Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Intro

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is releasing on the heels of 2020's Marvel's Avengers and unfortunately for the Guardians that is setting expectations for this game in a complicated spot. Both are published by Square Enix and both have similar art styles, but I'm here to report that they are significantly different. Depending on what you're looking for, that difference may be a great thing. The core of these differences is rooted in the design choice of a single player linear story. There are no side quests to be found here and there’s a very minimalistic progression system. This is contrasted by the complicated RPG mechanics and endless side missions found in Marvels Avengers. You won’t be grinding for experience as you are always equipped for the next encounter. This design choice was clearly made to put an emphasis on the story and characters.

Story

Right off the bat, it's clear that this game is rooted in narrative. You find yourself in Peter's childhood room in the 80's. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up in the 90's this is exactly how I remember the 80's. You are quickly thrown into the stars where you find yourself exploring with the Guardians and a story wrapped around a mysterious cult begins to unfold. You play as Star Lord aka. Chris Pratt, aka. Mario, but actually, your character looks more like Mackelmore than the MCU version we are familiar with. One concern I had after seeing the first trailer for this game was that, like Crystal Dynamics' Avengers, the characters would feel like knock off MCU versions of beloved super heroes, but I never felt that with this game. You may see familiar scenes or characters from other Guardians media, but these Guardians felt like they could stand on their own and I am genuinely excited to see more stories told with them.

One core contributor to this great rendition of the Guardians is due to fantastic writing. I found myself laughing frequently throughout my gameplay and the fantastic 80's soundtrack elevated the authenticity of these Guardians further. Peter frequently makes pop culture references that only Terrans would understand and Drax's inability to understand sarcasm is in full force.

The story also unfolds frequently outside of cutscenes where the writers execute the concept of "show, don't tell" very well. You can explore the Milano and speak to your comrades about their past. These moments are met with dialogue choices that will reveal different story details depending on what you select. These dialogue options have a range of impact and responding thoughtfully and intentionally is essential. It's worth noting that the setting of this story takes place after a galactic war with the Chitauri. Many characters you meet are still in mourning and this tragedy sets the stage for the Universal Church of Truth and Grand Unifer Raker.

Gameplay

As far as the gameplay goes, you quickly realize that you find yourself in moments of long walking dialogue or exploration far more than you do in combat. Some may be turned off by the robust narrative moments, but I found myself engrossed in the story and wanted to know more about this universe. This experience felt like I was playing a Guardians film at times more than a game. This could be a problem for some fans as they are looking for more of a combat driven game like Marvel's Avengers, but for those of us who didn't click with Marvel's Avengers, this change of pace is appreciated. It feels good to just play a linear story without the bloat of out-of-place RPG mechanics found in most modern games.

This lack of bloat is complimented by a straight forward and linear upgrade system with little to no customization. Though, you can find new suits for each Guardian hidden throughout the worlds you explore. There are many alternate suits for each Guardian and they are executed masterfully. I ended up searching every nook and cranny due to the slight potential of finding one of these amazing suits. The pursuit of these suits adds to the explorative world building that this game does so well.

During these exploration segments you may need to collaborate with the other Guardians due to environmental obstacles. It's common to be presented with a chasm or ledge that can only be conquered with assistance from one of your teammates. In addition to these slight environmental puzzle solving segments, you are also presented with circuitry puzzles that don't overstay their welcome. These puzzles utilize Peter's visor which enables him to see key objects and items of interest. Another unexpected switch up in gameplay were a few space combat segments. These were welcome changes of pace and were reminiscent of Star Fox.

One reason I relished in the narrative moments so much is because the actual mechanics around combat are dicey. You play as Peter throughout the whole game, but you command the other guardians to perform special moves during combat. As Peter, you have special moves as well, but you are also equipped with your trusty Elemental Blasters. These bad boys are used to both unlock areas of the environment and to do special damage to enemies who are vulnerable to elemental effects. The main problem with these blasters is that during chaotic segments, which are most of them, it's hard to focus on the enemy you want to hit. I ended up having to lock onto the closest enemy and take that one down before targeting who I actually wanted to shoot. And when I say chaotic combat segments, I mean chaotic combat segments.

You frequently find yourself in a sea of particle effects and bubble shields and have to somehow command your fellow Guardians to attack the right enemy with the correct special move. And commanding them is essential. There were firefights where I was getting my teeth kicked in and I just see Drax stroll by not stabbing anyone. At times it felt like if you weren't directing your teammates special moves then you would have to do the bulk of the damage to take down your foes. Teamwork is key.

Potentially the highlight of the combat for me and maybe one of my favorite video game mechanics ever is the "huddle up" mechanic. As you take down enemies a meter in the bottom right is filling up. When this reaches capacity you can yell to your teammates to huddle up. Once there, they will vent about the fight or relish in their performance. It is at this point that you are presented with a dialogue choice. Your choice can change the tide of battle and you must select the response that best fits what your fellow guardians just told you. The correct dialogue choice will result in you and your comrades being engorged with the thrum of battle and you all will be temporarily invulnerable. Choose the wrong response and only you become invulnerable. But regardless of your choice, Peter will always turn on his cassette player which results in you fighting enemies to one of the amazing 80's songs from this legendary soundtrack. This soundtrack features songs from WHAM!, Tears for Fears, Deff Leppard, and many more. The level of joy I felt during one of these moments when Peter hit play on his casette player and 'I'll Tumble 4 Ya' by Culture Club came on is something I'll never forget. Goofy bombastic fighting scored by 80's music is exactly the feeling I wanted out of a Guardians of the Galaxy video game.

Verdict

So, you may be asking if this is worth picking up and I turn the question back to you. What are you looking for in a Guardians Game? Are you looking for a high octane action packed experience? Though Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy can provide that in moments, this might not be the game for you. But if you're looking for an authentically fun and intriguing linear story set in one of the most rich universes, then you should consider picking this up. I genuinely fell in love with this iteration of the Guardians and I can't wait to see where they end up next.

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