Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review
You Just Lost Your Tape Privileges
Games get missed for review in the years they come out for one reason or another. Eidos-Montreal's Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is one of those titles. It had some heavy competition in 2021 for noticeability and was definitely a title that many RPGamers got to later, helped by generous discounts. Guardians of the Galaxy has a ton of great ideas and excellent writing, though it's held back due to its lack of flexibility and linearity.
In true Guardians fashion, our story begins with its established team once again down on their luck, low on units (the intergalactic currency), and taking a questionable job. In an attempt to capture a rare monster for Lady Hellbender, the team finds themselves in the Quarantine Zone, a restricted area under the Nova Corps. Unfortunately, things get hairy when Peter "Star-Lord" Quill accidentally releases a strange alien entity from a small yellow gem, forcing the Guardians to flee and save themselves. Even worse, the Unified Church of Truth and the Lethal Legion both have a score to settle with our intrepid heroes, and Peter may or may not be the father of a young Centuri girl named Nikki. Where's the galaxy's version of Maury Povich when you need him? As usual, the Guardians of the Galaxy cannot catch a break.
Guardians of the Galaxy has a fantastic story, and it's abundantly clear how much care was put into crafting a narrative that seems likely for this ragtag group of heroes for hire. The game's episodic start is strong, but every plot point works well in tandem as the pieces of the story, from Peter’s past and his connection to Nikki to the struggle to free galaxy-kind from an insane cult, come together. Its threads combine to craft a tale where players can see how Peter's potential decisions can both shape his relationships with his comrades and affect the galaxy. While the main story is worth praising, the writing does an excellent job of capturing the Guardians perfectly, with sharp, witty writing and tons of hilarious, laugh-out-loud banter. Drax the Destroyer and Rocket Raccoon pop off the screen with both deadpan humour and sassy snark. The zingers that they land, particularly on Peter, are top-tier shade throwing.
[caption id="attachment_102157" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The best boy in the universe.[/caption]
A standout element in Guardians of the Galaxy isthe player's decision-making throughout the story. Different decisions affect and change the world, making some areas of the game easier and others much more challenging. Siding with certain Guardians over others during critical moments can lead to one member being Star-Lord's biggest fan or his biggest hater. Throughout the narrative, there are numerous pros and cons to consider, so even small decisions can feel like they have larger implications. The decision-making in Guardians is well thought out, but wrinkles still come from the game being so linear and the choices themselves being very cut and dry.
In terms of combat, Guardians of the Galaxy uses a system where Star-Lord takes command of his crew, issuing orders during encounters to gain experience. The team shares the same pool of experience and earns an ability point with each level, with the game offering enough enemy encounters to ensure that the player will unlock all character abilities. With it being an action-based combat system, a lot of fights are very frantic, and issuing orders creates both chaos and style for our intrepid heroes. Since the player can only directly control Star-Lord, there is a lot to manage in terms of issuing commands while also shooting one's way through bad guys. The controls take a bit of getting used to, and paying attention to one's surroundings becomes imperative during longer encounters, as each Guardian can also take advantage of environmental traps to help with larger enemy skirmishes. There is so much happening during combat that it is both exhilarating and exhausting.
The player has to trust in the AI to make good decisions when commands aren't being issued due to ability cooldowns. There's a fairness in how all five Guardians are equally equipped, but it's also very disappointing that players can only play as Star-Lord, as being able to take control of Drax, Gamora, Groot, or Rocket would have given the combat more flexibility and also made it more enjoyable on the whole. Given the game’s short length of less than twenty hours and its crippling and scripted linearity in all regards, it makes sense why this option isn’t there, but one can't help but feel sad that they can't be Rocket Raccoon causing explosive shenanigans. Being stuck as one character makes combat feel one-dimensional, and though it works well, it eventually devolves into monotony.
[caption id="attachment_101240" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Here comes the boom![/caption]
Two other noteworthy elements to the combat are interesting ideas on paper, but don't feel as though they have any oomph behind them. First, as the story progresses, Star-Lord's weapons take on elemental properties that can be switched between on the fly and are great for destroying enemy barriers, such as ice freezing enemies in place, or wind bringing a foe that is high up closer to Star-Lord. It's a fine addition, though the elemental properties in combat only have one specific function, except when they are part of an exploration puzzle. The second is the huddle gauge, which is filled by attacking enemies. Once it is full, Star-Lord can bring the gang together for a quick pep talk that boosts their stats for a brief period of time and plays a wicked tune (or Rickrolls the player) while the gauge is depleting. Both are solid ideas, but neither enhances combat in a meaningful way.
Where Guardians stands out is in the audiovisual department. The voice acting in the game is phenomenal, and many of the actors do a great job embodying their portrayed characters. Particular praise is needed for Jason Cavalier, who voices Drax the Destroyer, and almost does a near-perfect voice impersonation of Dave Bautista, which definitely made this reviewer do a double-take. Jon McLaren nails the bro-ness and laid-back vibe of Star-Lord, and Kimberley Sue-Murray absolutely brings Gamora's hotheadedness to life. The same can also be said about the game's soundtrack, which is a mixture of licensed tracks and original songs. While it is fantastic to listen to Billy Idol's "White Wedding" while in a huddle, the game's original soundtrack does an equally fantastic job supporting the story and setting as well.
[caption id="attachment_103150" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The gang is all here![/caption]
The visuals are nothing to scoff at either. The majority of the game is lovely to look at, and the character models are well-detailed. It's not without the odd blemish or two, as there are definitely some issues on PlayStation 5 with textures popping in and out, as well as slowdown during combat. These technical issues are especially noticeable during the game’s final chapters when lots is happening on screen. The environments are lush and colourful, though due to the game's linear nature, there aren't a lot of nooks and crannies to explore or even any side content to engage with.
It's a shame in a lot of ways that Guardians of the Galaxy didn't get its flowers when it released. There's a lot to love in terms of its presentation, storytelling, and use of the property. It's also abundantly clear that Eidos-Montréal put a lot of care into making sure the characters and their world were true to the source material. While there's almost too much happening during combat and the game in general is too linear, it’s hard to deny how enjoyable the game is to play despite its shortcomings. Guardians of the Galaxy is a solid experience that, while not a life-changing game, is the perfect palette cleanser for anyone wanting an RPG that doesn't take itself too seriously and also doesn't outstay its runtime.
The post Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review appeared first on RPGamer .
Popular Content
Explore Topic
