FROM ZEROES TO HEROES
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review

In the expansive tapestry of Marvel's vast universe, few teams have resonated with audiences quite like the unconventional ensemble known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Renowned for their irreverent humor, unexpected heroism, and heartfelt camaraderie, these cosmic misfits have endeared themselves to fans across comics and cinema alike. Now, Eidos-Montréal invites players to embark on an exhilarating new chapter alongside Star-Lord and his eclectic crew in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. This third-person action-adventure promises an intoxicating mix of sharp-witted banter, pulse-pounding combat sequences, and a narrative brimming with unexpected twists and emotional depth.


GAMEPLAY (8/10):
The player takes on the role of Star-Lord (Peter Quill) but commands the entire team, utilizing each member’s unique abilities in combat and puzzle-solving scenarios. The combat system is dynamic and encourages strategic thinking. As Star-Lord, you can use your elemental guns, jet boots, and melee attacks. Simultaneously, you issue commands to Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Gamora, each with distinct skills such as heavy attacks, healing, and crowd control. The Huddle mechanic allows for mid-battle pep talks, which can provide temporary buffs based on your dialogue choices. The game features semi-open levels where exploration is rewarded with collectibles, crafting components, and hidden lore. Puzzles are integrated into the environment, often requiring the Guardians to work together, leveraging their specific talents to progress. Throughout the game, players collect resources to upgrade abilities and equipment. While the customization is not as deep as some RPGs, it offers enough variety to tailor combat and exploration styles.

GRAPHICS AND ATMOSPHERE (9/10):
The game excels in its visual presentation, offering a vibrant and colorful universe. Character models are detailed, capturing the essence of the Guardians without relying on the likenesses from the MCU. The diverse alien environments are lush and imaginative, bringing the cosmic setting to life. The atmosphere is enriched by detailed environments, from bustling spaceports to eerie alien landscapes. Each location feels unique, with attention to detail that adds depth to the world-building. The game runs smoothly on next-gen consoles and high-end PCs, though there may be occasional frame rate drops on older hardware. The visual effects, especially in combat, are impressive and add to the chaotic fun.

SOUND AND MUSIC (10/10):
The voice acting is top-notch, with each actor bringing their character to life with humor, emotion, and personality. The dialogue is witty and true to the Guardians' banter, making interactions feel genuine and engaging. The sound design is equally impressive, with satisfying auditory feedback for combat, environmental sounds that enhance immersion, and unique audio cues for each Guardian’s abilities. The soundtrack is a highlight, featuring a mix of licensed '80s hits and an original score that captures the spirit of the Guardians. The licensed tracks are used effectively, especially during key moments and the Huddle mechanic, providing a nostalgic and energetic boost to the gameplay.

STORY AND CHARACTERS (8/10):
The story is a compelling space adventure that balances humor, drama, and action. It explores themes of family, trust, and redemption, giving each Guardian a moment to shine. The plot is well-paced, with twists and emotional beats that keep players invested. Each member of the Guardians is well-developed, with personal arcs that add depth to the narrative. The dynamic between the characters is a core strength of the game, driving much of the humor and emotional resonance.

GAME LENGTH AND COMPLETION TIME (6/10):
The main campaign typically takes around 15-20 hours to complete, depending on the player’s pace and exploration habits. For those who enjoy completing side missions, finding all collectibles, and unlocking all upgrades, the game offers an additional 5-10 hours of content. Completionists can expect a total playtime of around 20-30 hours.

CONCLUSION AND SCORE:
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a delightful and engaging adventure that successfully captures the spirit of the beloved misfit team. Its strong narrative, excellent character work, and thrilling combat mechanics make it a essential experience for fans of the Marvel universe. The game's vibrant visuals, superb sound design, and nostalgic soundtrack further enhance the experience, creating a well-rounded and memorable journey through the cosmos. However, the game is not without its shortcomings. The main campaign, while engaging and well-paced, may feel a bit short for players who prefer longer, more expansive adventures. While the side missions and collectibles add some additional playtime, the overall experience feels like it ends just as the player is fully immersed in the Guardians' universe. Despite these minor criticism, Guardians of the Galaxy remains a highly entertaining and heartfelt game that fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will enjoy.

