Challenging a Queen (4 versions!) - Stray Gods - As Noted

[@AlexMoukalaMusic]

What an honour it was to play bass on this one! And an interesting challenge also, I definitely evolved into a better bass player through the process. Cheers for that, my friend!

[@DallasCrane]

The moment your bass enters on the red path is my favorite 🤘🔥🎸

[@awintory]

SO very happy you made such a big stamp on this game!!

[@mrksimka1159]

A little confession from me. I loved this song so much during my first play through. And then just started reloading save to just screw around and see if I can actually ruin the flow by picking completely different options each times. After I dissected this song I know that this four versions are not everything you can see or hear there (my guess the number of versions can become double digits) and you actually can't ruin it, the lyrical and musical bridges after any choice makes it cohesive and end up feeling whole. Keep in mind it basically have 4 music genres in one if understand correctly. The amount of writing and singers work. I tip my hat to you people Edit: huh interesting so you call the conversion parts “choke points” I called them rails to my friend when explaining because it always feels that the other singer tries to bring you back on track during this parts.

[@JoeFilms5420]

When the new "As Noted" is 22 minutes long, you KNOW you're in for a treat!

[@JackMonaghanMusic]

I believe this is what the kids call: a banger! Favorite song in the game, hands-down.

[@azasial]

I really hope you get around to the Ritual! The different layers of the colored choices are so amazing, especially the green path with a red ending

[@BoonetheAgentsofHAILCreator]

Very great combo of an orchestra and jazz band! Pure Disney style.

[@stevenwahlmusic]

This is just incredible! The complexity of organizing the music for this game must have been mind crushing

[@rockestee]

Very beautifully done. I Love the harp in the green version, one brilliant example of absolutely amazing use of orchestral voicings. This is quite the achievement ! Congratulations. 🎉The score and game are wonderful.

[@annrichard8366]

Harpsona is the artist playing the harp, the musicians on this recording are truly something special.

[@LazzyVamples]

This was my favorite song from the game, so it was really fun and interesting to see this breakdown of it!

[@alecatmew]

These songs are amazing. I came in with tempered expectations for how well the game would execute on its concept and I've been continually blown away more and more as I do additional runs. And the actual density of songs throughout the game far exceeded my expectations. I'd love for the song trees to reveal themselves in a menu in the game somehow, so that as I complete each playthrough I can see the paths I've taken before and get a sense for what else might exist that I've missed out on. I know some reviews have mentioned that they wish for more "earworms" to come out of playing the game, and after my first playthrough I had thought that too. Perhaps I'd been overwhelmed by how much music there was, and didn't yet know how to navigate the masterpiece I'd been embedded in. But after two or three runs I started recognising the familiar hooks. Even here in the green path I feel Apollo's Phantom Pains sneaking in. I've been humming them since for sure! My favourite callbacks are in the final song, it feels almost like I've picked up the specific powerups during the run to use in that number. Congratulations to everyone involved in this brilliant game.

[@rudeboyspodcast]

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is an actual queen. Been loving her voice since the early 2000's!

[@LazzyVamples]

First heard her as Pisha in Bloodlines. She plays a great cannibalistic vampire.

[@SFiRebel]

I've seen her on Critical Role before, but holy shit, that singing voice! Such a revelation ❤

[@SFiRebel]

Wow, I've listened to all versions of this song many times and didn't realize how the colors blend together, so cool!

[@trba_biko]

Woo 🫡 🌻 ❤ Excited to play this game someday!

[@ArcF2]

❤ My favorite Stray Gods song, the bass lines are so good.🎵 👏 Bravo on this technical-music marvel of a game, Austin and team. The character arc for me started at Blue peaked on Red and ended on Green. 🙌🖖🎉❤ All the emotions 🥰

[@MultiWar22]

When I played it, I got the "secret" charming ending, and I had *no idea* that it was available only for players that had chosen Charming as the core trait. That's so awesome. Also, the violin in the start of the song is just so good. The intermingling of the instruments, motifs and undertones of the different choices is absolutely incredible, too, holy shit, I love it Unrelated, but do you know if there are any plans for letting us export the songs in the versions we played them? I like the 4 different OSTs, but it'd be cool if we could listen casually to the versions we decided for the songs. I have no idea how viable this is, so I get if it's just not a thing that could be done for any reason whatsoever, but I thought it was a nice idea

[@richardmaia8732]

I need the Game RIGHT NOW

[@lesbiannoyed]

you really do

[@ethanhaynes7406]

It's so hard for me to pick a favorite song out of the soundtrack but the red version of challenging the queen is definitely a contender!

