Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is finally official, and fans of the ragtag group were treated with a thorough showcase at Square Enix's E3 presentation. Some exciting gameplay was shown off that detailed how the next Marvel venture from Eidos Montreal will work, but one of the biggest places of praise was from the character designs. The look of each character has been mostly well-received by fans, which is already a step in the right direction from the reception that Marvel's Avengers got based on its character designs. The personality of the team is also intact, with much of it seemingly inspired by the MCU films.
It's clear that the game's developers are taking a decent amount of aesthetic inspiration from the comics, but there are still plenty of aspects to the characters that MCU fans should be familiar with. One of the most beloved characters that has maintained the core of what makes them so popular is Groot, as the walking-talking tree largely resembles how he looked in his first film appearance. This protective and charming side of Groot is one that fans haven't been able to see in a long time, so when it comes to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, this could be a welcome interpretation for fans that fondly remember Groot's MCU origins.
Groot's Design In Guardians Of The Galaxy Game And the MCU
There isn't much to Groot's appearance in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy that differs too dramatically from the MCU films. He's still the same lumbering tower of tree bark that he is in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, but there are some small tweaks that prevent him from being a carbon copy. The most noticeable difference is the gear that Groot wears around his torso that allows Rocket Raccoon to perch on his back. It's a small, but important detail that shows how Groot supports the game's combat, and demonstrates his strong connection with Rocket.
Other than this new gear, Groot is almost identical to how he looks in the MCU. His wooden frame towers over everyone, and his face still carries a softness that makes him one of the more lovable members of the team. Groot also approaches combat the same way he does in the MCU, using his strong limbs to slash and grab enemies. The most important similarity however, comes from Groot's iconic speech patterns. He still only speaks in the words, "I am Groot," which has proved to be an integral part of Groot's character to many fans. Maintaining this unique trait was certainly the right move for Eidos Montreal.
Groot's Personality In Guardians Of The Galaxy And the MCU
Among the several things that the Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy teaser showed off, fans were able to get plenty of insight into Groot's personality. The tree-creature isn't exactly the most emotionally complex, but its this simplicity that makes him one of the most likable members of the team. He almost has a childlike air to him at times, but his menacing stature still makes Groot someone to take very seriously. This is pretty consistent with how Groot has been portrayed in films, with the first Guardians of the Galaxy film in particular showing how Groot is fairly easy to please, but also someone that is not to be trifled with.
One of the most consistent aspects of Groot's character between the game, films, and even comics, is his self-sacrificing nature. If there's one thing Groot cares about the most, it's the well-being of his Guardians family. The first Guardians film demonstrated this perfectly, by having Groot envelop the team in a ball of his own limbs in order to save them from dying in a crashing spaceship. There were small hints of this in the gameplay that Square Enix showed off, as Groot volunteers himself to be sold to a presumably dangerous monster collector. It's far too soon to say if Groot will get an in-game moment similar to his MCU sacrifice, but the game makes it very clear that the same selfless attitude is still there.
For any fans that were worried about what Square Enix and Eidos Montreal were going to do with the Guardians after the many missteps of Marvel's Avengers, there should be some relief in what's been shown off for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy so far. It's already been made very clear that Guardians of the Galaxy is a single-player, story-driven game, which already makes it a big departure from Avengers. Hopefully as more details are revealed, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy turns out to be a superhero team game that completely satisfies.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases October 26 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.