The collaborative effort of Square Enix and Marvel Games has resulted in Marvel's Avengers had fans nervous about Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Fortunately, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy did not follow in Marvel's Avengers footsteps and instead provides a fun single-player action RPG adventure set in the massive cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. To pull it off, it would seem Square Enix borrowed elements from other successful titles thus creating a hybrid game that has managed to entice gamers.
Updated on November 27th, 2022 by Melody MacReady: One year later, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy celebrates its anniversary which also closely coincides with the release of The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, the MCU special coming to Disney+. Now is an opportune time to reinstall and play Square Enix's take on the cosmic superheroes.
There is no denying that it borrows from many games but never to the point where the game comes off as bland. It knows how to take the best elements of other games to create a definitive Guardians Of The Galaxy experience for gamers that is not only fun to play but distinguishes itself from the MCU.
Guardians Of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series (2017)
One of the more overlooked titles that Telltale Games made was their take on the Guardians Of The Galaxy which provided a solid new interpretation of these characters and set up more to come. Unfortunately, with the original shutdown of Telltale, it is unlikely that fans will receive a second season of that story.
In some aspects, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy can be considered a spiritual successor to that game. From dialogue choices that can affect Star-Lord's relationships with the other Guardians to blending the comics and movie versions to create new incarnations of the characters and world, the similarities are clear.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013)
The Bureau plays with a similar concept of controlling one main character that commands a team of fellow heroes. Though The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is far more tactical since it is part of the beloved XCOM franchise which is known for being turn-based tactics games, it's equally satisfying to execute team synergy with proper team commands.
It's similar to combining one of Groot's trap attacks with one of Gamora's sword flurries while pummeling the same enemy with Star-Lord's blaster. It's more than button mashing since it makes the player think about the battle and try to defeat the enemies with proper tactics.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
The environments in Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy are massive, colorful, and filled to the brim with eye-popping monsters and enemies. It gives a space-faring feeling that is reminiscent of Dark Souls.
Both Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy and Fallen Order really embrace the idea of exploring alien worlds, making the player feel immersed in a completely different planet. From Knowhere to Seknarf Nine, Square Enix created planets that are not only visually appealing but, like Fallen Order, reward the player for exploring and finding secret chests and collectibles.
Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
Rather than a giant open world where the Guardians can roam freely and encounter quests, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy takes a refreshing step back to provide a more linear experience. Each chapter of the game is dedicated to encounters with different cosmic Marvel characters, both ally and enemy alike.
In each encounter is usually a different path with collectibles to find if the player veers off. This is somewhat similar to the original Batman: Arkham Asylum still holds up many years later, so taking notes from that game was a good choice.
Deus Ex (Reboot Series)
This should come as no surprise seeing how Square Enix and Eidos Montreal both worked on the rebooted Deus Ex series as well. The choices in Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy are similar to the ones from the Deus Ex games, with typically two ways to play out a scenario.
Sadly, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy does not feature the choice between stealth and all-out action like Deus Ex provides. However, like Adam Jensen, Star-Lord does gain an array of ability and weapon upgrades as the story progresses, leading to many layers to combat.
Marvel's Avengers (2020)
Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy are drastically different: one is a looter multiplayer RPG in the same vein as Destiny while the other is solely single-player. However, coming from the studio, there is no denying the similarities between the two games.
From the similar third-person camera, the team dynamic, and an enthralling campaign with many great missions that puts its own spin on the beloved Marvel Universe. Even the way other Guardians are controlled by AI in combat is not that dissimilar to playing missions in Marvel's Avengers solo.
Tomb Raider (Reboot Series)
While Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy does follow a linear story, it does reward exploration much like Tomb Raider. Off the beaten path, there are caves and other secret areas that require Star-Lord to leap across platforms and trek his way through, usually rewarding him with a collectible, crafting materials, or a chest containing a new skin for a Guardian.
The campaigns in the two games also have similar patterns: long, expansive story bits typically followed by massive third-person shooter sequences. Add examining objects, finding bits of lore, and even the use of dual pistols, there are many commonalities, showing a lot of mechanics crossing over all Square Enix franchises.
Control (2019)
In of story and concepts, Control has nothing in common with Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy or most games out there. It's a different story when it comes to the combat, however, with Jesse Faden controlling very similarly to Star-Lord.
Both Jesse and Star-Lord wield a weapon that can change its form with different ammunition types that are more effective against certain enemies. Even the fastness of Jesse and Star-Lord is rather similar, allowing them to do a lot of quick maneuvers and dodging in a group of enemies.
Mass Effect Franchise
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy features dialogue trees with choices that can permanently affect the story, and those can affect anything from how certain scenarios play out to the relationships between Star-Lord and his crew. This can also be compared to Mass Effect, with its crew system and how Commander Shepard can talk to their crew mates while aboard the Normandy.
Star-Lord can do the same since there are segments aboard the Guardians' ship, the Milano, where the player can roam, interact with the environment, and have conversations with the Guardians. On top of all that, Mass Effect also features squad commands in combat that can lead to dynamic battles and strategies.
Uncharted Franchise
Star-Lord is a rogue thief with a heart of gold and a quip for nearly every situation who's going on a third-person adventure to many locations with lots of shootouts. There are so many links to Nathan Drake that it's surprising that famous voice actor Nolan North wasn't the voice of Star-Lord.
Also, the Uncharted series matches the story structure of Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy the most. From the massive shootout sequences to huge set pieces where everything is falling apart, and Star-Lord seemingly has main hero immunity through it all.
Final Fantasy XV (2016)
While the squad commands can be compared to Mass Effect, they are also similar to the more streamlined Final Fantasy XV combat. Constant free-flowing combat where the press of a button can allow Noctis' friends to attack in their own unique style.
Even the fast-paced way Star-Lord moves in combat can be compared to Noctis himself. Where this style of gameplay was divisive amongst fans for Final Fantasy XV, many seem to agree that it fits the Guardians' style much better. As a bonus, Final Fantasy XV also features a stellar soundtrack, much like Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Kingdom Hearts Franchise
When many originally were concerned that none of the other Guardians were playable characters, others were quick to compare this to Kingdom Hearts. Sora is the only playable character, meanwhile Goofy, Donald, and any other party are for the AI to control.
The comparison to Kingdom Hearts didn't end there; the free flow combat and squad commands also match. Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy also embraced the visually stunning yet bizarre with unexpected monsters and aliens as boss fights on every planet.
God Of War (2018)
Though it does not have the same complex combat, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy shares a lot of similarities in its structure. The really close third-person camera with other characters point out events to the main character with the camera almost always seamlessly transitioning between cutscenes and gameplay.
Star-Lord is the Kratos of this game who starts off one way then along the way, he has an AI companion that the player can upgrade and influence in battle. In a way, if the 2018 God Of War was completely linear with only the main story, it would be nearly identical to Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy.
