- Release Date: 26th October 2021
- Developer: Eidos-Montréal
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Platform Played: Xbox Series S
- Platforms Available: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series
I really wasn’t expecting to get as invested in this as I did. The dialogue in this game is really great and I quickly fell in love with these versions of the characters. I think I actually prefer them to the MCU versions. Star Lord (who you play as) is still a bit goofy at times, but comes off as less of a (Chris) pratt and is far more endearing, Drax feels less like the butt of a joke and Gamora has much more personality and actually enjoys things. Rocket is a lot like the MCU version, while Groot is difficult to tell based on his unique way of speaking.
The plot follows the Guardians (already a team, but with some of them not fully trusting the newcomer Gamora) on a job in a restricted region of space – naturally, things go horribly wrong and just keeps getting worse. The story has lots of emotional moments, both serious and light hearted, with lots of enjoyable characters to encounter along the way. The game also has dialogue options and choices, which change elements of the story but not the overall narrative (something the game makes clear). Characters will open up (or not) to Star Lord based on these choices, while parts of the story will be different. I often found myself waiting around until I was sure there was no more dialogue (especially when on the Milano in between missions)
Combat is fun, if basic. You get to run and shoot as Star Lord (unlocking elemental weapon powers throughout the game), while giving command to the rest of the team for when to use their special abilities. Enemies are quite varied and you will need to work out the best tactics to defeat each one. As you fight, your “huddle” bar will fill, once its full you can activate it to call characters over to you, give them a little speech (which can actually be ineffective if you choose the wrong option) to boost their abilities, plus a random strack from Star Lord’s walkman will start playing (the game features a great selection of 80s tracks plus a full original metal album from the fictional band “Star-Lord”). I will say that it’s often best to wait for the next fight to use the hudde (you keep it between fights) unless you seriously need it – it revives downed teammates – as quite often I started enjoying the music but I was already near the end of the fight.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a great example of how video games can be used to help a narrative, the characters have time to grow on you and it can focus on small or silly moments when it needs to.
Great
