The narrative is meh at best but the gameplay and level design is pretty strong. I would say this game works with permadeath on and if you are willing to switch out characters randomly every mission. But that doesn't solve the issue that you have played this game before.
Certainly exceeded my expectations. I wasn't totally sold on the Combat but found the story to actually be very refreshing and full of heart. Hopefully a sequel can be made where we can experience playing as all of the Guardians and not just Star-Lord.
I hope this inspires a new more interesting approach to open world design from other developers. This is one of the most interesting worlds to explore and experience.