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Excellent aesthetic, soundtrack; Run-and-gun gameplay is fun, made stronger with unique shooting mechanics via the Psychogun; rewarding progression system
Performance is shaky in handheld; enemies can sometimes require too much damage to be taken down
Welcome to another Backlog Review, where we take a look at an older game that fans might have sitting waiting to be played or are still considering giving a purchase. This time we’re looking at Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening.
Saturday morning cartoons just hit different back in the day. Before this world of 24-hour on demand streaming services and, even prior to that, cable channels devoted to cartoons, there was the TV, an antenna, and the will to wake up at 7 AM on the weekend. Growing up in the SF Bay Area met surfing to channels like KTVU 2 and KOFY 20 to watch the latest episodes of everything from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Pokémon to Power Rangers. I feel fortunate to have grown up during this period (and in a house that didn’t have cable) as the memories of scrambling to catch my favorite shows are a highlight of my childhood.
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening isn’t exactly a love letter to this bygone era of Saturday morning cartoons, but being based on the anime of the same name from the 1970s, it nonetheless shares a certain amount of DNA with that period that I couldn’t help but notice as I played. Developed by Magic Pockets and published by Microids, the game is an action platformer that pulls from classics like the Metroid series and Mega Man while also forging its own identity thanks to its unique characters and setting.
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening revolves around the nominal Cobra, a space pirate who chose to erase his own memory and alter his appearance in order to flee the Space Pirate Guild. Cobra eventually reclaims his memories and becomes embroiled in his old life once more, journeying to new planets and hunting for treasure. Once the Space Pirate Guild figures out that Cobra is alive and kicking again, the old feud is reignited and the battle is on.
One aspect of the game that fans of the anime and manga might really appreciate is the presence of the original animation throughout the game. Cut scenes pulled straight from the anime are prevalent and really help to root the experience within the world of Space Cobra. While I’m no expert on the franchise whatsoever, I can say that the love for the source material shined throughout my playthrough of Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening. Given how unfashionable it is of late for adaptations to be faithful and respectful to the franchises they’re based on, I really appreciated the work put in by developer Magic Pockets to get it right.
Gameplay is 2D run-and-gun fun with a bit of melee combat mixed in for good measure. Cobra’s signature weapon is the Psychogun, the cannon bolted onto his left arm not unlike a certain bounty hunter and Blue Bomber that I mentioned above. The Psychogun slows time and its beams can be manipulated by Cobra to take on crazy trajectories to make shots that would otherwise be impossible. It’s a cool gimmick that helps differentiate Cobra from other, similarly armed (a pun!) heroes. And yes, if you’re curious, Space Cobra did indeed have an influence on characters like Samus Aran.
Progression is broken down into stages, with Cobra upgrading via new abilities and weapons as he makes his way through the adventure. Players can then return to previous stages with these new goodies in tow to explore and discover things that they couldn’t before. So, while Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening isn’t a Metroidvania, player progression does allow for some backtracking, in a sense. Thanks to the fun combat and movement systems in place, it was quite a lot of fun making my way through the game.
Once area that did lead to some frustration was how much damage enemies can soak up in Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening. There’s difficult and then there’s “the enemies take way too many shots to take down.” I am of the mind that this game falls into the latter category, with spongey foes simply taking too much punishment to take down than is entirely reasonable. Throw in a little bit of performance woes when playing the game in handheld mode, and Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening loses a small bit of its luster, as a result.
Still, this is a game that still remains worthy of your time if you enjoy 2D shooters and classic anime and manga. Its aesthetic is great, the animation segments are a delightful throwback, and the soundtrack is also strong. Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening fans will doubtlessly enjoy this one, but as I said earlier, I was no fan and I still found myself rapidly drawn in. Given how influential a series Space Cobra has been, it’s also a nice glimpse into the inspiration for so many game creators over the years. Definitely consider giving Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening a play.
Nintendojo was provided a copy of this game for review by a third party, though that does not affect our recommendation. For every review, Nintendojo uses a standard criteria.
