I need a hero

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be sitting down to write a Guardians of the Galaxy review at the end of 2021 with a bucket full of surprise in tow. The latest from Square Enix’s Marvel contract is everything I wanted Avengers to be and some things I didn’t know I wanted. This is a single player adventure that meshes together excellent writing and solid voice acting alongside a swath of genres mashed up for one wild ride. It is only fitting that Marvel’s spacebound outlaws are the focus of the game. Credit where it is due, the team at Eidos Montreal have created something special. Sure it is rough in some spots, but my entire playthrough I couldn’t stop thinking, this might be one of the best Marvel games I have played to date.

The thing that stands out to me more than anything else is how good the story is. There is just a ton of dialogue throughout the game and it feels like a season of a TV show with plenty of surprises and cameos along the way. I really was concerned, much like Avengers, that the “budget” version of the Guardians would throw me off, but by chapter two I was already invested in these characters. The voice actors do an outstanding job at delivery and the team dynamic feels present at all times.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99

Players only control Peter Quill aka Star-Lord, but they also can give commands to the other teammates. More on that in a minute. During these battles the other characters will banter with each other in amusing ways, even referencing things that have happened in the game. In between missions I could talk to them if I chose to, and even collect items that unlocked new dialogue options to dig deeper into the characters. When I say there is a ton of dialogue, I truly mean it. This game feels like a mash-up of a ton of other games, some I didn’t expect.

To break that down let’s start with the combat. This game feels like an action RPG at times. Most recently I might compare it to Tales of Arise, where there is one controllable character, but the others are also in the battle. The difference here is that I could only directly control Star-Lord. I could issue commands to the others by holding down the bumper, pressing a face button to select them, then again to issue the command. It takes some time to get accustomed to it, and as I unlocked new abilities I had to think about what was best for each situation. Luckily the game slows down time during this giving me a chance to pick what I wanted.

Controlling Star-Lord feels like a standard third-person action game. I could fire my guns with the trigger or use the bumper to blast with each special ability. There is also melee combat, but I found myself using that less and less throughout the game as I acquired new abilities for myself as well as the team. One note that really threw me off was that to perform Star-Lord’s special ability I had to click in the left stick, then perform it. Between that, locking onto enemies, issuing commands to my teammates, and performing my own actions, it can become cumbersome.

There is also a huddle mechanic that serves to boost the team for extra damage, as well as building up their special attacks. This was neat the first time. I like how a successful huddle also kicks in a song to heighten the action. Sadly this is an arbitrary action where Peter gives a speech and then the team replies. Picking the proper response means you succeed, usually noticing a word they use, while failing just means that Star-Lord gets the boost. I wish it was more streamlined though as it really detracts from the combat.

Guardians of the Galaxy also implements an almost Telltale system when it comes to dialogue. Star-Lord is constantly having to select dialogue choices that can alter what happens in the game. These can be as simple as making a teammate feel better, to altering actions that take place throughout the game. Without spoilers one example is early on I supported Gamora in a decision, later in the game it paid off because I made that decision. The game notes when these things happen, but it made me want to see what happens when I make a different choice. Some seem miniscule, while others feel game changing.

What I love about the campaign is that it is meaty. I would say it took me around 12-15 hours to complete it and there were plenty of upgrades to collect as I went. There are also special costumes hidden throughout the levels that are simply collectibles, not DLC purchases. This is a straight single player campaign that focuses on the story of the Guardians and it hits. If I had one gripe it is that it feels like it has multiple climaxes. I felt like the game was over at least three times before the true credits rolled.

Now for the things holding it back. As I mentioned, the ending(s) threw me off. I also ran into several glitches that forced me to reload the last checkpoint. Whether it was a cutscene that didn’t trigger, or one of my teammates simply not doing the action I told them to do to progress, it cropped up more than once. I have been told the day one patch fixes this and I did revisit afterwards and it seemed more stable afterwards. The combat is also extremely chaotic at times. I was having to attack, lock-on, and issue commands all at once and sometimes I lost track. Instead of encouraging diversity, it instead caused me to focus on the most effective way to take down enemies, which is not ideal.

Visually the game looks stunning in the 4K 30fps mode, but I opted to switch to the performance mode. The drop in resolution is drastic, but it still looks great and the 60 fps feels so much better in combat. The worlds I visited in the game are simply stunning and I loved the diversity of each one. The space battles felt epic even with limited controls and the characters look great. No this is not Bautista as Drax, but I still enjoyed these models over the ones found in Avengers. The voice acting is also top notch and the soundtrack, oh my the soundtrack is amazing. It ranges from New Kids on the Block to Iron Maiden to even Rick Astley. The game also makes great use of songs and reminded me a lot of Saints Row when it is firing on all cylinders.

Guardians of the Galaxy is probably one of the biggest surprises for me this year. After the disappointment that was Avengers my hope for this game was low. Once I got into gear though I could not stop playing this one and I loved every minute of it. Sure it has some cumbersome combat and awkward glitches at times, but it hits on so many other levels it is easy to forgive some of its shortcomings. This is the kind of game fans of Marvel have wanted. A solid single player adventure that focuses on the characters and tells a superb story at the same time. Toss in the cameos and the gorgeous visuals and this is a game nobody should pass up. I truly think this is one of the best Marvel games to drop, especially since the MCU started.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.