[@Munster_Pixrat]

Tldr: I love this dang game and its forever in my head The songs in this game are so good honestly this is one of the ones thats grown on me (so time to learn it on piano) cause in my first play through i only actually liked 2-3 song’s total cause my color combos were wacky but they all grew on me eventually especially the red tracks learned almost all the words in red for like 3-4 songs by now and the characters just ah spent way to much fangirling like freddie did and cant even begin to discuss the theories i made with a friend hour 1 of playing the game anyway thats enough of my little rant pretty much in summary i love this damn amazing game

[@wojciechjankowski9549]

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's performance throughout the whole game and all variants is very distinctive and just marvelous - perfectly depicting - or rather "creating" - the Persephone's character 👌 For this song in particular I love all the "funky" moments, when my body starts to swing automatically 😃 And from them, so far my absolutely favourite one is near the end of the song, when Grace raps on top of the choir (not shown here, but for instance during the "Evening with Stray Gods" event) @awintory out of curiosity - is there any part you recorded on your own (e.g. "Funk Organ" part)? 🙂

[@SaintofQuartz]

This is so fascinating and awesome but it also makes me really hope some form of chapter/song select gets added so it's easier to experience the rich variety

[@lesbiannoyed]

This is my favorite song from the game, the BG endings are heartbreaking. Especially with Charming Grace so you can get Calliope's image on screen, ooof.

[@3ndlessL00p]

I went from a pure red path into a green ending, once Persephone went "don't use that word!" and it was a wonderfully somber end ❤️

[@songsofhealing8561]

How was the Red rap part given to Grace? Did she have this sheet music? Or some other method? Trying to come up with the best way to notate rapped lyrics for a particular project and this was a method that we hadn't considered!

[@Mockingdragon]

OKAY but why are Persephone's numbers the best ones? I'm slowly making my way through...a percentage of the options...I wanted to commit to seeing every playthrough but I didn't really want to do it 288 times for tiny lyrical changes only 🤣 I did LOVE stumbling onto Persephone's reaction to first choice green second choice red - "Is there nothing she can't do? / She's a half-assed *would-be rapper*, too / Give it up for "MC Clear the Floor!" / We've heard it a thousand times before!"

[@lesbiannoyed]

my fave version of this song is Charming Grace and GRGBG. So I'm totally with you on the green red transition!

[@mrksimka1159]

She has kinda same reaction to picking blue after green as shown here but instead calls half assed stand up comic. Honestly any second option after you start with green feels like Grace and P roasting each other.

[@lesbiannoyed]

@@mrksimka1159it's my fave song in the game for a reason hahaha

[@SFiRebel]

Persephone has more songs and variations than others, and they're all incredible! I think it's clear who's dev's favorite 😄

[@SFiRebel]

@@lesbiannoyed That 2nd R or B pisses Persephone off and it breaks my heart, but her "You're spitting at the Queen... of the Dead" is just soo good.

[@cullenn91]

Can't wait to play this Game i'm a huge fan of greek mythology and fun fact My name is greek (Melina) also huge fan of Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson and critical role

[@lesbiannoyed]

@awintory I just noticed that on "It's Time" you get harp on the blue choice and clarinet on the green choice. Intentional?

[@lesbiannoyed]

Oh I think I answered my own question -- Blue Edition "It's Time" matches the green choice in the game, and Green Edition matches blue choice in the game.

[@awintory]

I just checked and the albums are correct; it's possible the colors got switched in-game!! I will investigate.

[@annrichard8366]

great catch.