A better Marvel game buried under bad timing
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy arrived with an awkward reputation already attached to it. The previous Marvel’s Avengers had disappointed critics and players with repetitive combat and unnecessary live-service systems, despite strong character writing. That made it easy to overlook the next Square Enix superhero release.
That was unfortunate, because Eidos-Montréal’s single-player adventure took a much more focused approach. Released on 26 October 2021, it followed Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax on an original spacefaring adventure that also introduced comic-book characters such as Lady Hellbender.
A character-driven space adventure
The game’s strongest feature is its attention to personality. The Guardians face galaxy-threatening danger, but the story also spends time on Peter Quill’s more personal problems. One of the most important threads concerns Nikki, the teenage daughter of his former Nova Corps partner, Centurion Ko-Rel. Quill is left wondering whether he could really be a father while barely keeping his own life together.
Gamora, Rocket and the rest of the team receive similarly thoughtful treatment. Dialogue and gameplay choices let Quill influence conversations, while Rocket’s storyline becomes especially affecting when Lady Hellbender labels him a monster and intends to add him to her collection. Adam Warlock’s distinctive, alliterative speech gives him a memorable identity, and Cosmo’s appearance adds another warm touch to the cast, including his puppies in one particularly charming scene.
Mass Effect-style combat with a rock soundtrack
Although Quill is the only Guardian directly controlled in combat, he can command his teammates to use their special abilities. Success depends on combining those powers rather than simply firing at enemies. The most entertaining encounters come when the team gathers for a huddle, Quill delivers a motivational speech and an ’80s song kicks in as the group charges back into battle.
The game also features an original soundtrack inspired by the 1980s and created by the fictional band Star-Lord. It fits the colourful action surprisingly well and reinforces the game’s commitment to Quill’s music-obsessed personality.
That mix of party management, conversation choices and third-person shooting naturally invited comparisons with Mass Effect. The comparison helped some players take notice before launch, but the game still struggled to create a major commercial splash. For anyone interested in narrative-led action games, it remains a strong example of how a licensed property can work without copying the films.
Strong reviews, disappointing sales
Guardians of the Galaxy was better received than many expected, yet Square Enix considered its launch a disappointment. A few months after release, president Yosuke Matsuda said that sales had fallen short of the company’s initial expectations, despite strong reviews. By November 2022, the game had reached more than eight million players, although that figure did not clarify how many people bought it and how many played through Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
The wider situation was also difficult for its developer. Eidos-Montréal was sold to Embracer Group in summer 2022 and later went through several rounds of layoffs. Since Guardians of the Galaxy, the studio has not independently released another game. It has supported Playground Games on Fable and co-developed Grounded 2 with Obsidian Entertainment.
A superhero game worth rediscovering
Guardians of the Galaxy never reached the same audience as Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, but its commercial performance does not reflect its best qualities. The writing gives every member of the team room to grow, the combat encourages cooperation and the soundtrack supplies a clear sense of identity.
For Australian players exploring memorable modern games, this is the sort of overlooked release worth keeping in mind. It may not be an arcade title, but its colourful cast, readable action and strong visual presentation would sit comfortably alongside the character-driven games featured in the RETROCADE arcade blog. If you enjoy bringing interactive entertainment into a games room, browse the arcade machine collection or compare options in the arcade machine buying guide.
Marvel and Square Enix’s wider partnership began with Marvel’s Avengers, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy. The first game cast a long shadow, but the second deserved a clearer chance to stand on its own. Its reputation has improved because the fundamentals were always there: a funny, heartfelt crew, satisfying teamwork and an adventure that understood why these characters work.
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