Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Eidos-Montreal’s single player space-faring adventure game, is currently available for free on the Epic Games Store until 12 January 2024 – and it’s well worth picking up while you have the chance.
On release, this adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy was critically-acclaimed for its gorgeous worlds, well-written cast, and snappy combat, but despite its word-of-mouth accolades, it failed to achieve sales success. In fact, publisher Square Enix labelled it a significant disappointment in the months following its launch.
It’s speculated that the game’s lack of success, combined with a relative downturn in game sales and other economic factors, eventually inspired Square Enix to sell its Western game studios – Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal – to Embracer Group. Yet Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is far more essential than this fate suggests.
Read: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Review – A space-faring adventure for the ages
In the GamesHub review published way back in 2021, we called it a high-energy romp that successfully escapes the shadow of its film counterpart, carving out its own fun in the superhero genre.
“Between witty banter, a banging soundtrack, breakneck action and quieter character moments, the game manages to successfully carve out its own identity beyond the MCU Guardians franchise,” we wrote. “While it borrows many of the same elements that made the team famous, ie. classic 70s and 80s rock hits and neon hues, it also manages to tell an original, twist-filled story that’ll keep you on board for the ride.”
“While you will need to shrug off your preconceived ideas of who the Guardians are to fully immerse yourself in all the action, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy does a bang up job showing you why this version of the Guardians story is worth telling.”
It successfully manages the balance between wild sci-fi adventures, and smaller, more intimate moments, and that’s just one of the reasons why it remains such a memorable experience. For the price of free, it’s genuinely a steal – and even if you plan on hoarding it for a future playthrough, it’s well worth nabbing your copy on the Epic Games Store.
You will need a free Epic Games account to claim and download the adventure – but that’s a small price to pay for one of the most underrated video games of 2021.
