Upcoming adventure title Guardians of the Galaxy is easily one of the most anticipated games in a month that is, frankly, already stacked. With the October 26 release date imminent, CBR was given an opportunity to get hands-on with the new Eidos-Montréal game, an experience that saw us hanging out with the Guardians for a harrowing encounter aboard a Nova Corps spaceship.

The mission sees the team trying to do right and pay off a Nova Corps fine (though not everyone on the team is on board with this plan), but things quickly go awry as they first encounter the Universal Church of Truth. What follows is a rock and roll adventure that does not stop and a gameplay experience we can’t wait to get more of.

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Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy find a Nova Corps armor bay.

Our session started aboard the Milano, where the game there you right into some world-building. You aren’t on a timer on the Milano; you’re free to explore, whether that be conversing with Groot (via Rocket’s translation) or unlocking new abilities at Rocket’s workstation. The world of Guardians of the Galaxy feels very much alive. Your teammates aren’t just here for window-dressing; they’re characters that exist in this world and have plenty of unprompted, authentic interactions. Rocket and Gamora are quick to give out throughout the mission when Peter missteps and one particularly hilarious moment saw Drax coming at odds with a broken soda machine. It’s humanizing how you speak with and get to know these characters; we really felt like we knew them in our brief time with them, which is what sets the game apart.

It's that notion of setting Guardians apart that gets us hung up. Try as we might, we couldn't help but keep thinking about Marvel's Avengers during the session. Everything about Guardians of the Galaxy, from the epic setpieces to the team-oriented gameplay, feels like what the Avengers team was trying to do. In Guardians, though, it just feels better, more realized. A lot of this comes from the personalities of the characters versus the rather stoic Avengers cast, but the presence of responsive teammates, exciting combo attacks and handcrafted levels results in a much more engaging narrative experience. It's definitely something that could change depending on how the full version of the game handles these interactions and experiences, but the pieces are already in place for Guardians to be one of Marvel's best video game experiences to date.

Despite that stellar combat, though, most of our playtime wasn’t spent engaged in combat. Instead, we spent a good chunk of the session exploring, solving puzzles and taking in the world that was presented to us. We knew Eidos-Montréal was aiming for an experience focused on getting to know the team, but the quiet moments of just walking down a hallway and having a conversation were some of the most memorable. From speaking with the crew of the Milano to exploring the Nova Corps base, it felt almost like a classic adventure game. There are a million little things to find, from easter eggs that will give you a chuckle to lore dumps to expand upon the world.

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The Guardians of the Galaxy face off with the Nova Corps in the upcoming action game.

That combat wasn’t far away, though. Exploring the facility reveals Nova Corps soldiers who appear to be brainwashed and the introduction of the Universal Church of Truth. Combat in initial previews looked like it was very Devil May Cry-ish character action, but it’s something of an RPG experience. Star-Lord’s in charge of running and gunning, wielding a few different abilities like an ice shot and a charged shot, but you’ll have on-the-fly control of the Guardians through a single interaction button. Tapping once pulls up the Guardian’s available abilities, from where you can select the attack they’ll do. There’s plenty of variety, from Groot slowing enemies with a string of vines to Gamora and Drax hacking away with bladed weapons. Outside of this, context-sensitive commands allow you to direct the Guardians to interact with the environment, including throwing explosive barrels.

Once the combat starts, it’s an incredible thrill ride. Music is blaring, enemies are lining up and once you get the flow of combat down, the Guardians become a well-oiled machine. Enemies were no pushover, providing just enough of a challenge that we needed the entire team in order to survive. It just feels good to maneuver around the battlefield, dispatching your teammates to dish out damage while lining up shots from across the field. What's more, your teammates are responsive. We never had an issue with anyone ignoring a command or teammates getting lost. In fact, we noticed oftentimes the Guardians would blatantly teleport to a spot when we needed them somewhere, such as throwing a barrel. This may have just been a quirk of the early access build we played but, although distracting, it never really ruined the gameplay experience for us.

Related: Guardians of the Galaxy’s New Dev Video Teases Huddle System, Licensed Music

The Guardians of the Galaxy show off alternate costumes in the upcoming game.

We were able to stay engaged because the teamwork makes the combat feel organic and fun, so much so that little quibbles like teleporting characters didn't really distract us. There's character dripping from every facet of this game. For the combat, that's the huddle system. When the gauge is full, the team comes in for a quick conversation ranging from complaints about how poorly the fight is going to enthusiasm over how quickly their enemies are falling. The huddle is a fun mechanic that rewards you by cranking the tunes up to 11 afterward, but its yet another opportunity to really understand what your characters are thinking and feeling. That level of insight is rare in a game like this; getting to know the team really is the focus of the story.

The chapter we played ended with a massive battle, as Star-Lord tried to free the Milano while waves of enemies rushed in. The battles got pretty frantic, but it never felt overwhelming with Guardians dishing out damage from every direction and classic rock blaring. There’s a lot of character and heart in Guardians so far, resulting in an experience we cannot stop thinking about. Fortunately, players won’t have to wait too much longer for the full version. Guardians of the Galaxy -- which recently went Gold -- releases October 26 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Keep Reading: Is Guardians of the Galaxy Teasing the Appearance of a Classic Team Member?