If, like me, after playing Marvel's Avengers from Square Enix (hereinafter referred to as "SE"), you feel that "if only this game could focus on single-player mode instead of making this kind of service game form", then I have to bring you good news: SE has released a new game "Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy", which can definitely change your opinion.
With no in-app purchases and no multiplayer mode, the game's relatively rich story is further proof that the linear single-player campaign mode is still fascinating today. The simple but entertaining combat and straightforward level design didn't revolutionize the genre, but the solid foundation and personality of the character still made the game a fun game.
Despite the game's name as Guardians of the Galaxy, in the approximately 18-hour campaign mode, you'll play as Peter Quill, the famous Star-Lord. For me, the design was a bit of a surprise, but the plot was presented quite well.
The main story is basically the same as you think: the player experiences a space comic adventure, the Guardians of the Galaxy struggle to pay off their debts, learn how to cooperate, and save the galaxy by the way, except that the story framework is mostly about Peter's personal experience.
In the end, the game presents a compelling story through Peter, Kamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot, balancing a continuous fight scene with witty dialogue, with several moving moments added to it.
The game generally adopts a linear narrative structure, and developer Eidos Montreal's previous work "Breaking The Siege" has adopted a similar pattern, giving players a large number of dialogue options during the experience.
Whether it's in important moments or small talk with teammates, you can let Peter choose different ways to respond, and the entire Guardians of the Galaxy are playing with cannonballs almost the whole time, and given that the script and interpretation are equally good, this will definitely not cause players to resent. Most of these dialogue options serve fun role-playing, but some of them can have unexpected effects for the player.
For example, the right dialogue option can save a character, and they may come back to help you later. Another time, I made a choice that led to the next level becoming a simple stealth level. After completing this story, I realized that another option would turn the entire level into a massive battle.
For every player, most of the content of the campaign mode is similar, but these small differences do give me some personalized experiences and make me more interested in the "New Game Plus" mode to see what surprises await me.
Players not only have to experience the story from star-lord's point of view: they can only control star-lord and his two guns in battle. You can't switch to operating other squad members, but you can unlock their four skills and use them with commands for your teammates to use.
For example, you can have Groot wrap around an enemy with a tree root, or Have Kamora deal a lot of damage to a single target. In every situation, the system gives players plenty of options, and the rhythm of operation and intuitive gamepad mapping make battle management particularly convenient.
Of course, Star Lord also has some tricks. He has four skills, one of which activates the jet boots to allow him to fly in the air for a short time, and the other is an elemental gun that can craft and manipulate the four elements, and can also freeze or burn enemies when firing daily. These diverse options make combat fun, even if it's not the deepest or more complex combat system I've ever experienced.
During the command period, most of the time you need to press the left trigger to lock on the enemy, and then press the right trigger to strafe the enemy. A simple active reload system can provide extra damage and keep you focused. But most of the time, you'll have to press and hold the right trigger frequently.
Still, the whole fight feels particularly enjoyable. In part, this is due to the design of the enemies, which are so varied that the player uses different elements to attack their weaknesses or remove shields, and certain skills can also break defenses against some of the larger enemies.
Your teammates each take on different roles: Kamora's skills are usually capable of dealing a lot of damage; Drax mainly throws powder kegs; rockets are responsible for AOE output; and Groot can wrap around targets. These designs are pretty good, and everyone's skills have their own uses, but you're still in charge of firepower, after all, your teammates' automatic attacks can only be a drizzle.
Another element that keeps the battle fresh is gags between teammates. To tell the truth, there are too many dubbing dialogues in this game, and the interaction between each member is not only very program-effective, but also extremely informative.
As the plot progresses, you can observe changes in their relationship. Of course, listening to the same line is really annoying, but overall, these lines are still quite rich and varied. While the battles are too repetitive, different contexts or dialogues give the game flow a new appeal.
The dialogue option can even lead to a big battle move - "hugging". When the group is activated (pressing L1 and R1 at the same time to activate the big move), Peter will gather the surrounding team members to discuss the battle, and then you must boost morale and gain a buff based on what they say.
In addition, during the buffs, the game will also play a lot of 80s hits, some of which are very exciting and some of which are slightly crazy, depending on your choice. While battling the giant alien squid boss, the game featured Everybody Have Fun Tonight sung by Wang Chung, which became one of the most ridiculous and joyful moments of the year in my mind. When the plot reaches its climax, the background unexpectedly rings "Don't Worry, Be Happy" sung by Bobby McFerrin, which gives me another interesting experience.
