From the moment it was revealed, it felt like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Guardians of the Galaxy was taking cues from BioWare's iconic space opera, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mass Effect. Even if the inspiration wasn't exactly deliberate, a diverse crew of characters aboard a spaceship all housed within an expansive RPG is very Mass Effect, and thus such comparisons were inevitable. However, Eidos-Montreal has made the game worth caring about thanks to worthwhile dialogue and an ensemble cast that are simultaneously familiar and mysterious. From the two hours I've played, this could be an adventure with a surprising amount of depth.
The Mass Effect comparisons emerge almost immediately as you're popped into the shoes of Star-Lord and given free reign to explore the Milano. It's a little smaller than the Normandy, but it serves a similar purpose in terms of narrative and gameplay. It's your hub of operations, a place to return to between missions to communicate with squadmates and see how they're feeling about everything. You can advance relationships, gather intel and watch as the ship changes alongside the unfolding narrative.
For example, I got to see Groot watching a space llama in the hangar, surrounded by a makeshift pen of sticks after chewing through some vital electronics that made it impossible for us to move forward. It's a frustration shared by the crew, but like me, they're able to see the funny side of things. I expect the game will be ripe with instances like this, the world changing around you to reflect decisions made and major story events that will cause newcomers to step aboard or old friends to hesitantly leave us behind. This game wants to tell a story that reflects our actions in meaningful ways, much like Mass Effect did over an entire trilogy of games many consider the greatest of all time.
The foyer houses a lounge area adorned with personal items and a sense of disarray that makes it feel like a place this crew has lived in for months, making it their home in a galaxy where previously they had nowhere else to belong. It’s heartwarming, and this bond is further strengthened by the procedural banter between characters that emerge as Star-Lord wanders the ship. It all feels natural, conversations unfolding that you might not even be a part of that comment on past events, where you are in the campaign, and represent friendships that have been through thick and thin. The dev🦹elopers say it was inspired by how organic the🎃 conversations are in indie darling, Oxenfree, and you can see𒁃 what they mean when you play it. Commander Shepard also established a similar connection with his crew on the Normandy, and Guardians of the Galaxy feels like a worthwhile evolution of that design ethos, although you can’t romance Groot or anything.
As I snoop around the rooms of fellow squadmates and interact with their personal belongings I’m suddenly interrupted, pulled into optional conversations that make a deliberate effort to delve into the backstories of characters like Gamora, Drax, and Rocket Raccoon. Lore from the comics that goes𓄧 far beyond anything we’ve yet to see in the MCU is referenced extensively, showcasing how much research has been done by Eidos-Montreal to ensure this feels like a genuine part of the wider universe, instead of a lazy licensed tie-in that carries the name, tone, and characters while doing nothing with them. That’s such a relief, especially after Marvel’s Avengers underwhelmed and failed to understand why superheroes like this have such an enduring appeal.
Outside of the Milano, battles also evolve some of the core tenets that Mass Effect helped pioneer. You step into combat controlling Star-Lord alone, but with a press of a button you can dish out commands to your allies who all have distinct uses in the midst of combat. You’re expected to perform skills𝔍 in a specific manner, building up combos to stagger enemies before wiping them out as part of a devastating team att🌠ack. While all of the radial menus can hinder the pace, when everything comes together it feels spectacular. Unlike Mass Effect, these characters don’t feel like unimaginative bots simply going through the motions until you reach the next cutscene.
They comment on things and interact with the environment using bespoke animations, a level of agency strengthened by contextual actions and puzzles that only certain characters are able to perform. Rocket Raccoon is able to hack terminals and crawl into vents, even if he isn’t entirely keen about breaking into an abandoned Nova Corps station. They feel like real characters, a tangible part of your crew and place in this world that extends far beyond their mechanical capabilities. It all comes across as a more dynamic interpretation of Mass Effect, a description that is obviously helped along by characters who were keenly familiar with due to their huge part in the MCU. To an extent I already know what makes them tick, but now I'm in a new environment where I can delve even deeper into their histories and motivations. With any luck, the full game might even have loyalty-esque missions that shine a specific light on certain characters, strengthening the bond between them and Star-Lord.
With the recent arrival of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and the relative failure of Andromeda, fans and creators alike have been eager for an RPG that carries the torch forward that BioWare helped light so many years ago. With the next Mass Effect still years away from release, Guardians of the Galaxy feels like a fitting evolution of the space opera set across𓃲 a familiar yet ambitious landscape. It has the makings of a deep, engrossing, narrative-driven RPG that I’m excited to jump into, and I hope it continues to ape the classic series while forging a path forward all of its own.