SCORE: 8.1/10

Really fun game, wish i played it earlier as its been sitting in my library for a couple years now.
Combat is very fun and comboing is very satisfying.
Story is really good, and the characters are entertaining.
Soundtrack is great, though I did get rickrolled many times throughout the game

However it doesnt have huge replayability as some of the walking sections with dialogue can be fairly long, which is fine the first time round but on replaying it can be a bit of a slog at times (definitely try to find all the collectibles and get all the call to action achievements the first time round so you dont have to replay if you plan to 100%)

This game is a master piece. It makes players feel as if they are Starlord in a universe that mixes comedy, tragedy and adventure and it just feels right. Even if you are not big fun of marvel, you will enjoy this jewel.
Big yes for this one.

Great story and gameplay, as long as you don't mind a relatively linear story. Didn't run well at all on Steam Deck OLED. Tried putting all settings to low and capping FPS at 35! Waited 1:30 for one cut scene to end, have screen shot to prove it. If you're buying for SD, don't! Ruined what would have been a good experience.

Actual ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ slop

I honestly wasn't expecting to love this game at first, I tried to pick it up a few times but always got distracted by another game and no one I knew had said anything about this one to make me really want to lock in on it, especially with Peter being the only playable character. But once I did, I fell completely in love.
The story takes so much inspiration from the comics while giving you the comedy and character dynamics you know from the movies, and adds incredible game play and music that ties in amazingly (the music does get repetitive but all the story beats they hit with the songs they have makes up for it imo)
The story is amazing. The fighting and gameplay is amazing. The comedy is amazing. If you've doubted this game, don't. I got goosebumps and laughed out loud more times playing this than my first time playing Spider-Man PS4, and that's saying a lot.

Fun but short

The best Marvel experience in recent years. The action and story is fun and engaging.

Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) is a surprisingly special game. Most tie-in games--whether novel, movie, whatever--suck. It's really that simple. I actually read a few GotG comics back in the day and could hardly believe it when James Gunn managed to make a successful MCU film with those characters. To me that was Marvel basically demonstrating they could make anything good, which after years of DC screw-ups was a true shocker. But enough about all that.

The GotG game is an odd beast. I'm inclined to say it's almost a genre unto itself: a third-person AI-team action game or something. It would be easy enough to call it a "third-person shooter" because we've had plenty of those, but it's just not. Yes the camera is in third person, and yes there is a good bunch of shooting, but if that's what you're doing you're playing it wrong. The game would be a fairly mediocre shooter, but you'll have a lot more fun focusing on all the ways you can use your team in combat instead.

One of your better tools to help them is surely through using Peter Quill's element guns, either with their normal fire modes or via one of the four elements, but the biggest chunk of the fun to be had is in using your teammates. Pin them in place with Groot, or knock them all off balance with Drax, then blow them all up with Rocket, slaughter the biggest foe with Gamora, provide spiked-root enemas for all, or just enjoy watching Rocket jump into a mech and gun down everything with gleeful malice.

It took a while for the game to click with me. I loved the amazing environments and sense of wonder and exploration immediately, but for a long time I kept approaching it as a shooter and using my teammates only occasionally. That was a mistake. Abilities recharge more quickly than I realized, have more syngergies than I recognized, and are far more fun overall. It was only when I leaned into Peter Quill being a fully-engaged leader, calling the shots from start to finish in a fight, that it all came together beautifully.

I think the "huddle up" mechanic is uniquely emblematic of the game. When available, you can call everybody into an honest-to-goodness team huddle in the middle of combat, listen to what they say, and then give them exactly the kind of inspirational pep talk they need. The damage bonuses and defensive buff are helpful, but it's really the randomly selected 80s soundtrack tune playing in the background that makes this absolutely hilarious to use. Like I found myself fighting arguably the biggest, baddest monster in all Marvel lore to the tune of "Don't Worry, Be Happy", which had me laughing so hard I was in tears.

Yes, the game has a few quirks and bugs. There were a couple times I had to restart from the previous checkpoint because one of the guardians had disappeared or something similarly wonky. And I sure wish it was easier to skip certain cut scenes as they can drag on a bit and slow things down at times. But I'm very glad I invested the time to finish GotG and enjoy it for what it is. The moment to moment dialogue in particular is stellar and suits the characters beautifully. And the story arcs you forge genuinely make a difference in the way the team comes together over time, from a fractious pack of malcontents at the outset to a laughing, joking, team of dear friends by the end.

If you like the GotG comics or movies at all, and are willing to put some time into learning the team aspects, then this game is a blast.

constant frame drop to 1-2 fps, and always in cutscenes. the issue fixes itself for a while by restarting the game but it doesn't work anymore in chapter 12