One of the key themes in Guardians of the Galaxy is what it means to be a family. The first movie’s plot focused on five misfit individuals - who seemed very different on the surface - coming together to form a makeshift family who support and fight alongside each other, no matter the odds. Director James Gunn has hinted that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will explore this topic even in greater depth, promising to delve further into Peter Quill’s relationship with his estranged father and the dynamic between adoptive sisters Gamora and Nebula.
Back in December last year, it was announced at the Los Angeles Game Awards that Guardians of the Galaxy would be moving into the world of video games with a Telltale adaptation. The announcement came with a short teaser trailer and it was also confirmed that the game will be available on consoles, mobile devices and P.C. and Macs. Players will take on the role of Star Lord in a five-episode story, as the Guardians come across a powerful artifact that they each desire for separate reasons, teasing the possibility of tension within the group.
Marvel’s Creative Director for its gaming output - Bill Rosemann - has now offered a little more detail as to the upcoming project and suggests that GOTG’s Telltale plot will be thematically consistent with the movies. Speaking at D.I.C.E. 2017 (via CBR), Rosemann states:
With the GOTG Telltale project now taking shape and the recent announcement that Marvel are teaming up with Final Fantasy masterminds, Square-Enix, to work on some Avengers-related titles, it certainly seems the comic book company are looking to dominate the video game industry in the same way they conquered the movie world with their Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“We are really taking it seriously and focusing on each character. As such, the game will explore the answers to four questions: “Who are they? What do they want? How are they a family? What could tear that family apart?”
And given the information available so far, it certainly seems as if the GOTG game has all the ingredients needed for success. Telltale have a proven track record of success when it comes to adapting properties from the screen to the console and have received critical acclaim for their The Walking Dead and Batman games. It also seems as if the company’s approach to the Guardians project is to remain as faithful to the source material as possible, in terms of themes and characters - and this can only be a positive thing.
Although the initial signs are promising, there is always a risk of video game movie tie-ins disappointing fans by not translating between mediums as smoothly as one might hope. The success rate certainly isn’t as abysmal as movies based on video games, but there have definitely been a fair amount of duds released over the years by companies who hoped a recognized brand name was enough to sell a game lacking in genuine quality.
Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy game is currently due at some point in 2017.
Source: Bill Rosemann (via CBR)