In battles and cutscenes, you'll travel to locations in Guardians of the Galaxy, from the spaceships of the Nova Legion to the beautiful alien worlds. Like the story itself, they are also linear paths, occasionally allowing the player to solve some scene puzzles or find some optional collection items, while more open arena battles break this route. Thanks to the variety of jokes and visual diversity, they are as entertaining as the battles, even if the content itself is not particularly in-depth.
Sometimes, you'll also need to give your teammates instructions while solving puzzles, such as hacking the rocket into the terminal or asking Drax to move heavy objects from one place to another. Although these puzzles are fairly simple, you need to combine the various skills in the right way, which makes the level puzzles relatively interesting.
The company of these team members also injects more vitality into the adventure, they will search on their own, and when you search at the fork in the road, they will stand next to it, showing a tired expression. Using this technique can help you solve certain problems, such as making you realize which one is the right one and which is the wrong way to "surprise". Because usually, they will automatically go to the next main line and complain as you search for loot.
The items you find can generally be used to upgrade star-lord skills, unlock team members' appearance equipment (it's not as simple as changing colors, this game provides brand new appearance equipment), supplement the plot log, or some special items that can trigger new dialogue on the ship at different chapters.
Although the feeder roads are more pronounced than the main roads, these collectible items are all meaningful. The only thing that's reprehensible is that the game's manufacturing parts are so full of streets that I lose the motivation to pick them up, but it may be that the game didn't design the sprint keys.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" > comics vs movie inspiration</h1>
Although Guardians of the Galaxy predates the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was only after the release of the film in 2014 that the team entered the mainstream market and gained unprecedented attention. Obviously, the game was inspired by director James Gunn's excellent adaptation and retro musical atmosphere, but as a fan of comics, I'm also happy to feel its comic book style in the game.
Since this review does not involve any spoilers, I can only say that there are a lot of Easter eggs in the game, as well as comic stripes, which surprised me, and some of the characters were also unexpected. Obviously, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy borrows elements of the film's popularity (the first outfit you find for each member is inspired by the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy film), but the game is also full of the developer's love for the original.
This allows fans of the game's comics to find something special in it, and for players who have only seen the film, they can quickly get started and understand the plot. Given the quirky and unknown nature of the locations, and the fact that the game also introduces multiple different characters, this is a real necessity. What's more, this time the Russian space dog Cosmo finally has the role he deserves, and he is the best!
Throughout the whole process, the upgrade system is also satisfying and enjoyable, but sometimes it is also a little dull. Once you've completed the battle, you'll earn ability points, while crafting parts can be used to unlock 15 different secondary abilities.
At the beginning of the game, you'll be exposed to the full range of features, which is a good design because then you can consider upgrading on your own priority. However, this also means that as the campaign progresses, the game doesn't come with much of a surprise.
But even so, I still enjoy the effects of these auxiliary abilities. Only some abilities are purely to enhance the character's attributes, while most other abilities unlock new moves, such as Knockdown Burst or Perfect Dodge, which help the player create a short bullet time.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that I did encounter some bugs during the PS5 version of the experience, and there were no particularly serious problems except for two game crashes, and Square Enix also said that it will update and fix these situations I encountered in the future.
Still, I've had several encounters with checkpoints, sometimes because I didn't trigger events correctly, sometimes because there was a problem with the button prompts, and some strange visual bugs, such as in one scene where the adult version of Peter's model was horribly stuck in the body of young Peter. In fact, most bugs only require a quick archive to resolve by reloading, and both auto-save and archive points are particularly useful. But I still hope to fix some bugs later in the game.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" > overall review</h1>
Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy strikes a good balance between silly and hilarious action-adventures and compelling story moments, and the choices players make add unexpected twists to the personal experience. The design of the battles and levels is relatively simple, but the whole process is fun, and as the plot progresses, the gags and interactions between the characters will also make the whole experience full of freshness. Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy may not make a big splash in the gaming industry, but it proves that a linear, simple single-player game can still provide endless fun for players.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="37" > advantages</h1>
Return to the traditional behind-the-scenes perspective single-player action-adventure game
Perfect reproduction of the humorous atmosphere of the original
Contains a wide range of classic 1980s pop tracks
The content is substantial, the gameplay is solid, and the characteristics of different characters are clear
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > disadvantages</h1>
The PS5 version has some bugs that crash the game
Skills as a whole are relatively flat, and many skills are of little use
Occasionally, a card level is caused by unclear instructions
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="46" > evaluation score</h1>
This article is compiled from IGN US related content, the original author Tom Marks, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.