I feel like I’ve just spent two hours pouring over the first issue of a Guardians of the Galaxy limited series while listening to classic rock. It’s a good feeling.
After sharpening its comic book storytelling technique with The Walking Dead, Fables and Batman, Telltale Games sets its sights on Marvel’s motley crew of spacefaring misfits. Guardians of the Galaxy is the perfect fodder for episodic adventure. While the series features plenty of sci-fi action, the exotic deep space setting mainly serves as the backdrop for an intergalactic dramedy about a group of unlikely friends trying to find their place in the universe.
The first episode of Guardians of the Galaxy : The Telltale Series taps into the tenuous relationship between Peter “Star Lord” Quill, Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora and Groot almost immediately. Well, after the initial dance number.
While Telltale has said that the series is based on the Guardians from the comics rather than the ones from the Marvel cinematic universe, there’s a definite movie vibe to the opening sequence of the first episode, “Tangled Up In Blue.”
Peter Quill receives a distress call from the Nova Corps, currently under attack by the mad titan Thanos. As the corpsman pleads for aid, Star Lord dances around his cabin as “Why Can’t I Touch It” by The Buzzcocks plays. You can watch the opening sequence in its entirety below.
Along with the Buzzcocks, we also get a little ELO and some Hall and Oats in this first episode. This leads me to think the entire series might be worth picking up for the soundtrack alone.
If you’ve watched the trailer, you’ve probably guessed that Thanos plays a big role in the first episode. It’s a bigger role than you think, and what occurs during the confrontation between the team and their arch-nemesis has lasting repercussions that will ripple throughout the entire five episode run.
“Hey look! I’m a distraction!” Goddammit Peter Quill.
As exciting as that confrontation is, what with its arrow-key quick time prompts and clever quips from everyone but Drax and Groot, it’s how the team deals with the fallout from that encounter that serves as the real meat in this first episode.
Rocket and Gamora wind up at each others’ throats, each counselling Peter to take a different course of action in true Telltale “Someone will Remember That” fashion. Drax struggles with his own motivation, while Groot just wants everybody to get along.
Exacerbating this whole mess is a powerful artifact called the Eternity Forge, which has the power to affect profound change in the life of each of our heroes, as well as that of a deadly new enemy who wishes to use it for her own evil purposes.
Nolan North does a fine job of voicing Rocket Raccoon in the series. He’s a good raccoon.
If you’re a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy comics or movies, prepare to make some difficult decisions.
Despite the overwhelming urge to be friends with each character and keep the team together, that’s just not how this adventure pans out. You’re going to piss off somebody, and they’re going to remember it.
We’ve got a team ready to tear itself apart, a powerful enemy helpfully willing to do it for them and a mysterious artifact with powers that can only serve to fan the flames. Looks like we’re in for a pretty wild ride, with some excellent tunes to boot.
Episode one of Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is out today for iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Comments
9 responses to “Telltale’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Series Starts Strong”
As with all of Telltales games, ill buy it when it’s finished and play it then. I hate blue balls.
One of the main reasons I haven’t bought Batman yet. Not sure if the rest are worth it though.
The only two I’ve played are definitely worth it: Walking Dead season 1 and The Wolf Among Us. Don’t even like (or know) the source material, it’s just excellently written and designed. They’re usually on sale every time one of the big sales come up and I think the first episode of every series is available free on phones/tablets to try, so you don’t have to take my word for it.
I think I downloaded Walking Dead Season 1 when it was free on Games with Gold, I think season 2 is free this month as well.
Fables is is definitely something you should check out if you read comics, its so well done.
Tales From The Borderlands was my favourite. I only had passing knowledge of Borderlands, (but was partly playing thru B2 at the same time, slowly) but the story and humour were much better than any of the other TTG titles for me.
Umm.. Batman finished about four months ago ;). It was strangely one of their most consistent releases. They said it would be finished before the end of the year, and it actually was!
Ill definitely check them all out some time soon.
Somehow I got stuck REAL EARLY in the GotG trial of Episode 1. Basically when you are over the other side of the door, I floated around and looked at everything and talked to everyone, on all levels, and still couldn’t trigger the next sequence :/. Felt like quite the dunce despite prior TTG experience, and I’d just finished Thimbleweed Park on the weekend ;). Still don’t know how to continue…
So what i still want to know… have they updated the engine?
The games run like particularly badly optimised ass and as much as i love the stories and characters I just can’t support them if they still resemble watching a slide show 🙁
A few games ago it was an annoyance, now it’s no longer forgivable.