Eidos-Montreal’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the surprise hits of 2021. Since its release last October, players have been singing the game’s praises thanks to its equally heartwarming and funny single-player campaign. It’s fair to say that, following the troubled life of Square Enix’s Avengers adaptation, the studio has restored a lot of faith in the publisher’s future superhero-themed plans.
Despite attaining plenty of praise from critics and fans alike, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy hasn’t been successful across the board. When it comes to sales figures and monetary returns, there’s a sense online that the action-adventure game has so far underperformed in the eyes of Square Enix. For plenty of compelling reasons, though, Eidos Montreal should still be given the chance to fix this through the creation of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Guardians 2’s Plot Potential
One of the biggest reasons why players have taken to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is the effort Eidos-Montreal put into building its universe. It quickly becomes obvious to gamers that the studio has a deep appreciation not only for Marvel, but also for the band of misfits it was charged with bringing to life. Even though some fans had feared Eidos’ creations would look like cheap MCU knockoffs ahead of the game’s release, many have since taken to the virtual heroes wholeheartedly.
Eidos-Montreal's appreciation for its source material has unsurprisingly permeated Guardians of the Galaxy’s story campaign as well, to the point that it’s often held up as another big selling point for the game. Across a substantial 17 hour-long single-player story, plot threads and characters were introduced into the mix from across the entire comic book universe. Having taken such steps to build up a cast of characters and story, the studio deserves a chance to explore the next part of their journey as well.
In a theoretical Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Eidos-Montreal could take the heroes-for-hire in almost countless directions. So many Easter eggs were embedded into the original experience that it’s easy to imagine Marvel giving the studio free rein to go wherever it wants. In this scenario, there’s every chance that the sequel’s story could not only give players more of what they love, but that it could also be even better as a result. Having focused heavily on Star Lord and Drax’s backstories the first time around, the other Guardians’ origins and motivations are ripe for deeper on-screen exploration.
One way that the studio could up the ante in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is through the official introduction of Thanos. Throughout the first game, Eidos-Montreal teased the Mad Titan ahead of his illusion-based cameo appearance during a boss battle. A lot of groundwork was done establishing his backstory in the process, to the point that his death at the hands of Drax is now seemingly in doubt. While the MCU is gearing up for the introduction of Adam Warlock, the game universe could opt to go the other way. A battle between the Guardians and Thanos, while the latter is attempting to collect the Infinity Stones, would likely go down well among fans.
Guardians 2’s Gameplay Improvements
One of the obvious benefits of a video game sequel, beyond being able to give fans more of what they liked, is the ability for the developer in question to iron out any perceived shortcomings that the original title had. When it comes to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Eidos-Montreal, it’s generally accepted that, while the studio nailed the feel of being Star Lord, the gameplay side of the experience was its weakest feature. The first game’s combat has often been described as being repetitive and grindy, for example.
If Eidos-Montreal is given the opportunity to create a Guardians of the Galaxy 2, there’s a decent chance that it will take steps to address these criticisms. On paper, the fundamentals of how the Guardians behave in battle has been brought to life really well, so it’s just a matter of finding a way to adapt those concepts into gameplay systems that are more engaging. Considering how the combat in Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers has often been praised despite the game’s other shortcomings, the studio even has a source within Square Enix that it can draw inspiration from.
While there’s no guarantee that a sequel will be better, as demonstrated frequently in all forms of media, there are plenty of examples throughout the gaming industry of the idea working in practice. Players only have to look at the frequently cited Uncharted 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 for how Guardians of the Galaxy 2 could flourish from a gameplay perspective. Both games are still talked about to this day, 13 years after their initial releases, as being pivotal titles that went on to define their respective franchises.
The Game Pass factor
Since the slow initial release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy last year, several developments have taken place that could play into the hands of a potential sequel. Earlier this year, Microsoft made news headlines across the internet when it was revealed that the platform holder had spent between $5-10 million bringing Eidos-Montreal’s superhero game to Xbox Game Pass. Beyond the monetary benefits that the move has seemingly had to Square Enix’s bottom line in the short-term, it could also end up being the catalyst that paves the way for a sequel in the future.
With a potential audience of millions now at the game’s metaphorical fingertips, it stands to reason that more players will experience Guardians of the Galaxy. Even though some Game Pass subscribers won’t take to the game, based on its critical acclaim, a lot likely will. If Eidos-Montreal is able to get the green light from Marvel to make a sequel, there’s naturally going to be more people out there now that are willing to pay for it at launch. Considering how Square Enix has received criticism lately for its live service and NFT focus, giving another singleplayer experience a chance would likely be a popular move.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
