Guardians of the Galaxy: Action-Adventure E3 Preview

Guardians of the Galaxy

"I need a Hero", sang the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler in one of her 80s hits, which the developers of Eidos Montreal chose as the driving background for the announcement trailer of their new Guardians of the Galaxy project. Because if a hero is sought in the galaxy, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord with his troop of self-appointed galaxy guardians consisting of Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot is not far.

The music selection, the brisk cuts and the unmistakable humor in the announcement trailer immediately make the mood of the game clear. This is reminiscent of how we know the Guardians of the Galaxy from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it also becomes clear that this is an adaptation and interpretation of the developers of Eidos, who were inspired by many different sources. So Gamora, with her black and red hair and white armor, is definitely more based on the numerous comic books.

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Table of contents

Page 1 Guardians of the Galaxy in the E3 preview Page 2 Guardians of the Galaxy - Interview with Narrative Director and Producer Page 3 Image gallery for "Guardians of the Galaxy: E3 preview of the action adventure"

Acting alone as a team

Accordingly, the game also follows its own story and is not related to known stories. The galaxy is currently recovering from a gigantic war that raged a few years ago. During this uncertain time, Peter Quill and his team from Misfits also try to find their way through. They sell themselves as heroes who can be hired in the hope of making quick fortune. Of course, things rarely go the way the Guardians imagine. In this way, the troop triggers an event that initially appears to be quite insignificant, but which quickly becomes independent and triggers a chain of reactions of galactic proportions. So the universe is at stake again if the Guardians of the Galaxy don't do anything about it.

Guardians of the Galaxy: E3 preview of the action-adventure. (4) Source: Square Enix As a player in the action adventure, you slip into the role of Peter Quill aka Star-Lord. The Guardians don't degenerate into a one-man show, because your loyal companions Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot are always by your side. Neither in the battles nor while exploring the game world should you ever feel alone. The developers attached great importance to this aspect. For example, there is a dedicated development department that is exclusively responsible for the word banter, the so-called banter, between the characters and is supposed to ensure that the conversations while roaming the world fit harmoniously into the game.

Die other members of the Guardians are not only NPCs who follow you, but can also make their own decisions to which you then have to adapt. In turn, these Companions' decisions are in part based on things that you as Peter may have done or said at an earlier point in time. This is how a dynamic story with decisions and consequences should develop. However, you shouldn't expect a roleplaying game with a branched plot and different endings. The game itself is strictly linear and narrative runs from a starting point to a fixed end point. Only on the way in between there are different approaches based on decisions.

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Group fight

In combat, the protagonist Star-Lord is characterized by his agility, which he achieves with the iconic jet boosters on his boots. With these he can hover for some time, slide across the ground in different directions and catapult himself out of a danger zone at lightning speed. Offensively, Peter relies on his two blaster pistols and a whole range of exciting skills. But the developers didn't really want to go into detail yet about what these skills are all about. But there will be some kind of ultimate skill, for example, which we were able to briefly examine in the gameplay shown so far. Peter puts on the headphones of his Walkman, turns on his 80s music and shoots to the rhythm of the music even more than he already does.

Guardians of the Galaxy: E3 preview of the action adventure. (6) Source: Square Enix As in the rest of the game, you are of course not alone during the fights. The other Guardians throw themselves into the fray as well. Each of them is just as dangerous a figure for himself as Peter Quill. It is no coincidence that Gamora is regarded as the most dangerous swordsman in the universe and Rocket as a deadly genius. The companions act quite independently in combat, but as a player you can also trigger individual skills for the individual guardians. The developers had to find a balance here, so that on the one hand you don't feel superfluous as a player because your companions are too strong, but on the other hand you always have the feeling of being part of a powerful group. Whether or not they have succeeded, however, will only be able to be assessed after we have lent a hand ourselves. This certainly benefits that the Guardians visit different planets in the course of their adventure, each with its own design and correspondingly different aggressive beings. How many worlds we will visit in the course of the game is not yet known. The developers also make generous use of the Marvel cosmos when it comes to the roster of opponents. Some of the more well-known, but some less well-known villains of the Guardians of the Galaxy are supposed to be used.

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A beginning, a middle and an end

Many aspects such as the combat system, the dynamics between the individual characters and the implementation of the story can only be assessed once we have got the game into our own hands. However, the first presentation always leaves a good first impression. Especially since what is shown looks excellent graphically and can hopefully be played smoothly in this quality. It is also gratifying that the developers at Eidos Montreal are doing without the frills that are so common today. Means: Guardians of the Galaxy is a self-contained single player title, without DLCs, without microtransactions.

There will be an outfit system in the game, some of which as pre-order bonuses or in the Cosmic Deluxe Edition will be included. Most of the outfits for the five main characters are unlocked directly in the game by exploring the game world. According to this, the developer only has to manage to tell a gripping story with unique characters, as well as to get a decent balance in the battles, so that you can find yourself as a Star-Lord in the middle of an epic adventure of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We don't have to wait long to check whether the makers of Eidos Montreal are doing what they promise. It should start on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S / X on October 26, 2021.

My opinion

By Matthias Dammes

Editor

[email protected] “Design, atmosphere and characters make a great impression.” Like Peter Quill, I'm also a child of the 80s. That's why I've always had a weakness for trying to create atmosphere with 80s design and, above all, music. It's not for nothing that GTA Vice City is still my favorite part of the series to this day. Eidos Montreal also manages to cast a spell over me immediately with Guardians of the Galaxy. When the first notes of Bonnie Tyler's “Holding out for a Hero” sounded in the announcement trailer, I was convinced of the mood of this game. The fact that the five heroes also look fantastic and that I should experience a pure single-player adventure with them also speaks for the potential of this project. Now, of course, I have to step on the brakes a little too. So far, only prefabricated material was shown. How the whole thing then plays out and merges into a well-looking whole must then be shown in a few months. But I'm in very good spirits. You can find more details about Guardians of the Galaxy on the second page of the article in our big interview with the developers of Eidos Montreal.