was fun because it’s the polar opposite of the last one and provided a nice contrast: here he wanted the strings to be ready for battle. Here we have three competing characters with different goals, all convinced they are right and that the others are wrong. This vibe is more rock, more badass, and it was fun to throw in some staccato energy, fun rhythms and extended techniques.
However, the most fun came on the very last variation of the last choice, because I had actually misread his instructions! He wanted more staccato aggression there, but I was so under the gun I straight forgot about that as I was ploughing through and ended up turning in what you here here at the end, with this sort of echoing figure taken from what was already in the vocal lines and accompaniment. I turned it in, making it clear I can redo it no problem. Instead he liked it, it gave him a new vantage point for that branch and he re-did the entire accompaniment around it!
It's Time
Another that has a special place in my heart, this was the first one he gave me. There’s a moment here that gets me every time, and did even when there was only the vocals and a piano accompaniment. You essentially have to make the choice to either give up your godhood to save your best friend who sacrificed herself for you mere hours before, or to let her go and move on. I can’t overstate how incredible this cast is. It was just an absolute honor to have touched any of this at all.
Let's Have This Dance Reprise
The other thre tracks were all reprises of the romance options. I loved all three of these, but Pan’s was my favorite because it’s so full of character. This guy lives life to his fullest, every moment is an adventure. And that’s kind of what the arrangement is like, too, heh.
I initially put in more portamento, but Austin steered me away from that because he ended up using a lot in Apollo’s song “Phantom Pains,” which incedentally is probably my favorite musical number in this game.
Oh, one other thing about this one: I actually ended up writing those harmonics more straight than they appeared. He ended up changing it so they didn’t quite happen together in a very tonal way. Super cool last-minute change that made way more sense! Dunno if he did that at the session or after the fact, I’ll have to ask him about that.
If Only Reprise
I really loved this one. Freddy is such a joy in this story, and it is such a gut-punch when she sacrifices herself to save you from the furies. I must admit, she was my first romance choice on my first playthrough. And this song is so adorable and so pure. This was pretty straight ahead, I knew it needed a light touch and that’s what I gave it.
If Only Reprise
This song grew on me as I worked on it, to the point at which it might be my favorite. It’s just so poigniant, particularly for someone who struggles with some of the same things Apollo does – mainly, how to find the courage to be joyful even in the face of hardship and darkness.
This one was pretty straight ahead too, but I did throw in a nice, lush suspension in the second chorus.
I couldn’t have asked for a cooler project to work on as my first non-music-prep credit in a video game. This thing is so moving, with such good music and performances, and it’s such a first! I consider myself in for an irreplaceable, incredible experience every time Austin calls me, and this doesn’t dissapoint.
Oh, and one other nice little easter egg: there is a portion of “The Ritual” I arranged for that even made it onto the release date trailer at the end! Check it out!