Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
Developer(s) Telltale Games
Publisher(s) Telltale Games
Composer(s) Jared Emerson-Johnson
Engine Telltale Tool
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s) Graphic adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is an episodic graphic adventure video game series developed and published by Telltale Games. Based on Marvel Comics' Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series, the game's first episode was released in April 18, 2017.

The plot centers on the Guardians finding an artifact of great power, called the 'Eternity Forge' that each individually covets, but must protect it from the malicious Kree Hala the Accuser who wants it for herself.[4]

Gameplay

Guardians of the Galaxy plays similar to other Telltale games, in which the player's character talks to other characters, explore environments and interact with objects within it, and at times, complete action sequences made up of quick time events. Players make choices, such as dialog selection, that create determinants within the story affecting later actions within the episode and in future episodes. Within the series, the player primarily plays as Star-Lord, but may at times briefly take the role of another Guardian during action sequences, or, during specific times, play as another character in a flashback.[5]

Development

Telltale and Marvel partnered to develop the game, quickly establishing that they wanted to make an original story that used the character's canon but was not tied to the 2014 film. Telltale decided to go against an origins story, and instead focused on the connections between each of the five Guardians. Described by Marvel's Bil Rosemann, "A good Guardians story is about them as a family and showing how they're all misfits, they're all underdogs, they all feel like they don't have a family anymore" and coming together to form their own family that they depend on.[5] Telltale saw this as well as elements from the established character histories to find "potentially surprising" elements to include, according to Telltale producer Justin Lambros.[5] To achieve this, they planned each episode to center around each Guardian and explore their past, though the player will primarily remain in the role of Star-Lord throughout the series. This approach was novel for Telltale, since the character interactions that the player opts for in earlier episodes can have a stronger impact on the later episodes, particularly in the relationship between the other Guardians.[5] Telltale and Marvel's goal was to make the story accessible to people who may not have read through the comic series but had seen the film, while still dropping in hints and Easter eggs referring the Guardians' history in the comics to long-time fans.[5]

Telltale's Guardians was first revealed during the December 2016 Game Awards,[6] though rumors of the game had been previously found in material released by SAG-AFTRA actors as part of the 2016 video game voice actor strike in November.[7] The game's first of five episodes was released on April 18, 2017; in additional to digital downloads, a retail version will be available for the first episode release with an online pass to acquire the other episodes once released; this is expected to be released on May 2, 2017 in North America and May 5, 2017 in Europe.[8]

Telltale hosted a panel about the game at the 2017 PAX East event in Boston, MA in March 2017, as well as having the first episode available for a "crowd play" session during the 2017 South by Southwest event.[8]

Audio

The game is based on the Marvel Comic series and the recent film with an exclusive storyline. It has a different set of voice actors from the film. The cast includes Scott Porter as Star-Lord, Emily O'Brien as Gamora, Nolan North as Rocket Raccoon, Brandon Paul Eells as Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Harrington as Groot.[8]

Plot

On the outskirts of a long abandoned planet, the Guardians receive a call from the Nova Corps asking them to help defeat Thanos (Jake Hart). After being shot down by the mad titan's ship, they arrive at a Kree outpost where they find him in the lower section of the building, the Nova Corps having been killed during the battle. In the lower section of the building, Thanos finds an artifact called the Eternity Forge and claims it for his own. The Guardians engage him in battle, ending with Star-Lord (Scott Porter) killing him with a weapon created by Rocket (Nolan North). They celebrate at Knowhere, where several members of the team consider leaving.

The following morning, they wake up to find that they are in debt of a large bar tab. After deciding to sell Thanos' body to either the Nova Corps or the Collector, Star-Lord considers also handing over the Eternity Forge, but decides to keep it after witnessing a flashback with his mother (Courtenay Taylor). After handing the body over, the Guardians are attacked by Kree forces lead by Hala the Accuser (Faye Kingslee). After she steals the Eternity Forge away from them, Star-Lord chases after her, with either Gamora (Emily O'Brien) or Drax (Brandon Paul Elis). Onboard, they discover the bodies of thousands of Kree soldiers and learn that Hala intends to resurrect them and her son, Bal-Dinn (Johnny Yong Bosch). She mortally wounds Star-Lord, but he and his partner escapes with the Forge when the other Guardians arrive. Making it on board, Star-Lord dies from his injuries, only to be brought back to life by the Forge.

Not knowing what to do with it, they visit Yondu (Mark Barbolak), a former space-pirate and the man who raised Peter Quill after his mother's death, to help repair the ship. Whilst holding the Forge together, they share a vision where Meredith tells Peter to find her whilst Ancient Kree appears on the Forge. After finishing repairs on the ship, Gamora suggests that they find her adopted sister Nebula (Ashly Burch), who has knowledge on Ancient Kree and is currently attacking the chosen seller for Thanos' body. However, Rocket, now knowing about the Forge's resurrection powers, asks Peter to travel to Halfworld and resurrect his deceased love, Lylla (Fryda Wolff). Regardless of the choice, the group capture Nebula and discover that it cannot resurrect Lylla, but will result in Thanos' corpse being lost if the latter is chosen.

