Marvel comics have been around for decades,
but it feels like ever since the MCU debuted in 2008,
they have us all in the palm of their hand.
The 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy film introduced the dysfunctional team
to a whole new generation of fans, and their popularity has skyrocketed ever since
with various sequels, video games, toys, and even theme park rides.
Now it’s up to Eidos Montreal to offer their own take on the ragtag crew.
While it shares commonalities with previous source material,
this iteration of the Guardians is an original story set in its own universe.
Twelve years after the Galactic War,
the universe is still dealing with the devastating fallout.
At this point, the Guardians have been a team for a little while,
and they’re looking to make some much needed cash by taking a job from Lady Hellbender.
What follows is a space adventure filled with drama, laughs,
and poignant moments of familial bonds.
Of the five Guardians, you only control Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord,
but can give commands to the rest of the team in and out of combat.
Groot specializes in disrupting groups of enemies by holding them in place or launching them into the air.
Drax is essential for staggering tougher enemies, while Gamora deals heavy damage.
Lastly, Rocket can throw a variety of grenades
that obliterate groups of weaker enemies, or even pull them together to set up combos.
As Peter, you can run and fly around the battlefield in an advantageous position,
bombarding enemies with twin blasters and earning bonus damage
if you nail an active reload.
The action can get pretty chaotic, highlighted by effective banter from the team
that adds a sense of urgency or humor to each scuffle.
It’s incredibly satisfying when all of the Guardians’ strengths complement one another,
toppling enemy forces like dominoes.
You earn XP from each battle based on how well you perform,
and for every 1000 XP, you get an ability point.
Each character has four abilities to unlock
that expand their arsenal in semi-useful ways.
The XP gains feel mostly linear,
as the difference between poor and great performance is hardly noticeable.
Additionally, each Guardian can only use one ability
before a cooldown allows them to use another.
The starting move set for the team is so powerful,
that many fights can be conquered with the same tactics,
making combat less impactful the longer the adventure goes on.
Eidos smartly adds new obstacles and variables to later encounters, but
a slight adjustment is usually all that’s needed before falling back into familiar rhythms.
On normal difficulty, you’re rarely in any danger,
but if things look dire,
you can give the team a pep talk when the huddle meter is full.
Depending on what they say, you can attempt to inspire them by choosing the appropriate dialogue.
A success buffs the entire team’s damage, while a failure just buffs Star-Lord.
It’s a fun novelty but adamantly grows redundant,
especially when you’ve heard the same 80s songs numerous times.
Exploration plays a key role, whether you’re just hanging out on their ship, the Milano,
or investigating hostile planets.
On the ship, you can talk to your teammates
and learn tons of optional backstory.
The voice cast deserves special praise, as their performances are utterly brilliant.
You may find yourself more intimately attached to this set of Guardians
than their counterparts in other media.
Part of that is thanks to dialogue choices that allow you to shape the narrative in multiple ways,
as well as a stellar supporting cast.
The core storyline follows a set path,
but you have a fair amount of freedom in how you handle situations
and respond to the team.
Events play out with minor deviations, but
it’s more than enough to make you feel like you’re having a direct impact on the journey.
These choices integrate seamlessly and periodically throughout the narrative,
adding an extra level of responsibility
as your decisions help or hurt others.
Exploring planets is simple but effective.
There are plenty of opportunities to check out optional passageways
that usually reward you with lore, different outfits,
or components to upgrade Quill with a variety of perks.
The different outfits are awesome, but finding hidden items while out on missions
can even reward you with critical insight into each Guardian
that feels essential, making it worthwhile to go off the beaten path.
At certain points, different characters can use their strengths
to clear different ways ahead,
with Drax moving heavy objects to reach inaccessible areas
or Gamora slicing through barriers to progress.
Visually, Guardians of the Galaxy is fun to look at.
Colorful worlds and detailed character models look even better in quality mode,
but the framerate takes a major hit.
Performance mode targets 60 frames-per-second
and does an admirable job of maintaining it with only occasional stutters here and there.
There are however, a small number of bugs that poke at the seams.
Some of these issues, including audio mixing, graphical glitches,
progression getting stuck, and botched cut-scenes are supposed to be fixed with a day one patch,
but it was still in the works during the review period.
Even if you’re fatigued by the endless amount of Marvel content,
Guardians of the Galaxy shows a lot of heart and soul.
The cast delivers unforgettable performances
that are further highlighted by meaningful exploration
and impactful narrative decisions.
The adventure loses a bit of steam the longer it goes, due to overly familiar combat, but
the team’s banter keeps things entertaining.
Eidos Montreal has delivered a memorable and intimate take on the team of misfits
that truly stands on its own.
Final score: 8 out of 10.
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