Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening Review – Of Space Pirates and Arm Cannons

Well, here we are decades on from the 1982 anime, and still no true follow-up for old Space Cobra…until now (unless you count a Sega CD adventure title from 1991). What’s more, this new Space Cobra project leans into side-scrolling action design, albeit without the sprawling interconnected maps but we’ll get into that shortly. For now, let’s talk about how this unlikely release adapts the 1982 sci-fi anime.

The game closely follows the first 12 episodes of the 1982 anime. Direct clips from the show routinely integrate through the game. I love how the anime clips aren’t overtly cleaned up or filtered to match the more modern in-game art style; all of the show’s graininess and color scoring remains intact here.

And there’s a surprising amount of cutscenes interspersed throughout the adventure. We’re talking a tad less than an hours-worth of classic cutscenes from the show’s first 12 episodes, contributing to the feeling of playing through the show yourself, if just a tad bit. I especially appreciate how organic the cutscenes feel when played. You can be in the middle of stage when you come upon a gravesite. The screen then transitions to a grainy cutscene of Cobra reminiscing about the grave’s connection to him, and then back to the run and gun gameplay. These transitions never felt too abrupt or intrusive to the gameplay since they usually occur in-between the action or, more common, before and after the stage.

“I love how the anime clips aren’t overtly cleaned up or filtered to match the more modern in-game art style.”

If you’re not a fan of classic anime, and are especially averse to the campy pulp action tone, the option to skip cutscenes is always available. Space Cobra is unabashedly campy, and very 80s. With the English dub, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the old Legend of Zelda cartoon. Cobra’s one-liners never hit the full cringe of Link’s infamous “Well, excuuuse me!” but sometimes edges close to that over-the-top tone. I personally find this tone to be a breath of fresh air among all the seriousness in media. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and isn’t afraid to wear well-worn tropes on its sleeve with pride. And all of that pulp action finds itself perfectly at home in video game format. You’re a galactic bounty hunter with a brief bout of amnesia and a debt to settle. The story arcs won’t blow anyone’s minds, but they are a fun glimpse at a bygone era.

And you didn’t think a modern adaptation of a classic show wouldn’t have some secrets and nostalgia bonuses, did you? About three chapters in, you unlock Cobra’s base of operations and personal starship, the ‘Turtle’. While you can’t manually fly it around like Starfield or anything, you can peruse some concept art through a series of rooms aboard the ship. It’s a very simple yet effective way to showcase a media gallery besides the old ‘main menu’ option, which I appreciate. Of course, unlocking these goodies first requires getting through stages, so it is there we turn to next.

“Stages are separate from each other with no interconnected map.”

Space Adventure Cobra’s stage design is a careful balance of pure run-and-gun action and puzzle-platforming. Locked doors often require the player to hit a series of targets situated cleverly around a room. These targets are typically hit in a sequence using Cobra’s Guided Shot, which can be slowed down and tracked with ultimate precision. There are a variety of puzzles like this that spruce up stage variety nicely.

But to be clear, stages are separate from each other with no interconnected map. Heck, there’s not a map to speak of in the game. But while each stage isn’t interconnected in a holistic, seamless manner, branching paths within them tease the player to return with a future upgrade or piece of equipment. I like the spirit behind this kind of design; after all, who can complain about added replayability?

“A variety of puzzles spruce up run and gun gameplay nicely.”

But without stage checkpoints or a proper map, this design is undercut. Some checkpoints are painfully spaced apart, making it an ordeal and a half to return to the spot you died at. The lack of a map further discourages me from exploring these “upgrade” paths further. I can see value in it if the campaign were playable with a friend. But alas, the game’s meager co-op mode only consists of a couple independent episodes. This discussion of replayability brings me to the core meat and potatoes: the gameplay.

Fans of Mega Man will feel right at home with this game. While the controls aren’t quite as tight or fluid, the Psychogun bears a strong resemblance to the Blue Bomber’s iconic Buster Cannon. At its core, Space Cobra is a run-and-gun platformer. Enemies come at you fierce and fast, with your kill count reaching into the hundreds for each stage. Given how often the Psychogun is used, an auto-fire option would have been nice. But alas, you must rapidly press the Psychogun button to shoot, since holding the button down is reserved for a charged shot. Hope you enjoy button mashing!

But at least the general movement is quick and slick for the most part. Running speed feels reminiscent of the Contra games, with a variable walk when the stick is gently nudged. You can change direction midair on a dime, which helps when getting stung by an unnoticed turret or two on the ceiling. In general, the controls are passable. What stops this from reaching the highs of other action platformers is the stilted wooden animations and ability restrictions. While you can’t make ultra-precise jumps à la Mega Man or Celeste, the movement is serviceable, if not a tad above.

“The inability to properly aim and move simultaneously can cause issues.”

The Psychogun, your main weapon, can rotate a full 360 degrees—but only when stationary. Oh, you can certainly aim the ol’ arm cannon while running, but aiming is locked to your directional movement unless stationary. This inability to properly aim and move simultaneously resulted in many pitfalls and enemy ambushes. I’m fine with a properly difficult platformer that limits the player’s offensive capabilities, but with a game so fast-paced and combat-focused, this restriction just seems counterintuitive.

That’s not the only case of restrictive controls, however. The Cigar Explosive cannot be aimed, only thrown in the imprecise vicinity Cobra is facing. What’s more, hanging on ledges restricts you to just your Psychogun and Guided Shot, but puts you in a tight spot if enemies have shields that require your pistol or explosive to blast through. Speaking of the traditional pistol, it cannot be aimed or directed at all; it merely points horizontally. Overall, Cobra’s various abilities and tools, which can be upgraded and improved of course, fulfill the action equation of this action-platformer quite well. It’s just a bit of a shame the controls for most of your tools are somewhat limited and rigid in their application.

Lastly, let’s talk about a mainstay in these kinds of games: boss fights. Space Cobra has ample amounts of boss encounters, sometimes three or more in a single stage. A typical boss attacks you with three to four different patterns, which increase in rapidity and intensity as you deplete the health bar. I think this game pretty much nails what an action-platformer boss should be. All of your resources and tools are tested, and often required. Bosses keep the player jumping and dodging across platforms to avoid damage and aim at weak spots. Some boss designs reappear throughout the game, like the Drone Robot variations, but there’s generally good variety between them.

“Bosses keep the player jumping and dodging across platforms to avoid damage and aim at weak spots.”

Platformers of every variety have been my bread and butter for as long as I can remember, and Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening delivered an impressive and fun time. I’ll probably return to this game in a couple years to grab the secret stuff that I can’t be bothered to backtrack for now. It’s certainly enjoyable and challenging enough for speed run challenges too, if you’re into that. Space Adventure Cobra is a fun action-platformer with a nostalgic 80s wrapper that comes recommended. And if you’re a big fan of the show, it’s an absolute must-play.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Update: We had mistakenly published the review with a score of 7. This has now been promptly corrected to an 8.