Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series Episode 2 Review

When you hear the words under pressure what do you think of? Do you think of someone or something that is struggling to make it by with the weight of the world on their shoulders, or do you think of the hit 1981 song ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie? If you think of either, you might be able to guess at the events that unfold during Episode 2 of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series entitled “Under Pressure’.  The second chapter in the galactic episodic adventure released on June 6th, 2017, and focused primarily on Rocket Racoon’s back story while the Guardians attempt to discover the secrets of the Eternity Forge.

In Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series Episode 2 ‘Under Pressure’, the crew are startled by the resurrection of Star Lord after his death at the hands of Hala the Accuser. The crew is shocked at first by Peter’s resurrection but before they can talk about what they have just witnessed, they must escape from Hala’s army. After just barely escaping, the crew flies to see Peter’s long-term family-friend and father figure, Yondu. As Peter and Yondu touch the Eternity Forge, the two share a vision of Peter interacting with his mother with some variations to Peter’s memories. After the two return from their vision, the Eternity Forge is covered in formerly hidden Kree writing.

The player must then decide if they want to go after Nebula and capture her before the Nova Corps or go with Rocket and learn about the raccoon’s dark past. No matter which decision the player makes, he/ she will anger one of the Guardians. With the help of Nebula, The Guardians are able to find the next path they must take to discover the mystery behind the Eternity Forge. At the end of the chapter, Star Lord and Gamora are seen entering a Kree temple emitting a blinding light. The second chapter of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series does not seem to offer much variety in outcomes compared to other Telltale games. The second episode of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series titled “Under Pressure” relates to the hit 1981 Queen song ‘Under Pressure.’ The following lyrics from ‘Under Pressure’ tie into the events that transpire throughout Episode 2.

It’s the terror of knowing
What the world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming ‘Let me out’
Pray tomorrow – gets me higher higher high
Pressure on people people on streets
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don’t work
Keep coming up with love but it’s so slashed and torn

Although the lyrics do not line up exactly with the plot of Episode 2 of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series, they still give the player a hint at to what is to come during episode 2. Throughout episode 2, the player must save Rocket and Nebula both from some kind of cage, Nebula a physical one and Rocket a mental one. The second episode’s sound track is more diverse with King Harvest’s ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ and the Sparks’ ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us.’ Both songs tie into their scene although the Dancing in the Moonlight feels rather strained unless the player had chosen to make StarLord dance after being interrogated by the other Guardians. For the second episode in a row, Telltale fails to provide a diverse sound track to draw the audience in.  Hopefully, in the next episode Telltale will provide a soundtrack that makes players go wow rather playing to 80’s nostalgia.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Ep 2’s story is more emotional than the prior episode, giving the player more of an emotional attachment to Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord. The Eternity Forge players a more significant role in episode 2 with Star-Lord being revived from it, Rocket attempting to bring back his lost love, and showing the Guardians how to get to a lost Kree temple. Thankfully, the second episode of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy makes the other Guardians seem like teammates rather than sidekicks. Just like in Episode 1, Star-Lord can interact with the other Guardians while moving about the ship or through the comms piece. The decisions that the player makes regarding which guardians to team up throughout episode 2 seems to have no significant impact on the second episode.

Each level is meticulously crafted with stunning details. Rockets origin world is vibrant and helps the player connect with Rocket in order to feel the loss of the woman he loves. Nebula and Yondu look similar to their movie counterparts. Star-Lords boots are used yet again for the sole purpose of solving a puzzle to advance the story; maybe at some point, Telltale will use the boots for combat purposes or to give a quirky response or action in a well-timed manner. Although the player can play through Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Telltale Series Episode 2 ‘Under Pressure’ a second time; it hardly seems worth it. Hopefully, when the game is fully released, the options that the makes will have more of a significant impact.

Joining their heroic counterparts on an adventure to discover more about the Eternity Forge, Yondu and Nebula have important and reoccurring roles that help the Guardians progress through the story. Ashly Burch takes the role of Nebula; Ms. Burch is best known for her Role as Chloe Price in Life is Strange, Cassie Cage in Mortal Kombat X, Sasha Braus in Attack on Titan, and Tiny Tina in Borderlands 2. In case you have been wondering why the voice of Yondu sounds familiar, it is because Yondu is voiced by Mark Barbolak, a voice actor who seems to love Telltale Games. Mr. Barbolak has been in six Telltale games throughout the last seven years.

Sadly, Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series Ep 2 “Under Pressure” was more disappointing than its predecessor. Although Telltale improved on some of the negative factors of the first game, they dropped the ball or did not improve in other areas. Telltale made The Guardians and their counterparts seem more relatable while sadly removing the impact of each decision made throughout the episode have significant meaning.  The soundtrack for the episode was a little better than that of Episode one “Tangled Up in Blue”, but offered very little diversity and emotion. Hopefully, when episode 3 releases later this summer, Telltale will improve on the good aspects of the game, while fixing some of the more annoying ones.

Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy: The Telltale Series Ep 2 “Under Pressure” is available now on the following platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, PS4, and Xbox One. For more information, check out the official website.

Rockers, I would like to apologize for taking so long to review Episode 2, there were some complications along the way. Originally, the second episode was going to receive a lower score, but after talking with the Telltale staff and Scott Porter (Star-Lord), I decided to give episode 2 a second chance. Sadly, it did not improve my opinion of the episode very much.