download tell tale guardians of the galaxy

It’s pretty hard to fail, though I still managed it a time or two. You dodge danger by swiping the screen when prompted.

Shooting and punching baddies is accomplished by tapping targets on the screen before they disappear. Most action scenes are navigated with “Quick Time” events. Now it’s about swiping and touching, but really, these kinds of controls haven’t changed all that much since Dragon’s Lair. Back in the day we would have called this a point-and-click game. The interface is simple and easy to use - at least on touch screens. The game also takes a couple unexpected swerves that I won’t spoil, save to note they are completely in character and reinforce the story’s core theme of families and what makes them tick. There’s an alien enigma, and the Kree show up, and of course Thanos is there to chew the scenery.

The set-up could come straight from the comics - the Nova Corps calls in the Guardians to help run down Thanos, and after squeezing the Corps for future favors (or not, as you wish), we are off on an interstellar treasure hunt. And the game that follows is every bit as engaging, masterfully capturing the spirit and tone of the film, whisking us away on an adventure that promises a battle with Thanos, but is really more about the relationships at the heart of the not-so-dysfunctional family that is the Guardians. It’s just a main menu, but it’s buoyant, happy, and demands your affection, like a puppy that’s jumped in your lap. You’re on the spot right from the opening screen, with ELO’s “Livin’ Thing” pouring from your speakers over an image of the Guardians punching each others’ lights out. Guardians, though … Guardians is something different. I’d noodled around a bit with Telltale’s Walking Dead Game, and admired the conversational interface and the emotional stakes of that game, but I wasn’t especially eager to dwell in that dour world, and the game never grabbed me. I’m already a fan of the first movie, and of the comics - both old and slightly less so - so it didn’t take a lot of convincing to part with five bucks American to download the first chapter of Telltale Games’ Guardians of the Galaxy on my iPad.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy return to theaters this week.

Download tell tale guardians of the galaxy