Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 5 Review

Telltale provides closure to the Guardians of the Galaxy’s latest adventure with the fifth episode of this story-driven series. Does it tie up all of the loose ends with style, or is it harder to understand than Groot?

Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 5 Review

The fourth episode of the Guardians of the Galaxy saw our heroes go their separate ways. The evil Hala and her Kree army are still at large, so it’s up to Star-Lord to reunite his crew and take her down once and for all. The story is neatly divided between tracking down the Guardians and taking Hala down, but the character development easily trumps the action here. The overarching story comes off as a little too black and white, with Hala being absolutely diabolical. It’s not a heinous crime in storytelling, but it could have been so much more.

Rather, it’s the interactions with the crew of the Milano that really stand out. To build said character development, Peter can talk to people on his ship at key times, “build a bridge” to see where they are located, view flashbacks of their times together, and even make riveting speeches about their greatest strengths. Marvel Studios and the comic book series have already built these characters up, but the studio manages to capture the essence of each character without taking too many creative liberties.

Gameplay consists of a series of dialog choices made during key times, along with a healthy dose of QTE events. Though most choices are more or less the same, the dialog is fairly sharp and full of humor. The puzzle solving from previous episodes is gone, and has been replaced with more action scenes. This lack of interactivity might turn some people off looking for those particular elements, but it is not exactly a dealbreaker.

The weird part about this episode is the way it handles its plot threads. With just 90 minutes to work with (and the fourth episode being filler), some shortcuts had to be taken. This leads to some MacGuffins appearing in front of Peter, action happening off-screen, and the end suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Certain elements, like Gamora’s relationship with her sister Nebula, are just dropped as well. It ends up feeling rushed, and the final choice players can make feels anti-climatic.

If anything, the game deserves some credit for its art style. Each character has a rounded look to them, and the vivid colors work well in this particular style. When run on high settings, even little details like scars and scratches on their armor stand out. The stylized look here goes a long way.

This conclusion to Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy needed a lot more runway. The interactions between the crew of the Milano are sharp and full of character, but the mad rush to finish the plot ends up feeling somewhat unsatisfying when all is said and done.