Guardians of The Galaxy: guarding the galaxy and each other

"Peter Quill, How can one replay something already played?" 

No, that's not an actual line of dialogue from the game, but the resounding answer would be, "Flarking easy, Drak!". 

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, released in 2021, developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix is a wonderfully crafted experience. Tight and polished, an engaging and emotional storyline surprisingly dealing with mature themes of grief and trauma. It's not all heavy; peppered are humorous moments and interplay amongst the characters. Quips fly at each Guardian, more than at their antagonists, but the Guardians grow throughout gameplay. Satisfying character arcs develop and together the Guardians direct their energy at their challenges, unified in appreciation of one another. 

  

I was surprised playing this one. A shared piece of intellectual property (IP) with such a strongly established collective consciousness from the films, could be challenging to differentiate, making it easy for the game to pale in comparison.

This is not the case. Everyone who worked to produce this should be given credit for creating something that nailed the essence of the characters and create something distinct. From great performances to its unique art and aesthetic, I didn't yearn for past incarnations but left wanting more for this iteration.

Developers craft a great recipe for this game; third person action with control of computer-based companions, lite RPG elements, character conversations with response options, readable items that add content (without bloat) to story, and a sprinkle of 'unexpected' gameplay. There is a part where you compete with Rocket for who can blow up more items or my favorite, moving a space lama through a maze where you make an individual Guardian sing a song from the fun and mostly 80s inspired soundtrack. Some Guardians have nicer voices than others, thus, pushing and pulling the lama to a desired location. It's different and a fun game mechanic; Brief but adds flavor.

This may not look fun, but is surprising and quirky 

This was written at the time of game launch, and I agree today, it's refreshing for this to be a fully packaged game. No patches fixing broken content. No superfluous microtransactions pushed in your face, just a great game experience. 

I mourn the loss of a fully packaged game like this. I do believe there is a strong core market, at least in my generation, for more of this, and argue it could reach across younger gamer generations. (Sigh) Let's insert the proverbial, 'Back in my day...' line where you'd pop in a game and simply play it. 

I'd be curious to hear younger generations sentiment on this game and how it compares to other games they play. I think they'd enjoy it, but how do developers create connected and shared single player gaming experiences amongst multiple players? This game doesn't solve for that, but there is a lot to like and share about. 

 

So metal!

Visually impressive, although not as strong as say something like a Ghost of Tsushima or Horizon Forbidden West, I found it aesthetically pleasing. They were plenty of opportunities for great picture-snapping moments. All attached images were taken on the launch PS5 in quality mode. 

The standouts were the facial animations and iris colors on the characters. The images don't do it justice, but when the characters have big emotional moments, it threw me off how human-like you can see the reactions in their eyes and the way their faces move.

Big moment time

There are some deep emotional conversations I did not expect. One between Drax and Peter talking about loss resonates sadness but hope towards moving forward. They share fond memories of loved ones gone and give each other space to grief. I missed this part my first time around and it adds depth and texture beyond an action-adventure game.  

 

For the heavy moments there are plenty of others filled with levity. Do take time to talk to your fellow Guardians in between missions on the Milano. Or you could miss out on something like... Groot watering himself out of a water can...

"I am thirsty?"

"I am Groot!"

The combat is the weak point, but not a deal breaker. You play as Star-Lord throughout the game and direct the Guardians for special actions that essentially help you clear the board; Fun, splashy action moves. In between the cooldown time you blast and punch your way through enemies. Still fun, but the longer you play, the more repetitive and underpowered you feel. It's not the type of game where you are over-powering enemies, but you struggle to finish off easier enemies and it dulls the action mechanics.

"The galaxy needs saving and we're the ones to do it!"

You may come for the familiarly of the IP, but you'll stay for the great writing, character development, fun action, and a well-polished gameplay experience that stands on its own. 

We'll get together, and have a few laughs