Second Chance in Space

An in-depth review of Guardians of the Galaxy

It's always refreshing to have something exceed your expectations. If something is better than you were anticipating, you tend to get more enjoyment out of it. That was the case with the Guardians of the Galaxy game that was released in September of 2021. The general consensus seemed to be that many were surprised and impressed by it. Now, why is it so surprising that a game based on a popular intellectual property was a hit with critics and fans?

The simple answer is this-something that had been deemed too big to fail…did.

When a video game based on Marvel's Avengers was announced, it was automatically assumed that it would thrive off of its founding material. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and to extent the company in general, had been a mainstay of pop culture discussion for well over a decade at this point. There seemed to be no way that a video game version of the most popular superheroes could crash and burn.

However, it soon became very clear that developers were putting all their faith into the popularity that had been previously earned. Almost immediately after launch the game was derided for its repetitive and simplistic multiplayer that was filled with microtransactions. The campaign was received about as well as the multiplayer. About a year and a half after the game released, I decided to give it a try, figuring that most people had simply been too harsh. I made it through a single hour of the campaign before I shut it off. The game felt dry and seemed to lack heart. Combined with the numerous attempts to gain extra money from consumers, most people walked away with a bitter taste in their mouths. So, when Guardians of the Galaxy was announced with the same developer and publisher, it was immediately met with an overwhelming wave of skepticism.

As much as I love the Guardians, I was hesitant to give the game a try. I ended up buying it at a discount and hoped that I would at least be able to make it through the campaign once. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the studio had greatly taken the criticism of Avengers to heart. The first major difference was that this was a single player experience only, so no live service multiplayer to cause connection issues. Secondly, microtransactions were non-existent. If you preordered the game, you got early access to cosmetic items, but other players were not prohibited from receiving those items.

The most positive aspect of the game was the story. It clearly had comic book roots, but also seemed to understand the core personalities of its characters. One of the defining features of this ragtag bunch is their sense of humor and the game has that in spades. The characters tend to bounce off each other consistently, yet the banter feels natural and relevant to the situation. Thanks to a major plot point of the story (which I won't spoil here) all the major characters are given a chance to have a deeper exploration of their back stories and personalities. It allowed me to connect to the narrative on a more emotional level instead of simply playing through a comic book style story.

The characters’ designs also relied on their comic book counterparts. I was introduced to the Guardians through the MCU, so seeing the characters have notable differences was originally quite jarring. But I quickly adjusted and actually came to enjoy the design choices. But it seems as though the developers were expecting this, as each character has outfits that can be discovered and unlocked, including their costumes from the films.

Peter Quill and Rocket really steal the show

Perhaps the only area where the game seems to stumble is the basic gameplay. That might sound like a pretty big point against the title but allow me to elaborate. The gameplay itself isn't necessarily bad. You play as Peter Quill, with the other members serving as backup. He has two blasters as his main weapons, so a lot of central gameplay revolves around aiming and shooting. The other Guardians can be called upon to help in combat using unique attacks, and being able to combine attacks from multiple team members along with the run and gun gameplay can lead to some satisfying moments. However, it should be said that after several hours through the campaign the main combat tended to feel very repetitive which can dampen the experience.

Peter can call on the team to huddle up. A successful pep talk will give the characters a boost in combat.

And I can't talk about Guardians of the Galaxy without mentioning the soundtrack. The publishers managed to get a hold of some great licensed tracks which you can often change at certain points during the story. Characters even tend to comment on the music. Some of the artists include Billy Idol, Blondie, The Cars, and Bonnie Tyler. There's even a setting in the game's menus that allows players to turn off the licensed music if they are looking to stream the game or capture content to post online so that the video is not taken down for breaking copyright. A minor feature to be sure, but a very considerate one.

These are only a handful of the tracks to choose from. Original music is also included in the game's soundtrack.

This game had so much going up against it considering its studio’s past failure. It's easy for game developers and publishers to focus on particular aspects of a video game such as visuals and narrative and trying to make those aspects as perfect as possible at the expense of other gaming aspects. The highest compliment I can give this game is that it's simply fun. It's a game that I get excited to play which doesn't require me to think too hard or distract me with pretty colors on the screen (although the story and art style are both great). This was a game that allowed me to just enjoy the act of playing the game. Video games are meant to be fun and despite the repetitive game play and the campaign that drags on for just a bit too long, I still manage to be entertained.

So, dig out your Walkman, grab a controller, and get ready to have a blast.

This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming