Later this year, we’ll get to jump into another popular superhero property with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. While drawing somewhat from the MCU, the game has its own distinct continuity and art direction. Despite looking like it was planned to have some type of multiplayer at some point, the game is confirmed to be a single player affair. However, some were surprised when it was revealed that you would only play as Star-Lord and not any of the other Guardians, since the concept of the Guardians character swapping seems like a no-brainer on paper. Well, it seems the design choice was all about putting you in a certain role.
Speaking to VG24/7, Senior Creative Director Jean-François Dugas talked in-depth about the decision. While he understood why people thought the idea was an odd one, he looks at it as a prime way to put the player in the middle of the dynamic of being both the leader of the Guardians, as well as experiencing first hand how the dynamic between all the characters work. The team wanted you to constantly feel surrounded by the crew and their big personalities as you had to deal with various situations where conflict arises.
“Like in real life, when you have a group of people working together, you deal with different personalities with a lot of diverging opinions, you deal with strong minded people, natural leaders, and so on. And when you are a leader, it doesn’t mean that people agree with your direction all the time, you have to act as someone that can rally people towards a common goal, as an example. We wanted to tap into this while making it fun.
“We truly got excited by this direction. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot ooze with personality. We wanted players to be at the center stage of that dynamic. Therefore, the question became, “What if players are one of the Guardians? What if we put them in the shoes of the “so-called” leader, and let them make the big decisions? What if players need to adapt to the group’s unexpected behaviors?”
“This unique take allowed us to create an adventure where you constantly feel surrounded by the Guardians. Not only are they around and bantering, you can also summon their abilities in combat, as well as in other game’s moments. They are constantly alive, acting their part in all aspects of the game. As a player, you truly feel that you are one of them when around them.
“Embracing the fantasy of being the so-called leader of this bunch of misfits, allowed us to bring forward our concept of choice and consequences. You will have to make calls that will affect how this adventure plays out. Granted, it is the same big adventure for everyone, but the way it’ll be experienced, will vary from player to player. Being Star-Lord is truly empowering, engaging, and immersive. It was the best way for us to tell a true Guardians story. It was recognized as a bold move by a lot of people, but a vision that was exciting to pursue.”
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is set to release October 26th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch (via cloud streaming), PC and Stadia.