Don’t feel bad if you never heard of Space Adventure Cobra. It was an early 80s anime that barely ran for 30 episodes, and for some reason French publisher Microids and developer Magic Pockets decided 2025 was the right time to release a game about an obscurely forgotten Japan cartoon. This game tie-in essentially recreates the first dozen episodes of the series and is actually an enjoyable run-and-gun despite being a licensed IP.
I don’t want to spoil the story as it will ruin the experience but know that you play as Cobra, a cigar chomping, cocky badass with a powerful arm cannon as he tries to recover some lost memories, annoy space pirates, and collect treasure along the way. The glue that holds the entire experience together are the cartoon cutscenes presented in all their early 80s glory. Coming from someone who never watched the anime, these cartoon segments are great and gets the player up to speed on the Cobra lore. I am not sure if they are pulled directly from the show but watching each one is a treat even in 2025.
Gameplay is a relatively straight forward run-and-gun but with some nuance. Simply moving left and right is speedy and responsive. Shooting is mapped to the trigger but can be aimed in any direction using the analog stick. Then Cobra can also use his melee attack to defeat shielded enemies while his strong pistol can remove forcefields. Then, add a dash move and a linking controllable shot to string together targets (think that whistling arrow in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies), and there is enough variety to keep gameplay, combat, and bosses interesting.
Thankfully, there are multiple difficulties to ensure players of all skill levels can enjoy this platforming cavalcade. Lenient checkpoints also reduce the frustration of falling down pits, the game’s biggest annoyance. While combat and movement is enjoyably speedy, platforming isn’t as solid. Basic jumping, wall climbing, and wall jumping are fine. However, the leaping double dashes from the connecting jump points are random at best. On the first stage, I probably died a dozen times before I cleared what is essentially the opening tutorial for this jump mechanic. Then, I continued to fall most encounters afterward too. So the double jumping isn’t great, but again, the checkpoints at least make it a little more tolerable.
At its heart, this is an action game but there are some slight Metroid-ish elements. Sometimes you’ll need to replay stages after gaining a few new abilities, to collect those optional items. But for the most part, you will be running to the right and shooting all the bad guys with your multiple offensive maneuvers. In fact, there are segments where the gameplay is much more of an endless runner than a stop and pop. For the most part, it is fast, fluid, and fun.
Even with the inconsistent platforming and occasional difficulty spikes, Space Adventure Cobra: Awakening is an endearing relic made modern. In fact, I hope more IPs take this approach in the future. The timing is odd, but I guess the saying “better late than never” has never made more sense.
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR SCORE - 8
8
SCORE
Even if you have never heard of Cobra or his space adventures, this action platformer is an enjoyable romp that has a charming 80s presentation while being outfitted with modern gameplay and controls.
Editor in Chief - been writing for mygamer,com for 20+ years. Gaming enthusiast. Hater of pants. Publisher of obscure gaming content on my YT channel.
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