Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy carves out its own identity and loses it in the chaos

Date:
Wed, 22 Sep 2021 13:00:01 +0000

Description:
Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy is a musical thrill, but its let down by chaotic combat.

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It looks like the odds are stacked against us: Rocket and Groot crouch
injured in the corner, while Gamora and Drax fend off waves of shielded cultists some armed with electric mines. But while the Guardians of the Galaxy might be down, dont count us out quite yet. Its time for a pep talk,
to get this madcap band of renegades back together and fighting fit. As their enigmatic leader Star-Lord (aka Peter Quill) that job lands on me, and Im (mostly) happy to take it.

I gather the Guardians around in a Huddle, an ability that has been unlocked during the fight, and listen to their concerns about the current situation. Theres too many of em, Rocket tells me, while some of the others bicker among each other. Presented with two choices I reassure them that we have each others backs and they break the huddle satisfied. Great work, Quill.

Suddenly, I hear the all too familiar sounds of an iconic guitar riff as Rainbows Since You Been Gone begins to blast fortuitous, as I had been listening to the band on my way to play Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy . Its enough to give both Quill and the Guardians a boost, lifting Groot and Rocket from their fallen states and giving me the much-needed energy I need on a Thursday afternoon. As I blast each enemy which crosses my path, or set one
of my comrades on them when Im feeling a bit lazy, I find myself singing along: Since you been gone! Blast. Im out of my head, cant take it! Pew.

Its a bizarre combination: 80s rock music combined with galactic creatures fighting on a spaceship overrun with cultists. And thats what makes it quintessentially Guardians of the Galaxy. How to watch the Marvel movies in order A whole new galaxy (Image credit: Square Enix)

"Quill, meanwhile, is the cocky but well-intentioned leader of this colorful bunch, constantly presented with the choice of what to say that will be best for his team with his decision ultimately resulting in a positive or
negative reaction. Its a chaotic house and Quill is the exhausted mother."

Ill be honest, I wasnt sold on Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy game from its initial trailers. Part of that skepticism was because Square Enix had burnt
me once before with Marvels Avengers and, as a Marvel fan, I didnt want to
get my hopes up once again. It was also, perhaps, because whether I like it or not seeing another interpretation of the beloved Guardians, that differs from the MCU, is a somewhat difficult transition to make.

So I went into my hands-on session with Guardians of the Galaxy with trepidation, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. And, to a degree, I was.

I jumped into Guardians of the Galaxy about four hours in. The Guardians had just escaped the clutches of Lady Hellbender and were on course to Nova Corps to pay a fine they owed standard. But, before actually heading to Nova Corp, youre given the option to explore the Guardians spaceship, the Milano, and to chat to your fellow Guardians, unearthing more about their backstories. Its reminiscent of Mass Effect, though with a much smaller area to explore.

What may irk some players is that Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy is set within a universe of Eidos Montreals own creation, inspired by the comics, movies and TV shows, rather than one specifically based on existing Marvel canon. The game is set 12 years after a massive galactic war initiated by the Chitauri, a race of shape-shifting aliens, which sent ripples through the galaxy and had a lasting effect on each of our Guardians.

As Quill (the games playable character), you can explore the rooms of each Guardian, before picking up an artifact that belongs to them and having a conversation with the Guardian linked to the item about its significance. Its a nice way to integrate this new universe lore, putting the comedy to the
side for a moment and allowing you to dig deeper into the characters many of whom have pretty traumatic backstories while also making Guardians appear more human. It does, however, at times feel slightly shoehorned in. Im not quite sure why Rocket Racoon would keep the spinal control device that tortured him out in the open, or why Quill would keep his Chiaturi prisoner handcuffs on the bedside table. Regardless, its helpful in acquainting
players with this new universe.

Each of the Guardians, too, acts exactly as you would hope. Drax is too literal, Rocket sarcastic but brilliant, Gamora takes no crap and Groot is well Groot? The bickering between them often results in brilliant one-liners, some of which had me laughing out loud. Quill, meanwhile, is the cocky but well-intentioned leader of this colorful bunch, constantly presented with the choice of what to say that will be best for his team with his decision ultimately resulting in a positive or negative reaction. Its a chaotic house and Quill is the exhausted mother. Chaotic combat (Image credit: Square Enix)

Its in its combat that Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy begins to falter. I dropped into the game, as I said before, a few hours in, after undergoing a separate tutorial. But, still, there is a lot to take in and implementing it all (never mind remembering it) in the throws of battle isnt easy.

"Its in its combat that Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy begins to falter....there is a lot to take in and implementing it all (never mind remembering it) in the throws of battle isnt easy."

Star-Lords primary weapon is his element gun which, during our preview, only had a freeze ability unlocked. Star-Lord can shoot normally, but can also use the freeze element when needed (its particularly useful against enemies with shields). However, locking onto enemies (L2 on PS5) requires holding down the lock-on button, which can become a somewhat frustrating and tiring exercise for your finger when youre also having to hold on to the shooting button (R2 on PS5) a test even for those without dexterity issues. Theres no option to toggle lock either.

Guardian abilities, too, suffer from a similar issue. You can command a specific Guardian to perform an attack (or interact with something in the world) using L1 on PS5 and then holding it in while you select the shape-button representing the Guardian you wish to pick. However, in the
midst of combat, I found this left me open for attack quite a bit. I was trying to keep moving with the left analog stick, while I was selecting a Guardian with L1 and Triangle, for example, all at the same time with movement often inevitably falling to the wayside. If you then throw in the aforementioned Huddle, stunning, a bar that lets you quickly reload ammo if you hit it in time, combined Guardian attacks and the other combat elements that I have already forgotten, and youve got too many cooks in the kitchen and it doesnt make the meal more interesting.

Combat isnt only needlessly convoluted, but it can often be a bit boring
even with this bombardment of features. However, there is an option to create upgrades with Rocket at the workbench to cater your approach more to your playstyle.

What did feel exciting was the Huddle feature. I anxiously anticipated its arrival each battle, wondering which licensed 80s song would soundtrack my fight next. New Kids on the Blocks Hangin Tough? Check. Europes The Final Countdown? Check. Its the part that made the combat actually interesting and felt like the only aspect of the combat that was unique to Guardians of the Galaxy. I just wish there had been more moments like that though perhaps
they wouldnt have had the same effect if they were two-a-penny. Not entirely convinced (Image credit: Square Enix)

Im still not entirely sure of what to make of Marvels Guardians of the
Galaxy. I enjoyed my time with it and am intrigued as to what Eidos Montreal has planned for its own unique narrative take on the galactic renegades. But, apart from the occasional Huddle, theres nothing about the gameplay that got me truly excited. While the choices are interesting, they dont seem to affect how the game actually plays out.

Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy risks repeating the mistakes of Marvels Avengers if its campaign mode and story arent well-paced and intriguing and from what Ive played I couldnt tell you whether this is the case. But it also risks making some of its own mistakes. Marvels Avengers at least had tight, great-feeling character combat that made it feel like you were really one of Earths Mightiest Heroes something Guardians of the Galaxy seems to lack.

I only got to play an hour and a half of Guardians of the Galaxy and my previous trepidation around its release hasnt completely subsided. The next Marvel outing boasts some brilliant ideas that feel like they should have
been the focus of the game, but lacks in a key area: combat.

Hopefully, Eidos Montreal has created a universe that will make up for this shortcoming or well see a tightening of combat ahead of release on October
26, 2021. At the very least, Im certainly looking forward to hearing which classic anthem Quills Walkman will roll out next. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 : everything we know about the long-awaited PS5 sequel



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