Space Adventure Cobra The Awakening, A Review

Suppose in the eighties, you were lucky enough to find a pirated VHS cassette of any anime in the local video club. In that case, likely, you were also fortunate enough to experience the intimate achievement that is Space Adventure Cobra. I must add that it was a peculiar time in Serbia when I grew up, and bootlegs were the only way we could enjoy media other than our weird communist TV show... Anyway, at that time, when rotoscoping reigned supreme and was considered the pinnacle of animation, anime looked like something from another planet. 

The typical European school had its own visual identity, characterized by gloomy colors, with a predominance of gray, as well as intrusive orange and green. Later, all of that changed with the popularization of the Eastern style. For that time, when the prevailing idea was a cocktail of randomly thrown-together concepts, the anime Space Adventure Cobra had plenty of it. 

Psychedelic colors, a space western vibe with a touch of action charm, and wild sci-fi ideas formed the perfect foundation for a crazy ride, and the assumption turned out to be true. Anyone who watched this old-school creation asked if there was a sequel or if they could rewind the tape to watch it again.

If you're in the mood for something completely different, check out our NBA 2K26 review!

Space Adventure Cobra's Journey from Screen to Game

It was truly a fantastic period that suddenly arrived in our region. Still, over time, it withered once the otakus grew up enough to start working in the industry themselves, and with fan service, buried their creativity. In this anime, Cobra, who is, of course, the main hero, represents everything a kid from that era imagined he could become when he grew up: a space outlaw, an incorrigible womanizer, and a hero with the "psycho-gun," a pistol built directly into his right arm. It was cool with Samus in Metroid, and later the trend was carried over to Cobra. 

The character design for that time was revolutionary. He was cool in a way that today's heroes can hardly reproduce. He wore a tight red shirt, had a cigar that never went out, and an attitude that screamed: "Space is my playground."

Out of that explosion of manga popularity, it was only logical to make an anime that was on the level of a space opera. With a fantastic reception from the audience, Cobra eventually gained cult status. Still, it was never part of the mainstream, so the rest of the world never had the opportunity to enjoy this film. Over time, people thought, 'Why not make a sequel not in the form of a movie or series, but as a game?'

And so Space Adventure Cobra arrived among us as an attempt to translate that world and that eighties flair into a proper interactive experience. Now we come to the part where things get interesting: just how successfully was such a stylized and vivid universe translated into a game? The answer is mixed. For such an old franchise, the attempt is more than adequate, but compared to other games in the genre, it is somewhat incomplete.

Gameplay Stuck Between Classic and Generic

To begin with, the first thing that jumps out is the faithfulness to the source material. The graphic design of games from Cobra's era was limited, so nothing more than a heavily pixelated platformer or a boring shmup could have been created. Here, the authors made a concerted effort to make Cobra and his space adventure as close as possible to what fans had seen on screen during their first encounter in the 1980s or 1990s.

The characters, ships, and even famous enemies like Crystal Bowie (also known as Crystal Boy) have recognizable silhouettes and characteristic moves. If you loved this anime, the game immediately transports you into the same trip as the original creation: a mix of glamour, danger, and totally over-the-top action.

Unfortunately, that's where the uniqueness of this game ends. The gameplay is a classic hybrid for that time, a combination of side-scrolling action, shoot-’em-up sequences, and witty dialogues. It may sound like this part of the text is generic, but you really will feel that way while playing the game. Cobra fights his way through space bases, jungles on exotic planets, and futuristic cities, using his psycho-gun all the while to get rid of hordes of enemies.

 The game, like Metroid 2 or Metroid Dread, requires both reflexes when parrying enemies and a bit of strategic thinking. It is not just bare mechanics, which is a great thing, but it still does not bring anything new or specific that you could immediately point to when someone mentions this work.

Choices That Slightly Shape the Storyline In Space Adventure Cobra

 The dialogues are the only feature worth placing on the list of elements that separate this game from the "milieu." Entering into dialogues with different characters allows you to make decisions that occasionally alter the course of the story and, in that way, affect the gameplay. If this game had been released in the 1990s, for example, this would have been a huge plus. 

At that time, the premise was just to go straight and shoot. Today, unfortunately, this is already a seen concept. Space Adventure Cobra now feels like intense déjà vu dressed in Cobra's red outfit.

However, what sets Space Adventure Cobra apart from the crowd is not so much the gameplay as the atmosphere. Few games from that period managed to capture the spirit of an anime in such a faithful way. 

From music that resembles futuristic jazz-funk tones to visuals that balance between a dark noir vibe and kitschy glamour, all the way to dialogues full of charm, everything screams "this is Cobra,” a name we all know. And you couldn't enjoy the atmosphere more than with our XP-Panther Cosmic headset.

Level Layouts Feel Painfully Predictable

Of course, the game is not without flaws. The controls sometimes feel stiff, and the transitions from shooting to dialogue sequences can slow down the pace. Even though the game has twelve episodes, after four, it becomes crystal clear how much effort the developers invested. At the beginning, when you're getting acquainted with the game and its mechanics, everything is interesting enough.

 However, once the repetition begins, which is unfortunately a significant flaw in these kinds of games, the title starts to crumble. The level layouts already by the fifth episode become painfully familiar, and you almost know exactly what awaits you on the next screen. A lot could have been polished and enriched here to avoid a snooze-fest during play. 

Rarely does a game lull you to sleep, but I think Space Adventure Cobra could do that if you dedicate yourself to it long enough. It should be stated in the disclaimer that it is a good cure for insomnia, at least until the dialogues begin. When the dialogues and exposition start, then the tempo drastically spikes, and you begin to realize that you're playing through all the platforming sections to follow the story further. A significant issue that significantly detracts from the overall impression.

Space Adventure Cobra In Conclusion

For a part of the older audience, this is undoubtedly their favorite anime of all time. Not because it is technically the best or highest-quality, but because the theme, the characters, the humor, the writing, and the world itself are so original and fun that they win over anyone who even superficially dives into them. Surely, the gaming population has had the chance to play both better and worse titles than this one, but what makes this game stand out is the fact that there has never before been an opportunity to consume Space Adventure Cobra in this format.

Space Adventure Cobra may not be a perfect game, but it delivers so much charm and nostalgia that its minor flaws almost fade into the background. If it manages to awaken interest in such forgotten franchises, then it has already achieved great success.

Our Rating:

The game is 7.4/10, as it captures the nostalgic anime atmosphere brilliantly, but repetitive gameplay and pacing issues hold it back from greatness.

Recommended Age:

We recommend this game for ages 12 and up, as it features space battles, a suggestive charm in the main character, and dialogue complexity that younger children may not fully understand. However, the ESRB recommends that players older than 13 give it a try and gave it a T rating.