Announced at E3 2021, Guardians of the Galaxy arrived after the disappointing Avengers, causing many fans to be wary. Bringing together the most unlikely group in Marvel, the title has already demonstrated in its first trailer that it would have its own version of the characters, just as it was with the Avengers.
The public's fears were justified in a way, as, like Avengers, the new game carried the Square Enix name. However, it is also true that while Crystal Dynamics was responsible for the previous title, the developer behind Guardians is the excellent Eidos Montréal.
Now, we already know the result. Guardians of the Galaxy has nothing of Avengers, having a lot even from a consecrated franchise: Mass Effect. Getting your decisions right, the title is the hero game we deserve.
A great version of the Guardians
If James Gunn presented us with an excellent version of Guardians of the Galaxy in theaters, Eidos Montréal delivered another one in video games. With the Spanish dubbing, the connection with the characters can become even stronger, as we have the voices known in the roles. However, the charisma of the team members goes far beyond the voices we hear.
It's not hard to jump right into the game, making every moment of interaction between the characters something the player wants to keep checking back for hours and hours. The fact that the title chooses to allow the player to make decisions and choose dialogue options works very well, since it is extremely satisfying to feel that you are really participating in the conversations, discussions and team moments.
In addition, there is excellent team development. While the game's plot addresses specific issues of each character to develop them, including in a way that results in an interesting point of gameplay, the team's relationship goes through many stages, with a natural rhythm being perceived by the player. Therefore, it becomes interesting to see how the interactions change and to see how the characters begin to see each other as the game progresses.
The interaction between characters even shines, with a lot of dialogue that is really interesting and says a lot about each of the Guardians, while teasing and jokes dictate the pace of development of the relationship. Also, it's interesting to see how the companions react to what you do, like the moment Rocket stated that a path was a dead end and I decided to check it out, which resulted in the raccoon making a mockery of being right.
Peter Quill did not command
When it was announced that we would only play with the team leader, many players were somewhat disappointed, believing that such a decision would waste the potential of the other characters on the team. However, now I see that the choice was extremely right.
Controlling only Peter Quill, we have a character to "call our own", which automatically makes us see each situation in the title according to the character's perspective, in fact assuming that role. In a title that allows choices, the idea works by itself. In Guardians, I had the feeling that this decision was extremely important for us to be able to stick to important details of the plot, as well as feeling in the role of the leader made the evolution / development of characters, and the team in general, to be more satisfying. The game allows the player to feel the feeling of being part of a team, with relationships becoming stronger by the moment, something that would perhaps lose strength if we didn't have a single character to "play". In Guardians, you're Peter Quill, and that's awesome!
Excellent team combat
Still talking about the fact that Quill is the only playable one, I should also mention that this fact doesn't take away the shine of any of the Guardians, being also one of the reasons that make the title combat shine.
Gamora, Groot, Drax and Rocket are not useless characters, even being the complete opposite. During battles, team members are in constant action, without "pretending" that they are fighting opponents. There is also a strong sense of team bonding in these moments.
In addition, Quill can give orders to his teammates, opting for abilities that are unlocked with points acquired during gameplay. The mechanics work perfectly, which was satisfying since it was one of my concerns. Opening the character wheel to choose a skill is quick and practical, as choosing which move to use can also be done in a matter of seconds or less.
It is possible to perform combos, such as asking Groot to trap opponents with roots, while Rocket hits them with heavy fire. The possibilities are varied, as the combat proves to be a lot of fun. Peter Quill's great movement, extremely free and unrestrained, also makes the combat shine.
Quill in turn also gains new elemental shots, for his weapons, throughout the journey, with these being unlocked only as the story progresses - the character also has skills unlocked with points -. This element works very well in the intention of making the gameplay varied, with each new element unlocked being useful not only in combat, but also for other moments of exploration and solving small puzzles.
Speaking of combat, the game is efficient not only in using Guardians or Quill's excellent shots, but also delivers great melee moves. Quill's excellent movement makes hitting enemies as interesting as shooting them, which even results in quick and automatic combos with other characters, thus making the feeling that the entire group is important and fights together even stronger.
