I do remember quite distinctly watching the very first trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy by Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics and thinking that the game looked like trash. I didn't like the heroes' banter, the single-person-in-a-party combat or the fact that this very beat-em-up styled action adventure game would be putting us in the shoes of someone who exclusively uses guns. It kind of came across as yet another impending grab at the Marvel Cinematic Universes' success in video game form and I disliked it for that. Although in hindsight I suppose Marvel's Avengers probably poisoned my perception quite a bit because looking back- I couldn't have been more absolutely wrong than I ended up being.
Now it's no great secret to the world that this is supposed to be a good game- there have been many reports to that avail but they always are made in defiance of the fact that this game sold absolutely horrendously when it dropped. Seems no one was able to get aboard with the marketing and thus just blanked the Guardian's game entirely- to such a degree that not even the positive reviews could win the audiences back. In fact, this game was one of the reasons that Square ended up giving up on Crystal Dynamics after citing that they just didn't know how to sell games to westerners. All the while doubling down on an NFT game project that is going to destroy their bottom line worse than any flop could ever do- but I guess we're still waiting on that, huh...
It was that dichotomy in reception and performance that drew my attention a few years back, but it was only very recently that I sat down to really play and finish Guardians of the Galaxy- a game I had only touched very briefly some time back. In doing so coming up against the realisation that not only was I horrendously off-base with my initial read- but I may have just stumbled across one of the most horrific misjustices of the modern AAA age because good lord- this is a game that deserves to be mentioned in same conversation as Horizon for great side games. Plus- it doesn't drag on for dozens of hours past it's 'best by date' like so many other modern titles do- sullying the experience. Yes, I'm still sore about Valhalla- sue me!
Guardians of the Galaxy is a linear story-based action adventure game where you, in the shoes of Peter Quill's Starlord, lead a very green iteration of the Guardians in a totally unique universe exclusive to this game. That means there's no reading material you need to be up to date on, no bevy of movies that need to be watched beforehand- though characters are taken from across the Guardian's franchise in print and film- all that exists in this game originates from it's own contained canon. Which is what allows for mystique and intrigue to enter in otherwise basic topics of know such as 'The death of Thanos'. In this game he was apparently murdered by Drax- which itself plays a huge part in shaping his character and the journey he will go on. That's a puzzle box to unravel in itself.
Building up the Guardians as a team of ill-fitted and often contrarian bandits into a cohesive force of friends was already the heart of the Gaurdians' film and I for one really suspected to be walking similar ground in this game. And yes, whilst materially the journey is similar- I much prefer the breadth of characterisation the length of a video game affords this story. The core narrative in particular is a very clever means of weaponizing introspection in a manner that naturally forces character conflict across a story that a film simply couldn't. I actually consider the story to be more engaging the first Guardian's movie in that regard.
If there are hang-ups I'd probably say it's some of the enemies can be a bit spongy and annoying to fight, particularly when you'd fought the same miniature boss for several rooms straight and are growing tired of that moveset for the ninth time over- but the general faction variety prevents these from becoming overwhelming experience killers and the later game upgrades and perk points eventually create a problem solver for every scenario- even the once tanky mega enemies. You really do feel like a powerhouse team worthy of the title by the late stages. Even the out-of-combat puzzles which can get a bit tedious in the early game as you slowly order your teammates to perform their specific talents to get back certain obstacles becomes an effective narrative device wherein by the end of the game those same teammates are blasting through those same sorts of puzzles as they each automatically step up to resolve those same roadblocks- demonstrating the effectiveness of a well-oiled unit.
As for the actual combat itself, which I once thought to be nothing more than a mindless shooter, there's actually quite a bit going on here that I totally missed back then. You play the team leader in the most literal sense which means directing party members when and where to execute powerful abilities to chain a score multiplier together. Sure you have guns, but given that their effective range lies just a hairs breadth outside of melee rang you'll spend a lot of time dodging and weaving and later chaining elemental attacks in flashy and satisfying combos. The game feels like a blast to fight through, and that is perhaps the most important vertical of the game the team needed to get right- thank god that they did!
Marvel may not have hit gold where they wanted to with the Avengers game they commissioned, but Guardians did such a good job bringing Marvel's latest most beloved super hero family to the forefront I wonder if Marvel themselves didn't feel a little challenged by the quality of it all. Heck, this game did Adam Warlock better than the films did! I know that due to the sales we'll likely never get a well deserved sequel, but perhaps given the quality this team clearly demonstrated they'll one day get the chance to expand on this universe they created with a blank slate. Maybe a Captain Marvel game, or a Nikki Gold standalone? I just wanna keep hope alive.
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