COBRAAAA… but not the one you think
In an age where anime is EVERYWERE; Space Adventure Cobra has always been one of those series that feels like it should have had more recognition outside of its niche. Space Adventure Cobra is an anime that came out in the early 80’s but gained more popularity when it came to DVD in the 2000’s. The Awakening tries to bring that old-school space pulp energy to modern consoles, and on paper, that’s a really exciting proposition. Playing through it on Series X, though, it quickly becomes clear that while the style is there, the execution doesn’t quite land as strongly as it should.
The game’s presentation is probably its biggest selling point. The art direction leans hard into the classic anime aesthetic, and it really pops in 4K. Character designs stay true to the source material, and the cutscenes often look like they were ripped straight out of an OVA. Unfortunately, the actual in-game visuals don’t hold up as well. Animations can feel stiff, environments are a bit sparse, and there’s a noticeable lack of polish that makes the experience feel more budget than it should for a franchise with this much history.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
Combat is a mixed bag. The Psycho-Gun is fun to use, and pulling off flashy moves is satisfying the first dozen times, but the system lacks depth. Fights start to feel repetitive halfway through the campaign, and the AI doesn’t really push you to experiment with the limited tools the game gives you. It’s the kind of system that makes you think, “this could be great with just a bit more tuning,” but that potential never fully materializes. Even boss fights don’t add much variety to the affair as most devolve to dodging orbs and aiming for a weak spot.
Narratively, it’s serviceable. Fans of Cobra will appreciate the callbacks and familiar faces, but for me I don’t think this is enough to pull in a whole host of new fans. The pacing drags in places, and some of the dialogue feels stiff or oddly translated. It never gets bad enough to be frustrating, but it rarely rises above “fine.” The use of actual footage from the old series is excellent though, and along with the ‘shoulder-bopping’ soundtrack this game just oozes style.
Performance on the Xbox Series X is stable for the most part, though I did hit a few frame dips during bigger encounters. Load times are snappy, which helps, but there are also some weird bugs; like sound effects cutting out or NPCs not triggering properly that break immersion at times.
At the end of the day, Space Cobra Adventure: The Awakening isn’t a bad game, but it’s not the triumphant return fans might have hoped for. It sits squarely in that “middling” territory: fun enough for fans of the character, but lacking the mechanical and narrative polish to recommend widely. For every moment that feels like a love letter to the source material, there’s another that reminds you of its rough edges. If you’re already invested in Cobra’s universe as I am, you’ll find things to enjoy here. If you’re not, this probably isn’t the game that’s going to win you over.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
