Honestly, didn't know what to expect from this game at first, but man was blown away from the animation, level setup, character arcs, and storytelling.
The primary theme of this game revolves around family, how to maintain relationships, dealing with past and how to settle with it, strengthen bonds, forge new beginnings, how to come together, learning more about yourself, and moving on.
Great game for anyone. :)
With Square-Enix's highly anticipated Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy releasing this week to both critical and fan praise, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate another Guardians of the Galaxy video game, one that was pretty great itself. I’m speaking, of course, about 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, an episodic adventure game from Telltale Games. It brought the freshly popular spacefaring heroes to computers and consoles in their first starring title, telling an original story outside of the continuity of the MCU.
Anyone who’s played a Telltale game knows that the studio specialized in updated takes on the classic "point-and-click" adventure genre with games based on popular licensed franchises, such as The Walking Dead and Batman. Play was structured around exploration, dialogue choices, puzzle solving, and moral dilemmas. Any action sequences were played via QuickTime events, in which certain buttons or directions needed to be pushed quickly to make it through the cinematic fights. The format allowed for more story and character-based tales as opposed to games that mostly take place down the barrel of a gun.
Image via Telltale Games
GotG was a perfect pick for a Telltale Marvel license, as the dynamics between the team members are so rich and entertaining. It makes conversations a pleasure, and choices often revolve around siding with one character or another, shifting the balance in relationships throughout the series. In a Telltale game, nearly every choice has repercussions that affect the rest of the story, and GotG is no different.
The game took place over five episodes, but as soon as you boot up the first one, you know you’re in for a feel-good treat along the same lines as the blockbuster films. The MacGuffin of the story is a relic called the Eternity Forge that the Guardians wrest from Thanos in a pretty epic battle – a relic that just happens to be capable of bringing your loved ones back from the grave. So, of course the main screen is a shot of the team stumbling over each other, shoving at one another, and even biting each other to get their hands on the Forge, all set to the song 'Livin’ Thing' by Electric Light Orchestra. It seems Telltale not only dished out the duckets for the Marvel license, but also had to make sure to pay for some Peter Quill-approved tunes as well, which is much appreciated.
If you know Quill’s backstory from the movies, particularly how he lost his mother, then you know how desirable and tempting an artifact like the Eternity Forge could be to him. But he’s not the only Guardian to have lost someone important to them. Throw a villain into that equation in the form of a powerful Kree leader named Hala, who wants to resurrect all her fellow warriors who died in battle, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty compelling web of intermingled motivations here.
Image via Telltale Games
While there is much humor to be gleaned from Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot verbally sparring with each other, it’s the player who really puts the team at odds or back together again depending on what choices you make in the moment. What missions you prioritize, and who you send on those missions, can affect not only the team's morale but the direction the storyline of the game takes thereafter. So, make sure you choose wisely.
One unexpected pleasure is an episode that features a look back at Rocket’s experience as a science experiment, and even a bit of romance for the little trash panda in the form of an otter named Lylla. This humanizes Rocket more than any scene in the movies ever did, giving him much-needed likability.
Image via Telltale Games
Other highlights include extended interactions with both Nebula and Mantis. Nebula’s relationship with her fellow “daughter of Thanos” Gamora remains true to the comics, and provides conflict and emotion in equal measure. As for Mantis, it’s just nice to see her fleshed out a bit more than she’s been in the cinematic MCU. Both characters add depth and variety to the story.
One could say Quill's ship, the Milano, is another character in Telltale’s GoG, as the game gives fans their first chance to fully explore the vessel and the personal touches each of the team members have brought to her. Of course, Quill’s quarters are decked out in 80’s nostalgia. And whether you’re walking around having heart-to-heart discussions with your shipmates or scrolling through messages on the computer from Cosmo the Spacedog or Howard the Duck, it’s clear that Telltale had much respect for the core material and did their best to throw in fun details that speak to what fans enjoy about the Guardians.
Image via Telltale Games
Don’t get me wrong – the game has its flaws. While the voice-casting and writing are phenomenal for a video game, they’re still not quite up to par with James Gunn's films. Sure, there are plenty of laughs, some wicked banter, and attitude galore coming off of Rocket and Gamora. But if you’re expecting Chris Pratt-levels of charisma, you may be a bit disappointed. The graphics were a bit dated even back when the episodes were released, so it might be a harder adjustment for someone looking to play the game now. Also, the episodes aren’t very long, which might have seemed like a bit of a lackluster bang for your buck (but that’s less of a concern now, as the price has dropped over the years). More importantly, some of the sub-plots get lost in the bigger adventure, and the ending can feel somewhat anticlimactic. But the biggest disappointment is the cliffhanger on which the season ends. Not because it makes Season 1 of Telltale’s GoG feel incomplete, becuase there is a complete story to be enjoyed here. The disappointment lies in the fact that it’s pretty much a surety that, what with Telltale going belly up and the GoG license going to Square Enix, we’ll never get too see how that cliffhanger turns out.
And now I’m off to enjoy the new Guardians of the Galaxy game, as I’m sure many of you are. Just don’t forget, there’s another equally radical GotG game out there, and it might be worth your time to check it out as well.
KEEP READING: James Gunn Explains Why 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Didn't Get One-Shot Shorts