Guardians Of The Galaxy Deserves More Love Than It Got

I don’t believe Marvel’s potential has been utilized to the full in the vast landscape of the video gaming world, save for a few titles that are dripping in quality (I’m talking about you Insomniac). Take Marvel’s Avengers for instance; not only was that game botched right from the start on multiple levels, but it went on to commit another sin that the majority of us overlooked when it was time.

The failure of Marvel’s Avengers killed off anticipation for the breath of fresh air that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was, and that’s just sad.

Going through the story-driven campaign of Guardians of the Galaxy for the second time three years after its release, I believe this one didn’t get the love it truly deserved and just slipped under the radar of many for unjust reasons. Before I expand my case further, let’s take a brief look at everything that Guardians of the Galaxy brought to the table, leaving only a small room for improvement.

A Single-Player Marvel Game Done Right 

So while Insomniac has set the bar really really high for what a single-player superhero game can achieve with its magisterial line-up of the Spider-Man games, namely Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, I wager Eidos-Montreal did a remarkable job with the Guardians just as well. 

Unique, Unrivaled Storytelling

I can’t find a soul out there who doesn’t praise Guardians of the Galaxy’s incredibly well-told storyline, which seemingly gets you so invested throughout the game that it becomes hard to put the controller down for that reason alone. One of the reasons it succeeded and wasn’t labeled a flat-out disappointment by the folks up high is the third-person shooter’s way of expanding on the plot via gameplay. Pretty surreal. 

I also genuinely appreciated the fact that the game started off with the Guardians already in tandem with each other, having gone on a variety of missions over the span of a considerable time period. That way, the Guardians we get to see in motion have great chemistry and is already a team and not just a bunch of individuals with their own ulterior motives grouped together through a dumb stroke of luck.   

Impeccable World Design And Visuals

Guardians of the Galaxy sports an incredible world that builds along the length of the storyline. Not just that, but the way Eidos-Montreal honed the visuals of the shooter makes me want to back to the game oftentimes, and that’s very unusual for a single-player game with little to none replayability. Yes, this is one of the pitfalls of Guardians that we’ll be getting into in one of the forthcoming sections. 

Nowhere in the game is uninteresting, no locale is uninspired. Guardians of the Galaxy has such a stellar world design that you will never find yourself getting too used to the same spot. That’s a guarantee. 

Guardians of the Galaxy feels like such a breath of fresh air compared to most games these days.
byu/ohsinboi intruegaming

Never Misses A Beat With The Dialogue

Everything from the voice acting and writing down to the dialogues the main characters have with each other feels entertaining in Guardians of the Galaxy and truly goes on to show that real, genuine effort was put into this project. The usual antics, the play on words, and the contagious humor from the GotG movies return in the video game adaptation, much to the pleasure of fans of the franchise. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Deserves a Sequel
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Some Guardians Of The Galaxy Pitfalls You Have To Navigate

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in here. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has its fair share of hiccups that haven’t settled well with those who have taken the time to sit down and play it. Let me go through the most glaring of those that I experienced ahead. 

Limited Replayability

While I realize that single-player games are mostly this way, it’s true for Guardians of the Galaxy that it’s better off considered as one of those one-time experiences that you don’t really feel the need to revisit after 100% completion. 

I still stand by everything I said about the game above i.e. how it holds its own and keeps players hooked, but there’s no extra endgame content that you can look forward to after having your way with the main story. But then again, replay value isn’t always needed. At times, it’s just good on its own to go through a charismatically-designed campaign. 

Guardians of the Galaxy: I am so damn impressed and so damn annoyed at this game.
byu/TheBlaringBlue inpatientgamers

The Combat Can Be … Sluggish At Times

It needs to be said that I do not love what Eidos-Montreal has done with the combat of Guardians of the Galaxy, making me feel as if a lot of improvements could be made on this front. Sure, commanding the rest of your squad as Star-Lord is convenient and cool, but not having any more authority over them feels like a missed opportunity.

That and the repetitiveness of the combat and the clear lack of diversity often make dealing with enemies a chore rather than something to look forward to.  

What do you think of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021)?
byu/gotham1999 inMarvel

Is A Sequel Coming Down The Line? 

Considering that there are three different movies spanning the Guardians of the Galaxy experience, it’s incorrect to assume that a sequel of this game wouldn’t sell well commercially. Embracer Group, the company that acquired the developer of the game back in 2022, has even shared that the title clocked over 8 million players — and counting — back in the day, so it’s not like the project didn’t pick up traction. 

However, as of right now, there’s no news that would make one believe that Embracer or Eidos-Montreal has plans to further this IP, even though the general consensus on the matter is pretty obvious. I can only hold out hope that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 comes out sooner or later, and just so happens to build upon the shortcomings of its predecessor.