Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy review – breezy but unfocused action
I’m not sure what Guardians of the Galaxy wants to be.
On one hand, it’s a wonderfully accessible adventure wrapped up in family-friendly packaging, with an action-packed storyline that takes you on a delightful voyage through some of the galaxy’s most colourful climes. On the other, it boasts an aggressively complex combat system that requires a high degree of digit-dexterity and rarely forgives your mistakes.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy review
- Developer: Eidos Montréal
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Platform: Played on PS5
- Availability: Out 26th October on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch
On a third hand (well, we’re literally in alien territory here, so indulge me), the game routinely pastes together blistering action sequences with monotonous walk-down-this-corridor scenes, rambling exposition, and a generous dollop of tedious teamster “banter” on the side. It makes for an extraordinarily uneven experience that means you’re usually only doing one of two things in Guardians of the Galaxy: getting your arse kicked by a cube of jelly; or being somewhere en-route to getting your arse kicked, listening to the other Guardians squabble.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my time with Guardians of the Galaxy, though. Admittedly, during the earlier chapters, I actively did not have fun. As much as I liked getting to know the cast (which I come to as an MCU noob having – GASP! – never seen the movies), it felt like the game was doing all it could to keep me from getting immersed in its world-building.
And it is a story worth hearing, by the way. Whilst the forced banter and arguments you’re compelled to wade through feel a tad inelegant at times, the story of how Star-Lord Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians – Drax, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket – come to save the galaxy this time around is a predictable, if curiously poignant, tale of love and loss… although the emotional impact of its climax dissolves pretty swiftly when you’re forced into an infuriating final boss fight.