Nebula provides them with the translation, leading them back to the temple where they discovered the Forge. Reinvestigating the site, they discover the location of "Meredith" is Emnios and that the Forge is only at its minimum capacity, explaining why it didn't resurrect Lylla. After another battle with Hala and her forces, they arrive at the planet, where they find what seems to be the area where Peter grew up. After breaking Gamora out of a flashback, they enter the temple and discover the person sending the messages, Mantis (Sumalee Montano). An empath, she has been using Peter's memories to bring him to the temple and free her, so that she could guide him on how he used the Eternity Forge. Mantis further explains that the Forge has the powers to control life-energy, allowing the user to control death and bring back the dead. Having been charged by the Kree to be kept away until a person called the "Celestial One" had discovered her, Mantis is meant to lead the person to the means of either empowerment or destroy the Forge.

Though split on what they should do with it, the Guardians agree to let Mantis guide them to the final temple. After resolving conflict within the group, during which Nebula is either convinced to join them or leave, Mantis guides them to the temple, where they discover the device that can empower or destroy the forge. After managing to activate it, Star-Lord decides the Forge's fate, during which Hala and her forces attempt to retrieve it. Depending on the decision made, she either resurrects Bal-Dinn with the empowered Eternity Forge or is severely burned when it is destroyed.

After being thrown to the lower levels of the temple by Hala, the team escape, though are attacked by many rock worms. After making it back to the Milano, they are swallowed by a giant variant and trapped in the creature's stomach where they have the option to adopt a younger worm that they find. Using the engines of other ships while also emptying out the Milano to lighten the load, they manage to find a way to escape the creature, but it still pursues them, forcing Drax to seemingly sacrifice himself to let the others escape or Groot (Adam Harrington) being injured in the process.

With the team in disarray, members leave the group. However, after seeing the devastation they are partially responsible for and being confronted by Bal-Dinn if he was revived, Star-Lord, with help from Mantis, decides to unite them together and defeat Hala. If Peter allowed Drax to sacrifice himself, he finds that he is alive and rescues him from the planet. After finding and convincing the other members to rejoin, they formulate an attack on Hala's ship and stop her from destroying Knowhere. After placing charges on the main cannons (as well as fighting Nebula if she was told to leave earlier), the Guardians battle and defeat her, with her destroying the ship when she attempts to fire them. In the aftermath, Hala either is handed over to Bal-Dinn or the Nova Corps to stand trial, or dies either from Bal-Dinn killing her or from the remnants of the Eternity Forge taking her life.

Having once again saved the Galaxy, the Guardians celebrate having defeated Hala at the same bar; their tab having been muted by saving both it and Knowhere. Mantis offers Peter the opportunity to talk to his mother or use the last of the Eternity Forge's power to resurrect one of the people who they have lost, depending on if the Eternity Forge was destroyed or empowered in the temple. During the midst of the celebrations, the Guardians are once again contacted by the Nova Corps, asking them to help with another situation.

In the post-credits, it is shown that Thanos' corpse is retrieved by an unknown individual from its current location in either Nova Corps custody, the Collector, or deep space depending on the player's choices.

