Along with a swath of successful films, more developers and publishers are looking to comic books to find characters who could make for compelling new games. This has led to a variety of successful titles, from Rocksteady's Batman Arkham series to 2018's Spider-Man from Insomniac. Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics got in on the action with 2020's The Avengers and will grow their library further with Eidos Montreal's Marvel game following the misfit band of galactic heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy.
Square Enix unveiled Guardians of the Galaxy to open up its E3 Summer Showcase event. Taking cues from the 2014 and 2017 films, the game will follow Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot as they fight and fumble their way across the galaxy in search of their next score. Accompanying the band of heroes will be Star-Lord's personal collection of hit tracks, which will be available as a standalone soundtrack with the game's collector's edition.
Guardians of the Galaxy appears to borrow its aesthetic and the third-person action gameplay from The Avengers. However, where Crystal Dynamics' The Avengers is an online-driven, live service game, Eidos Montreal is keeping Guardians of the Galaxy single-player. Star-Lord is confirmed to be playable while the rest of the team will fight alongside him. Players will also be given choices during the group's adventure that will shape just how chaotic things get for the team.
Being a Marvel title, Square Enix was quick to tease the many characters Star-Lord and the team will encounter along their journey. The most prominent during Square Enix's showcase was Lady Hellbender, a Seknarfian who commonly found herself standing across from Hulk and She-Hulk in the comics. The Nova Corps will also play a part in the team's story, appearing to pursue the band of outlaws for the various crimes committed by the individual Guardians. Mantis, the empath most audiences recognize from the MCU, pops up in the trailer as well for a short but awkward interaction with Star-Lord.
However, the characters die-hard comics fans may be most excited to see in the game is Cosmo the Spacedog. The telepath dog original from the Soviet Union is a regular member of the Guardians in the comics, joining the team when not running security at Knowhere.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X on October 26, 2021.