Is it worth playing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in 2025?

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is an underrated superhero experience worth revisiting in 2025. Developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix, the title was released a year after Marvel's Avengers. This project dealt with the unfortunate hand of being dismissed by the player base, thinking it would be another live-service fiasco; however, it couldn't be further from the truth.

The developers opted to take these beloved characters on a more personal and grounded route. Rather than replicating the mess of its fellow Marvel project, this superhero experience is much more linear than expected, packed with detail, great visuals, music, heart, and an impressive story that rivals other popular adaptations.

Disclaimer: The author has shared their subjective and personal opinions about the game.

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Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy didn't get the praise it deserves

This original Guardians of the Galaxy story is too good to be ignored (Image via Eidos Montreal)

After the gaming community was traumatized by Marvel's Avengers, Square Enix and Eidos Montreal opted to apply a different structure for the Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead of another live service and online multiplayer experience, the main focus of this project is the compelling single-player narrative.

Players are in for an emotional rollercoaster as they fill in the shoes of Star-Lord, leading his rag-tag team of heroes for hire to make a name for themselves.

The combat is much simpler and less complicated than Marvel's Avengers and heavily resembles the turn-based combat system of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth.

Players solely take control of Peter Quill but can command fellow Guardians to perform certain attacks to level the playing field. Most enemies are much harder to defeat, but working with allies can smoothen the experience.

Each member has their specific uses, especially in solving environmental obstacles. Drax the Destroyer can lift heavy platforms for Quill to climb on, Groot can create wooden bridges or raise a platform as a lift, Rocket Raccoon can enter confined spaces and work his magic to open sealed doors, and Gamora can cut wires blocking their path.

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The linear structure is the perfect choice for this adaptation

This is a Guardians of the Galaxy story through and through (Image via Eidos Montreal)

The Guardians were practically unknown to the general public until James Gunn spearheaded the live-action adaptations and directed a full trilogy. The developers knew it would be difficult to compete with a beloved depiction and meet the fans' expectations. However, the performances were true to the characters, and the actors owned the roles rather than copying what was seen in the films.

Eidos Montreal took inspiration from various source materials and incorporated them through cosmetics. Rather than spending real money to purchase skins inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like in Marvel's Avengers, or grinding for parts and resources to craft suits in Marvel's Spider-Man, cosmetics can be found hidden in clever places for Guardians of the Galaxy players to discover.

Other than hidden chests containing new flashy suits, there is some merit to deviating from the main path. The game is linear; however, players can wander around locations like Knowhere and secure a few collectibles, lore entries, and more.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy may be focused on established characters, but the developers created an original world with different backstories. They took advantage of the Guardian's popularity; however, this project didn't get the attention it deserved.

The title is much more polished at launch than the Avengers and has a more grounded story. Throughout the game, players can pause a fight and rally team members around as Peter gives a heartwarming speech to boost the team's morale with matching pop songs.

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Conclusion

The failure of Marvel's Avengers caused significant damage to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy's success (Image via Eidos Montreal)

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is what Marvel's Avengers should have been. The single-player structure fits well with the story the developers were trying to tell, and it didn't have an identity crisis. Perhaps both titles were part of Square Enix's experiment to determine which of the two structures the modern player base is more interested in, and the Guardians were a casualty of this experiment.

The game has been out for quite a while. With various ports on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and even a cloud version on the Nintendo Switch, there is little reason to skip what is arguably one of the most entertaining superhero video game experiences ever made.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has been set aside for far too long, and if you haven't played it yet, now is the perfect time to try it out.