Guardians of the Galaxy developer Crystal Dynamics revealed how the studio designed each Guardian to feel both familiar and unique for Marvel fans.
In a series of videos shared on Twitter, art director Bruno Gauthier-Leblanc highlighted the studio’s creative choices. Starting with Peter Quill (who is the only person you’ll be directly controlling in the game), the team tried to focus on the overall feeling of the space pirate look.
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Quill is a child of the 80s, and fans will get references all over his appearance — from his haircut to his pins, some of which are actually Easter eggs. In the game’s universe, he decides to take the name of his favorite teenage rock band to be called Star-Lord and to bring coolness to the galaxy. That’s why Quill wears a patch of the band on his jacket’s back.
With Drax’s design, his tapestry of tattoos was the main area of interest. It was intended that his life story was illustrated through the paintings, which also reflect the architecture of his home planet Katath. Every circle Drax adds means he wants another battle. Just a common man, and one very good at flirting, by the way.
As for Gamora, who is the most dangerous woman in the galaxy by design, the devs wanted to capture a feeling that she’s ready to kill without hesitation at any moment. The character bears a strong, powerful look, and her black and white armor was taken straight from the early Marvel comics.
Last, but not least, Groot and Rocket, who are the galaxy’s best friends. This bond echoed in their designs, so if you look closely, you’ll find Rocket’s goatee actually has a little clip that looks like Groot. Rocket was the easiest one to do right because he’s very upfront about what he likes, namely big guns and explosions. His signature gun is also his backpack, which can be transformed into a deadly arsenal.
Surprisingly, Groot was the hardest to nail, yet the defining idea lies in the bonds with Rocket. The team decided to portray Groot as the raccoon’s mech, which can always be customized. Therefore, Rocket added a harness on Groot to quickly climb and use him as the turret while standing on top and firing his gun.
Since it's not a live-service game, Guardians of the Galaxy may be a title Marvel fans have been long waiting for. Despite some fans still feeling attached to the Guardians team portrayed in the MCU, Crystal Dynamics’ vision has its own charm and catchy appearances. How well it’s executed, we’ll know on October 26.
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