The announcement of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was perhaps one of E3 2021's most exciting moments. As its late October release date draws closer, however, some fans are feeling a little bit cautious of purchasing a Marvel game published by Square Enix after the mixed reception to Marvel's Avengers last year. While Eidos Montreal has made some solid games in the past, the first and only gameplay trailer wasn't able to give everyone confidence that the company would be able to handle one of Marvel's most popular IPs.
The major thing that's holding back Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of its pre-release perception is the game's combat. The gameplay trailer that showcased it didn't necessarily put the studio's best foot forward by having the Guardians fight a handful of slime monsters and other seemingly generic space monsters. That said, even if the combat isn't mind-blowing, the game could still help fans regain confidence in Square Enix's future Marvel endeavors as long as Guardians of the Galaxy can nail its story and characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy's Combat
There's nothing inherently wrong with the combat that was shown off in Guardians of the Galaxy's E3 debut, but it didn't do much to really excite fans. It certainly seemed competent, but not like it's going to reinvent the third-person action/adventure genre. Fortunately, plenty of previews for Guardians of the Galaxy praised the combat mechanics comparing them to the likes of Mass Effect and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but others found it to still be a little clunky and like there was too much to juggle all at once. Luckily for the game, however, even if its combat is less than groundbreaking, as long as the story and character writing can steal the show, then it'll still be a good game.
The Possibilities of Marvel Storytelling
While plenty of the appeal of Marvel comics and movies revolve around the action, Marvel wouldn't be the media giant that it is without writing compelling characters. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies showed that, if a writer can make the Guardian's dynamic work, then they can be some of the most beloved characters in all of Marvel's history in just a few short years. It seems like Eidos Montreal knows this which is why so much of the media that it's been releasing has been centered around introducing fans to the characters that will be appearing in the game with the most recent trailer teasing Adam Warlock's appearance.
When it was first revealed, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was introduced as a story-focused game and, based on what's been shown, the title is leaning heavily into that. Although a truly unique combat system can do a lot to make a game stand out, plenty of fantastic games have had their middling combat carried by a solid story. One major focus of Guardians of the Galaxy is that the player is going to have agency in its story and if that's in service of memorable character dynamics and a well-written plot, then the combat potentially being average will only be a footnote in the pros and cons when talking about the game.
There are so many different directions for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy's story to go and based on the sheer volume of more obscure Marvel characters that have been shown off in the game's marketing, there's the possibility that Eidos Montreal can truly help instill faith in Square Enix as Marvel publishers once more. A lot seems to be riding on the game, but as long as it can nail down its characters and story, then Guardians of the Galaxy could be one of 2021's best.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases on October 26 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.