The Guardians of the Galaxy game is a third-person shooter that was released on May 5, 2017. The game is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name and features an original story. The player controls the team’s leader, Star-Lord, and can switch between characters at will. The game received mixed reviews, with critics praising its visual style and humor, but criticizing its repetitive gameplay and technical issues.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Game Review
Pros
- Storytelling at the MCU level
- Amazing world-building
- Fantastic take on the Guardians cast
Cons
- Puzzle repetition
- Some decisions seem out of your control
You Need to Know
- What is it? It is a single-player adventure that offers moral choices.
- You can expect to pay $60/PS50
- Developer: Eidos Montreal
- Square Enix Publisher
- Reviewed on: Windows 10, GeForceGTX 1070, Intel Core i7-9700 Processor, 16GB RAM
- Multiplayer? Multiplayer?
- Release date: October 26, 2021
- Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Nintendo Switch and PC (with DLSS/ray-tracing).
Whisper it… Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy video game may be better than the movies. It is rare for a game that makes me laugh as often as I cry. But Eidos Montreal’s creation here is truly unique, both in its story and execution. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy allows you to embody all that it means to be a leader.
Star-Lord is the Guardians of the Galaxy leader. They have been together only a year. This means that they are still learning how to function as a team and as an adopted family. This puts you in a great place as a player and allows you to learn about each character as Star-Lord does.
These Guardians are reminiscent of an episode from What If if you’re familiar with the MCU movies or comics. These Guardians are familiar characters with identifiable traits and personalities. However, they have different backstories that feature characters and events. You can create a separate timeline to accommodate these alternate-history versions. It’s part of the fun to discover how they are different from what you might expect.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has a unique feature that I love. You learn about their strengths as characters in both the narrative and combat sections. The game will give you more back the longer you play it, which is evident when you poke around every corner and follow every prompt. Collectibles allow you to unlock more dialogue options on the Milano. Taking time to chat with characters mid-mission or listening to their conversations helps build a better understanding of these Guardians. It’s so rewarding to discover. While you won’t lose anything by completing the quest, you will want to uncover every layer if you like these characters as much as I do.
1. Galactic dilemma
The writing is superb, so it’s even more incentive to find all the dialogue. It’s hilarious and made me laugh out loud in many instances. It’s touching, sweet and sometimes downright emotional. Two particular moments nearly brought me to tears. These characters are easy to care for, with Drax being my favorite because of his well-rounded nature. He’s still funny and deadpan, but he also feels the guilt for having survived an intergalactic conflict. You’ll love this story because they are all unique in their ways.
You’ll need to be more invested as their leader because everyone will look up to you to make the right decisions. There is a final, but there will be many decisions along the way that could impact how it all plays out. Although I won’t reveal any details, even seemingly simple dialogue options can lead you to something that could help or hinder your progress later. They are the ones who brought you the latest Deus Ex games, so they have experience with branching dialogue systems. It’s challenging to know when an action you take will affect you later on and if you had any choice in particular moments, even though the game might suggest so.
Combat will always be influenced by leadership. Each Guardian has its own set of skills you can use to command them in battle. It’s essential to know how to defeat the most powerful enemies and when to unleash your best moves to counter them—for example, using Drax to diminish a stagger bar before sending in Gamora to deal high-level damage. Groot can wrap his roots around enemies to prevent Rocket from dropping bombs on them. This is important because you can find yourself flatlining if you don’t use the team’s abilities, especially if this isn’t paired up with Star-Lord’s abilities, including his elemental blasters.
Combat feels entirely in your control. It’s great fun to strategize and react, and boss battles are an excellent example of how you need to plan your actions. Although there are moments when I wish there were more variety in enemy types and ways to use skills, it is a fantastic experience.
2. Take root
These skills can also be used to solve puzzles outside of battle. Gamora, on the other hand, can jump up to high places and lift heavy objects. Drax can also do this. Groot can lift platforms, and Rocket can hack terminals. There is a particular element to the puzzles being repetitive. An electricity puzzle requires you to interact with terminals to redirect the flow. This was introduced very early and is now quite overused. I am not convinced that multiple planets have the same electrical system. You can eventually get tired of following yellow lines.
The puzzles are primarily traversal-based and, in some places, almost platformer-esque. Some elements, such as Star-Lord scanning the terrain for something Gamora could slash with her sword, can get a bit tired by the end of the chapters. However, there are many great set pieces that you will discover. These are further complemented by how the Guardians respond to them. It could have used a few more mechanics or elements to keep the game fresh.
The story is so much fun that the repetitive elements are almost forgotten. The landscapes you see are beautifully constructed and worthy of being photographed. There’s even encouraged to stop and take a look, especially when the Guardians quip that you’re off… again.
Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy is a master at storytelling. It leaves you wanting more. It’s great fun to have in combat and puzzle-solving. However, it is a bit limited in the variety of its puzzles and mechanics, especially later in the game.
Verdict
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy balances action-packed adventure with heartfelt stories. The choices you are given can give your playthrough some unexpected twists. While the combat and level design of Guardians of the Galaxy is simple, they’re still entertaining. But it’s their relationships and banter that keep everything fresh and new as they develop. Although it won’t set the world ablaze, Guardians of the Galaxy is a convincing example of how fun a single-player, linear campaign can be.
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