Is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Game Worth It? Review

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game is another superhero game from the studio that was also the developer of Avengers. This time, they are trying to make the wrongs right with the release of their new game. It is not game as a service and is a single-player experience that is devoid of anything online. It is better than Marvel’s Avengers, it seems like developers are trying to gain the trust of players in the superhero genre. Guardians of the Galaxy perfectly nails the feeling of the franchise. It is a good addition to the franchise that has some of the best locations in recent memory. It is a visually impressive experience that throws amazing sceneries at you throughout the playthrough.

The game is a visually impressive experience, has a good story, and is one of the good Marvel games but that’s about it. Gameplay-wise, it is not impressive at all and, it is the weakest aspect of it. Action is mediocre at best that provides a shallow combat experience. It has good combat but, when compared to other aspects of the game, it falls flat. To top it all off, the lack of combat and gameplay verity makes it an okayish experience. The combat and general gameplay are not bad but, it’s not good either it’s just decent enough. Movements are clunky which is just a cherry on top of its mediocre gameplay. Compared to other aspects of the game, the gameplay seems like an afterthought rather than one of the main focuses in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game.

Premise

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game has a decent story that keeps the game interesting. You play as Star-Lord “Peter Quill” and, other characters are just a part of your team. From the beginning of the game, you are part of an already established group. The group has a movie-like feel to them but it is different than that as well. The background from comics is there in the story as you can experience it in different scenes. It does not show the group building up from the ground up but rather starts when they are just getting together. There is a decent amount of back story to how the group came to be.

It follows a different narrative than the movie but the characters have the same tone to them. All of it comes down to comics and, one can see that it relies heavily on the source material. You can even see outfits from different comics all the way up to the original Guardians of the Galaxy. The details of how the group came into existence also follow a different pattern than any other non-comic medium. Characters are funny and, they deal with scenarios light-heartedly. Dialogues can feel cringey but, they do the job of delivering the message.

Despite having funny sequences, the game has a serious story. There are some emotional moments in the game as well that make it interesting. The story is good and, it becomes interesting as you progress. It is not all about the goofiness of Star-Lord and his crew. Sure he can be annoying, but it still feels good. It offers a different presentation of Guardians of the Galaxy than other games. They dn’t sound cliché despite having non-sensible jokes.

Characters and Narrative

Every character in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game has good voice acting. Their acting and personalities are different from each other. Gomora is cool-headed and acts like a big sister to the group. Drax is all about combat and glory as he is always ready to fight. Rocket always finds trouble while Groot will just follow others and say, Groot. Peter Quill is the leader of the team and he can make some messy decisions but everything works out for him in the end.

Villains are not just about ruling everyone with an Iron Fist which is a surprising development. Their motives are much deeper as they genuinely think that everything they are doing is for the good. Even they don’t know that they are doing more harm than good. Your mission is grand and, the enemy is a galactic church. So Guardians of the Galaxy really are guardians who want to save everyone.

Despite being an RPG, none of your decision will have an impact on the ending. However, decisions can impact the near future encounters. Helping a character can help you earn their loyalty and, they will help you in return. Some scenarios can play differently, depending on your choices. One such decision is selling either Groot or Rocket. Depending on what you chose, the outcome is different for the two decisions. So RPG mechanics is not just there for a show unlike other games but, more such scenarios could have made it better.

Setting

The game wants to amaze you from start to finish with amazing sceneries. Environments are lush, vibrant, and full of life that demand admiration. You will want to stop and look at all the beautiful places surrounding you. The game has multiple planets and each planet has a unique setting. Different planets of the galaxy provide a different kind of experience every time. Whenever you come across a new planet there is always something grand and amazing happening in front of you. So every planet is grand, beautiful, and unique. There will always be something big happening in the background as well. Something is always moving the background, which makes the setting look more lively and realistic.

Locations range from hilly areas full of snow, ruins of sentinels, and even the edge of the universe. The game wants to take you on a grand journey across the universe to show you that you really are Guardians of the Galaxy. There are a lot of awestruck moments, which make you want to see what lies ahead in the journey. The more you progress the more it intrigues you to know what is ahead. So the setting is a major part of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game.

Combat

Combat is decent but, it is not the best. It is just good enough and does not serve as one of the main pillars of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game. You can only play as one character Peter Quill (Star-Lord). So don’t expect to play as all of the Guardians.

You can use the four Guardians in combat. You can order them to attack enemies and, they will use their abilities to attack. Each Guardian has four different abilities that you can use against enemies. Initially, there is only one such ability but, you can unlock the rest without much hassle. So you have four guardians and, each one of them has four abilities. The way you control allies makes its gameplay seems like Final Fantasy.

In the beginning, it seems fun but, after the first few hours, it starts to become repeatable. Only a few hours into the game and you will exhaust all that the combat has to offer. Later on, it is just the same thing once you know the team combos. The pattern of combos starts to look repeatable. It’s not like anyone was expecting it to have combat-oriented gameplay but, it is still not good even as a game in general.

