Set in an original universe based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, the game's plot follows the Guardians who, while attempting to capture a beast for a wealthy collector, inadvertently trigger a catastrophe which threatens the peace of the galaxy.

The player controls the team's self-proclaimed leader, Star-Lord, and issues commands to other Guardians including Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

At certain points in the game, the player makes key decisions via dialogue trees that affect the relationships between Guardians and change the outcome of missions.

The soundtrack comprises an original score composed by Richard Jacques, various licensed songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and a 1980s-inspired album by the game's audio director, Steve Szczepkowski.

[2][3] The other Guardians, including Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax the Destroyer, are non-player characters controlled by artificial intelligence, but the player can issue commands to them during combat.

[6] As the Guardians engage in combat, a Momentum gauge will fill, allowing the player to perform a "Call-to-Action" attack which deals significant damage to stronger enemies.

[2] Another meter that fills during combat allows the player to perform a special ability called "Team Huddle", which briefly stops the fighting and prompts Star-Lord to make a motivational speech, accompanied by background music, to inspire his teammates.

[10] Rocket can also use components at workbenches to craft combat perks for Star-Lord, which grant passive advantages such as increased health and shield regeneration.

[11] At certain points in the game, the player makes key decisions via dialogue trees that affect the relationships between Guardians and change the outcome of missions.

Other characters include Peter Quill's former lover and Nova Corps Centurion Ko-Rel (Judith Baribeau), Ko-Rel's daughter Nikki Gold (Romane Denis), the "Celestial Madonna" Mantis (Emmanuelle Lussier Martinez), Cosmo the Spacedog (Alex Ivanovici), the Xandarian Worldmind (Robert Montcalm & Leni Parker), and Adam Warlock (Brent Skagford).

In the years following a massive interstellar war, the Guardians have accepted a job to capture a rare monster for their patron, Lady Hellbender.

Cosmo agrees to aid the Guardians in investigating the Hope, which is now transmitting a strange signal; he sends them to the ship using a transportation system called the Continuum Cortex.

She is using the yellow gem to brainwash thousands of alien followers with the "Promise" by trapping them in illusions crafted from their deepest desires, then harnessing their devotion as Faith Energy to power the Church's fleet.

The Guardians attempt to enlist the Xandarian Worldmind, but it concludes that the Church's victory is inevitable and flees the galaxy with the remainder of the Nova Corps.

To gain her favor, they subdue and gift her the legendary monster Fin Fang Foom, and she agrees to aid in an assault on the Church's flagship, the Sacrosanct.

[19] Additionally, the designers did not want the player to be able to directly control other Guardians in order to prevent them from projecting their own personality onto them, allowing characters the freedom to grow and develop more complex relationships with each other.

[21] The team at Eidos chose to portray the Guardians of the Galaxy as "underdogs", with Dugas and DeMarle feeling that this mirrored the public perception of their studio.

[28] Dugas has stated that the transition from working on Deus Ex to Guardians was a significant "brain shift" for the developers due to the contrast in tone and scale of the franchises.

[25] Despite the game's humorous tone, grief, loss, and tragedy are major themes of the story, with the backdrop of an intergalactic war drawing attention the characters' traumatic experiences both past and present.

[32] The origins of each Guardian were reinvented to better fit the context of the intergalactic war[33] and their appearances were altered to align with their background while still being recognizable to the general public.

[29] Star-Lord was designed as a "time capsule of 1980s culture" sporting an exaggerated 80s haircut; Gamora wears full tactical body armor to reflect her status as the "deadliest woman in the galaxy"; Drax has many tattoos which chronicle important events in his life, such as the death of his family.

[34] Early drafts of character designs were more outlandish; For instance, Quill was compared to a "cosmonaut", Drax was fat, and Rocket Raccoon was the size of a human.

[30] The voice cast features Jon McLaren as Peter Quill, Kimberly-Sue Murray as Gamora, Jason Cavalier as Drax, Alex Weiner as Rocket, and Robert Montcalm as Groot.

While McLaren, Murray and Weiner stayed away from MCU content during the game's production, Cavalier watched the films and adopted that version of Drax's deadpan humour, literal speech, and unique mannerisms.

[29] Licensed songs, such as those by Pat Benatar, Wham!, Iron Maiden, and Joan Jett,[8] are closely tied into the game's story, with their lyrics reflecting actions on screen.

[39] Audio director Steve Szczepkowski and sound designer Yohann Boudreault collaborated to write an album named Space Rider for the fictitious band.

The game's six-hour orchestral soundtracks were recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and the choral sections were performed by Pinewood Singers choir.

[51] According to review aggregator Metacritic, reception to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was "generally favorable", but the cloud streaming version for Nintendo Switch was met with "mixed or average" response.

Tom Marks wrote for IGN that the team successfully balanced spectacle and heartfelt moments, noting that the constant banter between characters maintained an entertaining experience.

[56][3][58] Sam Loveridge of GamesRadar called the game's script "brilliantly funny", "touching", and "emotional", stating that players will be invested in the personal stories of each Guardian.