We recently got a chance to sit down and play part of the upcoming Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix. When the game was announced at E3 2021, I was wary. Marvel’s Avengers didn’t capture the magic of the franchise, and I had my doubts that Guardian’s of the Galaxy would fare any better. Despite it being developed as a single-player title, I figured it would make the same mistakes. However, after playing it, the game is now one of my most anticipated of the year.
Eidos-Montreal, fortunately, didn’t choose to do a reboot origin story. While this iteration of the Guardians is distinct from those in the comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the Telltale game, the characters and events are similar enough for those familiar with the franchise to pick up on the story immediately.
Instead of facing Thanos in a galaxy-spanning adventure, this game picks up after the big purple baddie has been dead for several years. With the galaxy in a period of relative peace, the Guardians are trying to make ends meet, and they’re not necessarily doing it above the table. After one of their scams goes wrong, the group is fined by the Nova Corps.
The segment I got to play was set in Chapter 5. The Guardians have managed to scrape together the cash to pay their fine (which most of the team isn’t enthusiastic about). However, when they land on one of Nova Corps’ asteroid bases to deliver the funds, they find it deserted.
You’re a Star-Lord
Playing as Star-Lord, I made my way through the base and discovered the Nova Corps officers were slaughtering each other. The Guardians’ only recourse is to fight through hordes of brainwashed soldiers and try to make it back to the Milano.
The best thing about Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is that it takes time to bring the characters to life in a way we didn’t see in The Avengers. Since you only control Star-Lord, Eidos-Montreal is free to craft the game around that singular experience.
The part I played allowed me to roam around the Milano pre-mission, speak with all the Guardians, and look at their lodgings. Scattered throughout the ship are items that you can examine and discuss with your crewmates. The only jarring thing about this is that it was a bit weird for Gamora, Drax, or Rocket to psychically know when you’re touching an item in their bedroom with the door closed and appear from nowhere to start talking to you. However, I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, given that it leads to some excellent storytelling.
Even during the short time I played, many little moments made me smile, like speaking with Rocket about how he learned Groot’s language. Not having to wait for matchmaking or deal with other players trying to skip every cutscene or charge through levels makes this experience all the better and allows you to get immersed in the role of Star-Lord.
Party Down
The gameplay in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is fairly typical of the third-person shooter genre but was engaging and well-polished. Star-Lord has his iconic visor, dual pistols, and jetboots, and players can use these in combination with melee attacks to take down foes.
Star-Lord’s pistols can be upgraded to take on elemental properties, which add status effects to enemies. I only had access to the ice-based attack in the section I played, but it proved to be a powerful option as it immobilizes enemies by encasing them in ice. Once an elemental gauge fills, an enemy will be completely frozen, and if their health gauge is low enough, Star-Lord can perform an instakill.
As the team leader, Star-Lord can coordinate the other Guardians and tell them to focus a special attack on a particular enemy. Guardians can also trigger combo attacks under specific circumstances, which cause massive damage.
A unique mechanic of the game is the Team Huddle. When the huddle meter fills, you get the option to trigger the Team Huddle and give an inspirational speech as Star-Lord. Here, you must pay close attention to what the Guardians are saying so that you pick the correct type of speech to give. Giving an inspirational speech heals all Guardians and gives an attack power bonus to the whole party while giving the wrong one just heals the party and limits the attack boost to Star-Lord.
Across the Stars
Going with a single-player game was the best choice Eidos-Montreal could make with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The appeal of Marvel properties isn’t just the ability to control amazingly powerful individuals; it’s the stories of how the characters grow and develop. However, for these stories to have punch, they have to have a beginning and an ending, which is something that doesn’t work with a live service.
While no one will be surprised that a Marvel game is popular, I think that Guardians of the Galaxy is going to exceed expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the two hours I spent with it, and I can’t wait to play the full version when it releases on October 26, 2021.