Guardians present at all times
The other Guardians are present at all times, completely dispelling the idea of wasted characters. Already mentioned here as one of the main reasons for the quality of combat, the characters also have constant participation in every moment of the game, including exploration and puzzle solving.
Quill can order the other Guardians to perform tasks that will help along the way, like dropping something heavy or slicing something in front of them, for example. Just like in combat, each Guardian has their own style, as is the case with Drax who is the strong man of the group and can help carry heavy objects, or Gamora who is skilled enough to allow Quill to reach high places.
This element of using characters is frequent in the game, with some situations being simpler and others a little more complex, but always fun. In addition to working very well in gameplay, the use of characters in these moments also serves to strengthen the sense of importance of the entire team.
Great use of characters
Eidos Montréal knew how to take advantage of the characters at hand, fitting each one of them convincingly both in the plot and in the gameplay, with this set working very well and delivering an excellent team dynamic.
A bit of Mass Effect
As someone who considers Mass Effect 2 the second best game ever, I'm happy to write that Guardians of the Galaxy has a bit of Mass Effect.
For starters, the moments we have on Milano - the Guardians' ship - are reminiscent of the moments we spent on the iconic Normandy, as Quill can freely roam around the ship, which has different rooms and rooms, while listening to random characters' conversations and can also interact directly with them at various times.
While we are at Milano, there is a strong feeling of "being at home", as was the case in Normandy, with these moments being pleasant and interesting, and being able to offer good dialogues.
In addition, because it is a space adventure, Guardians shines - less than Mass Effect, but still shines - in delivering various races found in the galaxy. Not revealing more to avoid spoilers, but there's even a specific location that took me back to the Shepard franchise, while, in the role of Quill, I explored the location in question carefully, observing different races, checking out minigames, listening to random stories. in conversations with other characters and even participating in an optional moment that I might have missed if I hadn't explored it carefully.
The system of choices and dialogue options is also reminiscent of the BioWare franchise, although in Guardians those elements don't cause as many changes as your decisions can in Shepard's journey. Much less actually. Still, making decisions proves to be interesting, even more so because the player always thinks about how the team will react to each one. In addition, many of these decisions also include whether or not to defend a character in discussions, something that plays very well with team dynamics.
However, it is worth remembering that despite the similarities, there are many differences. Unlike Mass Effect, Guardians of the Galaxy does not allow the player to freely explore different planets at any time, making it a more linear game. So, enjoy each stage of the game and check out everything that each location has to offer!
Little problems
In my journey, I've had few issues with Guardians of the Galaxy, most of them being rather annoying little bugs. I saw Star-Lord crash in the middle of combat, with the use of an ability luckily being enough to get him "back to being free". Just like at one point I was forced to load the game again, because a bug was causing me to not be able to move forward.
Visual bugs such as buttons for certain actions remaining on the screen longer than they should have been a bit common as well. However, luckily with updates Eidos will be able to fix the title easily.
The verdict
Guardians of the Galaxy is the hero game we deserve. Eidos Montréal opted for smart choices to define what kind of journey it would offer players.
The title delivers a well-written plot full of emotional moments, exploring the personality, traumas and differences of each team member very well, which results in a satisfying plot. In addition, the team is also very well used in terms of gameplay, leaving at every moment the feeling that all heroes are important. In this regard, Eidos also knew how to offer different characteristics of the characters, but with each one of them fitting into a whole as a team.
Delivering an atmosphere similar to the movies, including many jokes and great old songs, the game offers its own version of the Guardians, and I must say that this version is as interesting as the one in the cinemas, with characters perhaps that have a development even superior, while the differences seem to be explored more carefully - perhaps because a game offers more time for it -.
In other words, Guardians of the Galaxy is excellent. The game shines as a hero title and comes close to something grandiose like the Mass Effect franchise, being a very mature and robust result of Eidos' work. I hope we're seeing the beginning of a great universe, as the future is really exciting if that turns out to be true.
Note: 9.3 / 10
Pros:
- great fight
- All Guardians are very well used in gameplay
- Interaction between characters
- team dynamics
Cons:
- some bugs
Review made on PlayStation 5, with a copy provided by Square Enix*
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