confirmed Guardians of the Galaxy game is coming from Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal, and will release October 26, 2021. It will be a cross-generational title, available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Players will take on the role of Star-Lord, the de facto leader of the ragtag group of superheroes, which has been together for less than a year in the game's timeline. Although the game is a single-player experience, the rest of the Guardians appear to be ever-present. Players will embark on an adventure spanning multiple star systems, with a story that appears to have quite a bit of branching to it. One sequence shows the gang cooking up a plan, with four votes from Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot on how to proceed being evenly split. The player as Star-Lord was responsible for the deciding vote. This affected later dialogue, subsequent choice options, and seems to have repercussions in of character relationships.
Much of the gameplay itself seems similarly focused on the collective nature of the Guardians. Alien planets are explored in a group, with the other Guardians not just following Star-Lord, but convincingly walking of their own accord throughout the areas. Several scripted sequences show the AI taking some agency in how the party proceeds, but not without the player having some input. For instance, at one point the Guardians come to a chasm with a retracted bridge controlled from the other side. Drax takes the opportunity to pick up Rocket, poised to throw him to the other side so he can activate the bridge. The player has the opportunity to encourage or dismiss the idea, with both Drax and Rocket's opinion of Star-Lord dependent on the decision.
Combat is also a group effort, which provides the player with a large variety of moves (and a choice soundtrack thanks to the Awesome Mix). Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, is equipped with his jet boots and element blaster. Fighting a hostile creature can be done with a mix of ranged and melee combat, with Star-Lord able to zip around the arena and hover above danger thanks to the jet boots. The group mentality of the game gives the player some control over the other Guardians while in a fight. This functions in a way reminiscent of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's abilities - a bullet time mechanic will slow down the action, letting the player choose one of their comrades, and then select a special move for them to perform.
It seems like the most obvious route for a Guardians of the Galaxy game would be a co-op adventure, but the bickering, improvisational nature of the Guardians' characters makes this single-player game much more compelling. The MCU Guardians of the Galaxy films have bolstered the team's popularity, even though the Guardians have been a long-running squad in the comics, but their new found fame makes the games industry landscape ripe for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy to drop in October.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases on October 26, 2021 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Screen Rant attended a digital preview presentation for the purpose of this article.
