Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening Review

In the last couple of years, we have seen a multitude of games released that are adaptations of classic shows like Power Rangers and G.I. Joe. Now we have an action platformer that adapts the Space Cobra anime from 1983. Why it was made this many years later, I have no idea, but it looks awesome, and I can’t wait to check it out.

I watched the original series to get familiar with the characters and story before jumping in. As soon as I began playing Space Adventure Cobra — The Awakening, I was impressed with how much this game truly felt like the show. It recreates the first 12 episodes, and even if you haven’t seen the series, it includes multiple clips taken directly from it so you can easily follow the story. Most of your time is spent finding The Three Sisters, whose tattoos lead to the location of the hidden treasure. This covers the rest of The Ultimate Weapon arc. I don’t want to spoil anything more, but despite following only a small part of the full story, the game feels complete; it never felt like it abruptly ended.

Space Adventure Cobra — The Awakening does a great job of being faithful to the series. Everything your character can do in the game is what Cobra does in the anime. You use your Psycho-gun to take out enemies and other targets, melee attacks for close combat, and the Colt Python 77 revolver to blast through shields. Your blaster has a charge shot powerful enough to take out multiple enemies standing near each other, and Cobra has a special attack that clears the full screen once you collect enough yellow orbs from defeated foes.

I found the controls satisfying to use, especially with auto-aim turned on, though some of the platform-heavy sections can get tricky. Using the grappling hook to launch yourself to a specific spot often took multiple attempts before I was successful. Leading your Guided Shot to its intended target also takes practice, though since you use it frequently, you’ll naturally improve as you play. It’s a move worth mastering, as it lets you hit weak spots on enemies that are otherwise hard to reach.

This game can be pretty challenging at times, even on normal difficulty, but fortunately, it has frequent checkpoints. Once you get past a tricky section, you probably won’t have to worry about replaying it, though you may die multiple times while building muscle memory and figuring out how to progress. There’s also a two-player co-op mode, where you and a friend work together to get through the areas. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with this mode, but the bit I did play was a lot of fun.

Space Adventure Cobra looks great, and it makes you feel like you’re right inside the show. It captures the hand-drawn look from the early ’80s. They even keep a cigar in Cobra’s mouth at all times, just like in the anime; I was surprised to see that, since smoking is more frowned upon now, but it is true to his character. The music sounds exactly like what you’d expect from a show of that era. It can get a bit repetitive when constantly looping, but to be fair, the anime was the same way.

Space Adventure Cobra — The Awakening is great for both fans of the series and people who enjoy action-adventure platformers. This game covers only the first 12 episodes of the show, which make up The Ultimate Weapon arc. The Space Adventure Cobra anime ran for 31 episodes, so I’m curious to see if there will be a sequel to continue the story. I’ve had a lot of fun playing this game; it has a great sense of humour, and it introduced me to a fun anime and movie to check out. This is a treat for anyone who is a fan of this franchise!