Star-Lord and Gunplay

Star-Lord only has blasters, which becomes a drag once you start using it for hours. I understand that these are signature weapons of Star-Lord that hold great significance to his character. However, looking at it from a video game perspective makes it a bad experience due to the lack of overall combat variety.

The availability of more weapons could have made the game a lot better. The music, preference, and everything else in the game want to retain the essence of Star-Lord from comics. So having blasters as the only weapon is expected but it still makes the combat bland.

While playing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game Star-Lord will feel weak. His guns, movements, strength, and abilities portray him as weaker than others. The game wants to show that he really is weak since he is a human. You are more of a leader that needs to strategize.

You have the strength of different characters because you can use them in combat. The combined strength of all five characters is the strength of Peter Quill because he is their leader. You will order them to use abilities or attacks enemies. So strategy can make a huge difference in combat. More gameplay and combat mechanics for Star-Lord could have made it a lot better.

Enemies

Even the enemy verity does not make that much difference, it will start to look like the same thing. Some enemies and bosses have unique mechanics which require you to change strategy. Such sequences are occasional and, with time, even that becomes repeatable. Combat is still easy even against the big bosses and, there is a decent amount of boss fights. The basic problem is that there is not just enough combat verity in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game to keep its combat interesting for long.

In the beginning, you will face the usual enemies that will fight against you in close-quarter combat. Later, you will start facing different types of enemies with a wide variety of moves. You have to make decisions and keep your team together. The combat wants to make you feel like a leader. The game wants you to act like a leader and use strategy to take down enemies.

Upgrades and Customization

There are customization options in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game but, they are not as extensive. The game offers the option of customizing difficulty. There are options to increase enemy resistance, damage, and things like that.

You can use components that you find around in exploration to get perks. Expect for a few, none, of these perks, bring any noticeable change. You will get most of these useful perks early on in the game and, they are not even an optional part of the game. All other perks just make little difference, making customization seem more like a formality. Other guardians can also get more moves but, even that is not satisfactory.

Gameplay

The feeling of the franchise is there and, it truly feels like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game. The team dynamics of different characters with each other are good. Every member feels like a part of the team despite having different personalities. You can see that there are disagreements between team members but, they always support each other. Things will go sideways but as a leader, you have to keep the team together and, fight the threat ahead of you.

The game has a slow opening and, it can take quite some time before you start seeing action. Once that part of the game is over, it starts to become interesting. Its platforming and puzzle-solving elements make it feel like Uncharted. It does not have the same caliber and only shares such similarities in feeling alone. The team play elements and set-piece movements make strategy an important element of its gameplay. It has a decent enough gameplay but, it is not the best.

Teamwork is an important part of the game, both inside and outside the combat. You can tell your allies to shoot or attack. They will also help you in solving the puzzle though these puzzles are not that complicated. Since Star-Lord is human and cannot do supernatural things, you can even tell your allies to move heavy stuff and things like that.

There are a lot of funny moments in the game as mentioned earlier. Silent moments are rare as the game is always brimming with life. Even when you explore, someone will make fun of you for being in the wrong place. Characters are active all the time and do not wait for their turn to say something. They will make comments depending on the things happening on the screen.

Guardians of the Galaxy and Exploration

There are more than 40 outfits in the game for different charters. These outfits bring visual change but don’t have any impact on the gameplay like other such games. Some of these clothes are original while others take inspiration from different comics of the franchise. This collection goes all the back to the original Guardians of the Galaxy.

There is a lot of top tracks from the 80s in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game. This music is a major part of the game. You can hear them as background music or just play it from the Jukebox. The tracks in the games are the best and, some of them are cult classics. I am just amazed at how they got the license for so many top tracks.

Locations look good but, they are not explorable enough. Sure there are secret paths and locations offering collectibles but, they are not good. These secret paths are nothing more than a single street. You only need to spend a couple of seconds in such locations as that’s all the exploration it offers.

Verdict

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a good superhero game. It is the first triple-A Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game that shows the group in a new light. The game looks amazing and has some of the best moments in the franchise. It is amazing looking with good art design and detailed levels. The game is a lot better than my expectation since I was expecting Marvel’s Avengers experience. It is a good linear cinematic experience with some of the best locations among the recent games. Dialogues can feel like a Telltale game experience but it makes the game interesting.

It is a good Marvel-style action game but, its combat is mediocre at best. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of action sequences but, there are not enough combat mechanics. It’s not like one can expect spectacular combat from it. The major issue with its combat is that there isn’t just enough combat verity. There are long and short combat sections with major breaks between them. This creates a pacing issue which can be problematic at times.

Some of the humor in the story can be bad but, it still feels good. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game might not seem fun in the beginning, but it gets better once you get into it. The story has twists and turns, it is good but not over the top so don’t expect a story-driven narrative. It has good role-play elements, gameplay tactics, and a story. If you are looking for a good superhero game then this could be it.

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