Played on the PS5
When Crystal Dynamic launched Marvel’s Avengers, my review impression gave the game a 8/10 calling it a Flawed Triumph – despite its excellent story campaign and very fun gameplay mechanics, the overwhelming consensus was that the game was hollowed and in the multiplayer compartment – leaving much to be desired. This, along a slew of other issues, has led gamers to lose faith in Marvel’s partnership with Square Enix. Well, during said time, several updates and additions were made and Marvel’s Avengers is now in a desirable spot awaiting more content; then Eidos Montreal announces Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy which was met with immediate skepticism despite the game looking absolutely exceptional in it’s debut trailer. It’s so obvious that both Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy were developed by separate teams and still people were bringing it down. Well, I’m here to tell you that not only is Guardians of the Galaxy an excellent game, it’s one of the best overall games I’ve played ever.
Sun-Lord?
Edios Montreal’s Guardians of the Galaxy is an iteration separate from the MCU’s counterparts, and disappointedly separate from the current Marvel’s Spider-Man and Avengers games. A missed opportunity in merging the Gaming Universe into a singular, continuous experience. But that’s fine, there is time for Marvel to make an announcement….one day.
The game’s plot is set after a massive interstellar war against Thanos the Mad Titan, who commanded the Chitauri race against everyone in the Andromeda Galaxy. The war concludes with Thanos’ (alleged) death with the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Nova Corp. Several years later, you find that the Guardians are set to capture a beast that is within Nova Corp. protected redacted zone. Let’s just say, in your nearly 20hr run of this spectacular campaign, you are met with insane surprises that would delight any Marvel fan.
In the typical Guardians of the Galaxy fashion, Groot, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Peter are realized with all of their charm in such an exceptional way; they seem better than you would imagine them to be from the comics, even compared to their MCU counterparts. You can see the sheer love and dedication Eidos put into there personalities and character designs. Throughout your playthrough, the conversation and banter made between the cast is so dynamic and authentic, it’s a joy whenever you hear them talk. Sure, if you move past the world fast enough, you can clip through conversations – but even then the transition is done so well. Kudo’s to the audio engineering team for making it seamless for all types of players.
Guardians Is a linear game with choice mechanics that can give you access to certain missions, or not. It’s a step above the linear structure which is welcoming, but ultimately everything leads to one path. Guardian’s will have you space-trotting through incredible locations richly designed by probably the best environmental team I’ve ever seen. You’re never left feeling monotonous due to the dynamic shifts of situations you’re put in. I can’t stress enough, the characters and environments are so insanely beautiful and detailed, it’s feels like Eidos Montreal were holding back just for this game. Because of its beauty, I’m hoping the next iteration is either and open-world or open zones with re-trackable locations, Metroidvania style.
Additionally, please take the time to explore before continuing main paths – you’ll be incredibly rewarded with some very neat and thoughtful addition to the game.
The Gameplay is Actually Wicked
Guardians of the Galaxy is not a co-op game, it’s not a live-service either – you’ll be controlling Peter Quill; I know, you want to switch between members. I’m actually with the minority, I love that I’m only controlling Peter and commanding the rest – it’s only because it actually makes me feel like I’m leading rather than controlling, and the way Eidos designed the mechanics with the story, some unique surprises happen than I don’t really feel like spoiling because it doesn’t happen often. Heck, the way story is told with how gradual Peter invest into his leadership role, it further amplifies the gameplay mechanic.
As you lead with Peter, you have 4 abilities that is allotted on the face button when holding down L1/LB – which slows down time. This is when you chose an ability, after which there’s a cool down. You can also do the same with the rest of your team and eventually figure out some sick combos. Although you can control your camera, there’s no precise aiming so, it is heavily encouraged to lock-on to your foes during battle. I’m not a huge fan of it, but it makes sense when you’re also combining abilities from 4 other members simultaneously. The controls can take a while to get use to, but once you have it settled, the combat just feels seamless and natural. I’m on my second playthrough with the newly released patch of added ray-traycing and yeah, I love it.
Let’s Appreciate the Design, Please?
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is incredibly gorgeous looking. I mean, truly on the PS5 it looks absolutely next gen. Character models are astonishingly detailed with attention that most developers overlook – facial expressions are well acted and expressive, it almost feels like a Naughty Dog game. Everything down to the textures of the jacket, the subsurface details on the pores of their face, the scruffy beard Peter has, Drax’s pectoral and latissimus dorsi muscles bulging and flexing (it even bounces) is just astonishing. Rocket’s fur is so detailed and realistic alongside Groot having permutations with each of his branch limbs and facial expressions – Eidos did not falter in creating as much love craft as possible.
I did mention how incredible the environmental design is, and Eidos did not miss here either. On your space-trotting adventure you’ll visit some of the most imaginative places ever – truly, it is a magnificent scifi eye candy. From Knowhere to Nova Stations and several planets, Eidos once again, did not falter.
In Conclusion
Eidos Montreal has set out to create one of the best Marvel games you’ll ever play. It is easily my top favorite and with its amazing story, very unique and fun gameplay, absolutely amazing graphics and overall quality of the game – it would be a crime to not experience this game.
REVIEW SCORE: 9.5/10
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