| Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Eidos-Montréal |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Jean-François Dugas |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Patrick Fortier |
| Programmer(s) | Daniel Letendre |
| Artist(s) | Bruno Gauthier-Leblanc |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Richard Jacques |
| Series | Marvel |
| Engine | Dawn Engine |
| Platform(s) | (Cloud) |
| Release | October 26, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2021 action-adventure game developed by Eidos-Montréal and originally published by Square Enix. Set in an original universe based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, the game's plot follows the Guardians who, while attempting to capture a beast for a wealthy collector, inadvertently trigger a catastrophe which threatens the peace of the galaxy. The player controls the team's self-proclaimed leader, Star-Lord, and issues commands to other Guardians including Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and Groot. At certain points in the game, the player makes key decisions via dialogue trees that affect the relationships between Guardians and change the outcome of missions.
Guardians of the Galaxy was the second game developed in partnership between Marvel Entertainment and Square Enix. The game is strictly single-player and has no downloadable content or microtransactions, marking a departure from Marvel Entertainment and Square Enix's previous game, Marvel's Avengers. Marvel collaborated closely with the team at Eidos to create an original version of the Guardians. Despite the game's lighthearted tone, themes of trauma and grief are central to the story. The soundtrack comprises an original score composed by Richard Jacques and a 1980s-inspired album by the game's audio director, Steve Szczepkowski.
The game was announced in June 2021 and released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and released on October 26th 2021. A cloud streaming version for Nintendo Switch was released on the same day. While anticipation for the game was low due to the lackluster reception of Marvel's Avengers, it was favorably reviewed at launch. It was praised for its narrative, music, characters, and cast performance, but its gameplay and combat systems drew mixed reactions. The game was nominated for several year-end accolades by gaming publications, as well as winning awards for "Best Narrative" at The Game Awards 2021, and "Adventure Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Story" at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. Despite positive critical reception, the game did not meet Square Enix's sales expectations.