This is a somewhat organized canon info dump with my speculation sprinkled in there... It isn't complete yet!
This Carrd site and this Tumblr have been helpful.
General Profile
- Zagreus describes him as "quite musically inclined, a little dour, impressive hair."
- Eurydice? "Spindly little thing, whiny voice."
- I'm of the opinion that Eurydice is taller than him. Tall Orpheus is good too though
- He speaks with a very particular cadence/rhythm
- Michael Ailshie, his voice actor, in a Q&A in the Supergiant Games Discord from 2019:
- "He's lost the love of his life and walks about like he's made of porcelain -- so I wanted his voice to reflect that fragile quality. I think my biggest inspiration was Ben Whishaw’s VO performance in Paddington. Soft and a little oblivious."
- Darren Korb, his singing voice, in an interview with The Gamer:
- "Thom Yorke, or Radiohead — they’re always in there. They’re always an influence. But specifically I imagined a ‘when Thom Yorke sings in falsetto’ kind of vibe for the stuff I might write for Orpheus."
- Zagreus asks if Apollo really did teach him to sing. Orpheus says:
- "Oh, why, I learned from many different sources, Zagreus. That is before all of my inspiration started coming from a single source. I credit my accomplishments to her, and to Apollo, and the gods. And to considerable time spent practicing!"
Refusal to Sing
- Achilles describes him in the Codex as having a "fiery resolve" when he was alive -- makes sense that Orpheus isn't afraid to refuse Hades now
- Orpheus gives you a choice between 3 songs at some point: In The Blood, The Lament, and Argonauts. (He does not sing any of them.)
- If you pick Argonauts, Zagreus asks him, "didn't you sail with them?" but Orpheus doesn't answer yes or no.
- On top of this, you can hear the Lament and In The Blood later, but Argonauts never gets mentioned again. Please Supergiant I would like the Argo lore...
Solitary Confinement
- Achilles at one point says he tried to simmer down the situation but Hades was too angry.
- Zagreus notices Orpheus has been gone for a concerning length of time, but the actual amount of time Orpheus spent in there is uncertain
- Do the gods have a different perception of time? Is everyone's perception of time in the Underworld just messed up?
- When Orpheus gets out of there Hades tells him he has "100 years" and not a moment more to sing. Is Hades being ridiculously lenient or is he giving him a reasonable amount of time?
"Muse"
- When Zagreus asks if he's inspiring enough for a song, Orpheus bluescreens.
- "Oh, that's a rather bold insinuation, Zagreus. I don't know that I've the will for that, I... just, I need some time to think, is that alright?"
- Important because then his refusal to sing is mostly due to him not wanting to sing for Hades. Understandable considering, well, literally everything
Keepsake
- Orpheus's keepsake is the Distant Memory.
- "From Orpheus; you share a Sonorous Bond
- Inspiration comes from unlikely places. Friendship comes in unlikely forms."
- "Deal 10/20/30% more damage to foes at least 500 units away."
- Orpheus tells Zagreus not to open it "unless of course you wanted to set loose a cherished living memory of mine, and take from me that fleeting bit of joy?"
- When you go to Eurydice's with it equipped, you can get special dialogue where she says it almost felt like Orpheus was with Zagreus.
Miscellaneous
- Orpheus's music stand is magic. Music can play even when he's not there
- "Who can explain the secret art of Daedalus, my friend? Know only that, whenever it produces music for your listening enjoyment, that the sound you hear is coming from my soul!"
- He gets so excited when he says this line, it's funny