Episodes

The game was separated into five episodes for release on mobile devices, personal computers, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.[9] The version of the series for the Nintendo Switch was announced in August 2017, though its release date is not yet known.[10]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Tangled Up in Blue"Jonathan StauderZack Keller, Nicole Martinez and Timothy WilliamsApril 18, 2017 (2017-04-18)[1]
The Guardians help the Nova Corps intercept Thanos as he steals an artifact from an ancient Kree tomb called the "Eternity Forge." Star-Lord uses Rocket's atomic gun to kill the Mad Titan, and after a night of celebration at a bar on Knowhere rack up a hefty tab. When getting the money to pay the tab, Hala the Accuser attacks the team and takes the Eternity Forge from Star-Lord's possession to resurrect the extinct Kree Empire. Peter pursues her with (either Drax or Gamora) to her ship. She mortally wounds Star-Lord, who barely escapes her with the Forge. In death, Peter sees his mother who (by way of the Eternity Forge), restores her son to life.
2"Under Pressure"Jason LatinoNicole Martinez, Jessica Krause and Timothy WilliamsJune 6, 2017 (2017-06-06)[2]
When the Guardians stop on Rajak for repairs, Star-Lord visits his adopted father Yondu to learn how the Eternity Forge and his mother Meredith are connected. Experiencing another vision, Peter is shown Kree glyphs that Gamora thinks Nebula can translate, but Rocket wishes to detour to Halfworld to see if the Eternity Forge can bring back his lost friend Lylla. After persuading Nebula to help them, the Guardians return to the artifact's temple and are directed to Emnios, but are attacked by Hala's Kree soldiers. Barely escaping, the Guardians arrive on Emnios, where Peter believes he'll find his mother.
3"More than a Feeling"Mark DrosteMeghan Thornton, Zack Keller and Jessica KrauseAugust 22, 2017 (2017-08-22)[3]
Entering the Temple on Emnios, Peter experiences another memory of his childhood while Gamora relives Nebula betraying her. Finding a casket within the Temple, they open it and release an alien named Mantis - the Eternity Forge's guardian and the one who called out to Star-Lord using his mother's image, believing he is "The Celestial One" destined to determine the Forge's fate. Guided by Mantis to the Kree's Sacred Shrine on Drobino, Star-Lord must decide whether to empower or destroy the Eternity Forge - a choice the rest of the Guardians are hotly divided on - before Hala arrives to try and claim it for herself.
4"Who Needs You"Chris RebbertJosh Trujillo, Ross Beeley, Jessica Krause and Tim WilliamsOctober 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
With the fate of the Eternity Forge decided and Guardians more divided than ever, Star-Lord is left struggling to hold the team together after Hala destroys the Temple and traps them in the caves below. As they evade the threat of a rock-worm hive, Star-Lord is accidentally shown Drax's past by Mantis and learns he blames himself for his daughter's death. The Guardians eventually manage to escape caves and return to the Milano, but the ship is swallowed by a massive rock-worm, forcing the Guardians to make painful sacrifices in order to escape - ones that fracture their already-strained relations to the core, causing the team to disband.
5"Don't Stop Believin'"Jason LatinoJessica KrauseNovember 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
After Hala destroys a planet with millions of innocent people on it using the power of the Eternity Forge, Star-Lord must rally the disbanded Guardians for a final battle. Groot voluntarily shows Mantis his memories of the Guardians' first meeting, proving to her that the team can remain friends despite their conflicts. With Mantis' help, Star-Lord manages to find the rest his team and reconcile them, leading them into battle on Hala’s ship as it attempts to destroy Knowhere - and facing difficult decisions about the consequences of his past choices. When the dust settles, the Guardians return to Knowhere to celebrate their victory, though are quickly called to duty once again. In a post-credits scene, a mysterious figure is seen taking possession of Thanos' body.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue (PC) 70[11]
(PS4) 72[12]
(XONE) 74[13]
Episode 2: Under Pressure (PC) 72[14]
(PS4) 70[15]
(XONE) 78[16]
Episode 3: More Than A Feeling (PC) 72[17]
(PS4) 65[18]
(XONE) 70[19]
Episode 4: Who Needs You (PC) 71[20]
(PS4) 68[21]
(XONE) 73[22]
Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin (PC) 68[23]
(PS4) 72[24]
(XONE) 69[25]

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series received favorable reviews from critics earning praise for its story, voice acting, action sequences, and portrayal of the titular characters, although its humor, animation, and technical issues have been criticized.

Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue

Episode 1 received "average" reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[11][12][13]

Episode 2: Under Pressure

The Xbox One version of Episode 2 received "generally favorable reviews", while the PC and PlayStation 4 versions received "average" reviews, according to Metacritic.[14][15][16]

Episode 3: More Than A Feeling

Episode 3 received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to Metacritic.[17][18][19]

Episode 4: Who Needs You

Episode 4 received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to Metacritic.[20][21][22]

Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin

Episode 5 received "average" reviews on all platforms according to Metacritic.[23][24][25]

Accolades

The game won the awards for "Performance in a Comedy, Lead" with Scott Porter, and for "Performance in a Comedy, Supporting" with Adam Harrington at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards;[26][27] in addition, it was nominated for "Excellence in Convergence" at the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards.[28][29]

References

  1. 1 2 O'Brien, Lucy (March 28, 2017). "Telltale Games' Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 1 Release Date Announced". IGN. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  2. 1 2 MacLeod, Riley (May 26, 2017). "Episode Two of Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy". Kotaku. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Gilyadov, Alex (July 20, 2017). "Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 3 Release Date". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (March 9, 2017). "Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy game debuts this spring". Polygon. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Dornbrush, Jonathon (17 April 2017). "Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy Is Not an Origin Story". IGN. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (December 1, 2016). "Telltale announces Guardians of the Galaxy episodic game for 2017". Polygon. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (November 14, 2016). "Guardians of the Galaxy is Telltale's next game, suggests voice actors' strike leak". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Lucy (March 28, 2017). "Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy Release Date Revealed". IGN. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ Caldwell, Brendan (March 30, 2017). "Groot news: Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy trailer". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  10. ↑ Newhouse, Alex (August 24, 2017). "Nintendo Switch Receiving Telltale's Batman And Guardians Of The Galaxy Series". GameSpot. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 2: Under Pressure Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  17. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  18. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 3: More Than A Feeling Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  20. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 4: Who Needs You Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  21. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 4: Who Needs You Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  22. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 4: Who Needs You Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  24. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  25. 1 2 "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - Episode 5: Don't Stop Believin Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Nominee List for 2017". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  28. ↑ McNeill, Andrew (January 31, 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists!". SXSW. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  29. ↑ IGN Studios (March 17, 2018). "2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Revealed". IGN. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
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