September 16, 2024

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (the video game)

By Eidos Montreal / Square Enix - Square Enix, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67954937

I finished playing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is the action-adventure game released in 2021 and based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name. Most people that are familiar with GotG are familiar with the trilogy of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, and I have certainly enjoyed these movies. I heard many rumblings about the video game, and so I picked the game up on sale and played the single-player campaign, and here are my thoughts.

The most surprising thing about the Guardians of the Galaxy video game is that the overall story is genuinely excellent. The narrative, writing, dialogue, and voice-acting was impressive. The thing that would make or break the game for me if the video game successfully captured the tone and atmosphere of the comic books and movies, and the video game did that. I know that it would be too expensive to have the movie actors come back and provide the voice acting for the video game, but I think the voice actors for the video game did a great job giving the personality to the characters. There were many times in the script writing, the dialogue, and the voice acting where I would just laugh aloud. In terms of humor, this was one of the best games I have played in some time. GotG's story also has its fair share of heavy and intimate moments, which was great in balancing out the more light-hearted moments. 

You also cannot have a Guardians of the Galaxy game without the time-period soundtrack, which was such a big thing in the movies. There is a collection of 70s and 80s licensed songs that you can listen to, and some of these songs even weave their way into some of the cut-scenes as well, further elevating the story.

Unfortunately, things are not all good for the Guardians of the Galaxy video game. The overall gameplay of the GotG game is basic and underwhelming. I am particularly disappointed in the combat system, as there is not much input on defeating your enemies. You just run around and hold the shoot button while occasionally hitting a few more buttons to use the abilities of your fellow Guardians. The game is linear in nature with some light platforming and puzzle-solving, both of which is basic. Maybe the one thing that I liked a little bit about the gameplay is that there are decisions you can make throughout the game that can affect the story and your gameplay experience later in your playthrough. Honestly, if it was not for the strength of the story, the characters, and the writing, I probably would have stopped playing this game mid-playthrough.

My final thoughts on the Guardians of the Galaxy video game are the following. There is an amazing story, as well as an excellent narrative and writing. However, the disappointing gameplay unfortunately balances the bad with the good. In terms of “superhero” video games, GotG is in no ways better than the Spider-Man games made by Insomniac, or the Batman “Arkham” trilogy of games. However, if you want to scratch the superhero itch in video game form, the Guardians of the Galaxy video game is worth a look to experience the story by itself.

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