Just in time for the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie is the episodic Telltale video game series based on the same group of star-hopping misfits. But unlike many other video game movie tie-ins, Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy is actually a solid effort – at least so far – with episode one, “Tangled Up in Blue.”

For many who saw the movie, the first thing you’ll notice with this game is the variation of the characters’ appearances. They don’t look exactly like their film counterparts. Rather, Star Lord and friends resemble the versions featured in the cartoon series and comics. All the other staples that make the films such a joy are intact, though. With ’70s/’80s pop music set to slow-motion action sequences and laugh-out-loud jokes, there’s no denying this is an authentic Guardians adventure.

Guardians of the Galaxy also continues the patented formula of Telltale releases in which the player has the ability to make decisions that will have various effects on other characters and development of the story, with different outcomes stemming from each choice. This time around, you play as Star Lord/Peter Quill, and the episode starts off with a bang as it introduces the Mad Titan Thanos without hesitation. When the Nova Corps call the Guardians for help after a skirmish with the intergalactic heavy, a series of events are set in motion that will test our heroes like never before. Of course, how your story plays out may be different than how mine did, since it’s all relative to the in-game decisions that you make. But chances are you’ll also get to rumble with Thanos in what feels like a surprising grand finale fight for the first episode in a series.

While the pace of “Tangled Up in Blue” stalls at times – mainly to set up the rest of the story in future episodes – it is also very poignant, another aspect that it has in common with the two Guardians of the Galaxy films. The Guardians come into possession of a powerful relic called the Eternity Forge, which causes Peter Quill to have flashbacks to when he was a kid on Earth with his mother (who has since died). For a video game, it gets pretty heavy, but it’s nice to see that the writers are doing what they feel is necessary to serve the character’s story instead of just throwing together a heartless space-shooter that they know will still sell.

“Tangled Up in Blue” gets the Guardians of the Galaxy Telltale series off to a great start. Fans will love it and most others will, too. It has all the traits that make the movies so endearing and enjoyable while allowing us to enter into their world or galaxy.

For more information, visit telltalegames.com.

Jason Savio