As someone who instantly fell in love with The Guardians of the Galaxy when it was released in theaters, I was ecstatic when I was provided the full season of the Telltale game. I’ve loved every release of theirs since the point-and-click light adventure games. I assumed based off of the material and Telltale’s history with the genre would be a match made in heaven. Sadly, I was a bit mistaken.
Following the same group of characters from the films, omitting the rotating cast of anti-heroes from the comics, the game focuses on what is arguably the best family in Marvel Comic history. While not blood related, The Guardians are like the island of misfit toys. No one wants them individually, but as a team they are a perfect example of a dysfunctional family that still cares for each other unconditionally. This is reflected flawlessly by Telltale and is a very emotional tale, even though a number of parts don’t work out well.
I won’t touch on the story much, since that is the bread and butter that the Telltale games have to offer. While the writing is stellar, the voice acting for most of the characters is a bit dull. With the exception of Nolan North (the Uncharted Series, pretty much any game released since voice acting was a thing) as Rocket Raccoon, most of the main cast sounds bored or is trying too hard to mimic the film actors’ style. While most of these are forgivable, Star Lord’s voice made me want to gouge my ears out with a spork.
The game spotlights character backstories that were only touched on verbally in the films, which really helps develop your understanding of the characters – particularly with Drax and Rocket Raccoon. Groot is sadly sidelined for most of the game, aside from when he needs to chime in with his signature line or when his powers suit the need of the team.
Like most of the recent offerings from Telltale, they have incorporated a few new mechanics during exploration. You can now check in during many segments via radio with the other team members. This works on many levels, not only to promote the family aspect between them, but they often provide hints or additional information for those who are unfamiliar with the characters. In addition to the radio, Starlord can use his rocket propelled boots to hover and reach areas that would normally be blocked off in other Telltale games. It’s not game changing, but it does break up the occasional monotony of wandering around interacting with objects.
This game proves that Telltale is honing in their visual style to near perfection. While the most recent Walking Dead season featured a number of visual bugs that plagued the game, this entry was near flawless in the visual department. There was some occasional clipping, but I rarely lost immersion because of it.
Sure, the story was not nearly as engrossing as I was hoping for, and the voice acting was less than awe inspiring, meaning this is not the best Telltale game nor Guardians of the Galaxy experience to behold; but it is a worthwhile experience if you are a fan of either.
8 out of 10
Pros
- Great Visuals
- Successfully Sells the Family Element
- Rocket and Groot
Cons
- Some Bland Voice Acting
- Starlord
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series was developed and published by Telltale Games. It was released episodically throughout 2017 for the XB1, PS4 and PC. The entire game can be purchased for $24.99. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, check out the official site.
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