It's been a good couple of years for comic book-related superhero games. The genre blew up in the '00s with hits like Batman: Arkham Asylum and X-Men Legends, but it didn't last too long. Recently, games like Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Avengers have lit up the charts; with Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League on the horizon, the genre looks better than ever.
Nestled comfortably in there is Eidos-Montréal's latest effort, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Announced as somewhat of a surprise over the summer with a frighteningly imminent release date, comic fans and gamers alike instantly took notice. There are a lot of moving parts here that, much like the Guardians, should really work against each other. Instead, Eidos-Montréal has created a flarking masterpiece. Guardians of the Galaxy is a rock and roll adventure that has us itching for a second playthrough.
Guardians kicks off with the team down on their luck, trying to find a way to make some fast cash. The most recent plan involves catching a fearsome beast to sell to the infamous Lady Hellbender, but that plan backfires. The team winds up captured by the Nova Corps and slapped with a fine. Now with a time limit before their ship is shut down, the Guardians have three cycles to find enough money to pay the Nova Corps back.
It's a perfectly fine setup for a video game, which makes it all the more interesting as a distraction for the real plot (which we, obviously, won't be spoiling the finer details of here). When the Universal Church of Truth starts slowly taking over the galaxy, the Guardians have no choice but to step up and save the day...after all, it's the only way they'll get their fine paid. What follows is a story full of twists and surprises. The gameplay for our run clocked in at around 20 hours, but the story genuinely never rests on its laurels. Every chapter is rife with twists and adventure, and it all kept us engrossed right through the end credits -- so much so that it was hard not to fire it up again and start over in New Game +.
A lot of that is because the story exists solely to support the gameplay you'll experience on the sticks. Going from the Milano to the many alien worlds you'll explore is seamless as you move from hanging out with the Guardians on the ship to hanging out with them in gameplay sequences. We felt a real connection with the characters we met, both in and out of combat, and it gave us a sense of genuine investment in the goings-on of this world. While the game's take on the Guardians skews closer to the comics, these are still wholly original versions of five classic Marvel characters; they're instantly recognizable whether you're a fan of the comics or the movies, but they're just different enough that they'll still surprise you. While it was a little odd at first, we grew to love them as much, if not more than the other versions we've known over the years. That appreciation for character doesn't stop that the Guardians, either. Some pretty significant Marvel characters show up throughout the game -- more than you've seen in the trailers so far, and some for the first time ever in a video game. These are treated with all the gravitas worthy of their debuts, some of which will certainly leave a lasting impression on you.
As for the actual exploration, it is a fairly linear, breezy experience. There's never a real fear of being lost, but there are offshoots to explore and plenty of paths that require another team member's help to traverse. As the game carries on, you'll find more and more of these, and your team will begin to grow closer to anticipating your needs. Most levels present a challenge in the form of puzzle encounters and bosses who have gimmicks you'll have to solve to proceed, but it's never about chasing waypoints or finding McGuffins. The game will seldom have you wander down a path just for the sake of wandering down that path, something far more respectful of your time and attention than similar experiences have been as of recent. Exploring the world is more about getting to know the universe, the characters and reflecting on where the plot is taking you next. There are still plenty of easter eggs, but they really just serve as fun nods or potential teases. Unlike other games, which rely on finding meaningless collectibles like comic book covers or obscure trophies to learn backstory, Guardians puts the narrative front and center, making sure you're always aware of what's going on and why it's important.
If you don't get to know your fellow Guardians throughout the engaging story missions, you'll get to know them in combat. The Guardians are incredible to fight alongside, thanks to a mix of flashy, hard-hitting abilities and good-old-fashioned fisticuffs. Star-Lord is plenty competent on his own, but you'll be a bit of a glass cannon early on. It's essential to lean on your teammates to help whittle down shields and capitalize on weak points. There's truly a sense of accomplishment that comes with identifying a weak spot to exploit or finding the right environmental object to help you. When everything lines up perfectly and you're wailing on an incapacitated enemy with one attack after another while their health bar melts, you'll start to feel like you're seeing the team grow before your eyes. As the game carries on, the Guardians get new abilities and Star-Lord's health and skills are upgraded, making the team an unbeatable force. It does occasionally get chaotic, and some fights early on were particularly frustrating because story beats would rob you of a character or fit you with a handicap, but once you get the hang of combat, it just clicks.
It sounds like a lot, and it is. In all honesty, the game just should not work, but Eidos-Montréal has really made something magical. Everything comes together in spectacular fashion, especially in the late game. As you march into battle, with your teammates unleashing massive attacks at your beck and call, all while the best rock and roll soundtrack in a modern video game is blasting at full volume, it just feels incredible. You feel like an absolute badass, and that is your reward for taking the time to do things right. This is a game that deserves to be played while you're wearing a pair of nice headphones so you can enjoy the thumping soundtrack paired with the sarcastic comments of the Guardians as you play.
Bar none, Guardians is one the best experiences we've played this year and a serious contender for game of the year. While the game's preference to skew towards the comics iterations of the characters over the more well-known Marvel Cinematic Universe versions may put off some players, the game succeeds in making you love these versions of the characters as their own unique beings. Similar comic book games of late may be leaving gamers feeling burned, but Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy stands apart from the pack with an earnest attempt at telling a strong, single-player narrative with engaging combat and unforgettable music. Much like the Guardians, all these pieces fall perfectly into place to create something remarkable and unforgettable that every Guardians fan new and old can come together to appreciate.
Developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases October 26 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch. CBR was provided with a copy of the game by the publisher for review purposes.