At Square Enix's E3 show, Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montreal showed off its Guardians of the Galaxy game. The trailer and gameplay demo both contained high-octane action, striking visuals in bold colors, and of course a suitably iconic soundtrack. Guardians comic writers appear on the credits, and the game features the recognizable team of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Racoon, and the inimitable Groot. All of these elements point to a Guardians game sticking close to the tone of its source material. On the other hand, something felt distinctly strange about the game's central character, Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord), in this trailer.
Guardians of the Galaxy follows Eidos-Montreal's last project, Marvel's Avengers, which it worked on in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics. Unfortunately, it seems like some of the uncanny valley elements of that title rubbed off onto the characters in Square Enix's upcoming game. Unfortunately, it was not just the visuals that seemed slightly odd in the trailer. Star-Lord was not quite as quirky or witty as many Marvel fans are used to.
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This is not only relative to the character in the MCU, though that is the most obvious and recent point of comparison. There is a kind of sharp, childish humor to Star-Lord's quips in the original comics as well. Perhaps it was the more neutral vocal performance. While the trailer did not look bad, per se, Star-Lord's depiction did particularly stand out in a strange way.
Unfortunately, every new adaptation of a property has to contend with the most popular version. Some Marvel fans still think Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series is the best, in spite of Tom Holland's valiant effort in the role. For Square Enix's Guardians game, that point of comparison will inevitably be the MCU films. It was certainly a brave choice to put any protagonist up against Chris Pratt's interpretation of Peter Quill. Pratt's performance is of such high repute, that any attempt to copy or emulate it could be incredibly difficult. One option would be to radically alter the character's position in the narrative, perhaps even making a different Guardian the central character.
Eidos-Montreal stuck with Star-Lord as the protagonist for the game, understandably so. During the conference spotlight on the game, the developers and writers commented on Peter Quill's character design, both mechanically and aesthetically. Guardians of the Galaxy comic writer Dan Abnett reacted positively to the depictions of all the Guardians, especially Square Enix's Star-Lord. Apparently, Quill as a playable character is also very fluid, with a wide range of attacks and abilities (some of which work together with the other Guardians).
Marvel's Avengers made very clear visual references to the MCU in its character design. In fact, there are now MCU costumes in Marvel's Avengers, reminding players of the films even more than the base game. The use of iconic songs in the trailer and gameplay for Guardians of the Galaxy, and very familiar designs of Rocket Racoon and Groot, make obvious visual reference to the MCU films.
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So, despite the game's best efforts, Square Enix's Guardians game already invites comparison to its film counterpart. Putting aside the shadow of Chris Pratt, there seems to be something almost sluggish about Peter Quill's responses. Despite the cavalcade of jokes squeezed into the trailer, Quill lacks the snappy quips fans are familiar with. In the comics, readers can imbue the character with any voice they can imagine. In the MCU, Chris Pratt constantly undermines the classical movie-hero stereotype with a deeply awkward sense of humor and obvious childishness.
Another factor working against the game are the slight visual similarities between Square Enix's Star-Lord and his MCU alternative. The vocal stylings were also similar, but they lacked the same range Pratt brings to the role. This set of similarities worked against the otherwise solid trailer, with the the timing and tone of joke delivery occasionally detracting from the overall experience. Obviously, problems like this are always going to look worse in trailers, which have to keep up a certain speed and punchiness.
Whether or not this slightly unremarkable portrayal of Peter Quill stems from a bad first outing remains to be seen, but perhaps his performance during gameplay is meant to adhere to the dialogue choice system. After all, videogames are not a purely visual medium, and gameplay usually contributes hugely to characterization.
Gameplay in Guardians of the Galaxy could contribute to this comparatively unusual portrayal. In the gameplay sections that Square Enix showed off, both combat and dialogue choice mechanics were present. Players can choose to focus on particular Guardians during discussion, choosing their suggestions over others, and generally making choices about the direction of conversation. This is controlled through what looks like a blend of a quick time event and a Mass Effect style dialogue selection.
Unfortunately for Star-Lord, this makes his snarky replies significantly less quippy. Players must consider the options given to them, and make a choice during that brief window of opportunity. While this works fine in game for titles like Mass Effect, and might suit Guardians of the Galaxy incredibly well during play, it does not come across well in a fast-paced trailer. Star-Lord may not quite hold up against other interpretations of the character due to gameplay concerns, but perhaps this could change in the future.
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