Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening (PS5) Review: An Anime Love Letter

Is 2025 the right time to be making an adaptation of the classic Space Cobra anime that aired in 1983? No clue, but I’m glad that Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening exists, as it’s a wonderful celebration of the sci-fi action show. Filled with challenging action and clips from the TV series, this is a sure-fire success for fans.

I was immediately impressed with Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening upon starting its story mode, which faithfully recreates the first 12 episodes of the show. Filled with clips from the anime, so even newcomers will be able to understand what’s going on and follow along, it’s an incredibly faithful recreation. The bulk of the game is The Three Sisters and The Ultimate Weapon arcs, which help it feel complete despite being about a third of the series. While I would’ve loved to have seen more adapted, I’d rather get such a detailed version of each episode than skip around.

Gameplay is also loyal to Cobra’s abilities in the show, as you use his versatile Psychogun to blast through enemies. You’ll also have to use his Colt Python 77 to break through shields, along with using melee attacks to clear some baddies. Combat is incredibly fun, and like recent Metroid games, you can stop in place in order to aim your shot more. Combat feels highly polished, as I loved using the charge shot to destroy multiple enemies at once and the special attack that clears the screen.

The only time the game feels a bit sloppy is when it comes to the actual platforming. You’ve got a grappling hook, but actually using it to propel into the air can feel awkward at times. Some of the major boss fights have you air-dashing to avoid attacks constantly, so there is a learning curve that needs to be mastered here. While not perfect, it’s certainly competent, and you get used to it over time.

Filled with charm, Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening is also accessible to gamers of all levels, thanks to offering three different difficulties. It can get quite challenging, even on normal difficulty, but the frequent checkpointing makes it a fun challenge of your skills rather than a frustrating one. Adding to the replayability is a two-player co-op mode, which is a fun two-player heist that has players working together (it’s more of a novelty here, but it’s an idea I’d love to see explored more in a potential sequel).

Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

Whether you’re a fan of action platformers or you’re a Cobra superfan, there’s a lot to like about Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening. While it only covers the first 12 episodes of the show and completes The Ultimate Weapon arc, we’ll hopefully get a sequel that completes the story (the show ran for 31 episodes and gets increasingly out there as the final episode deals with the body of Adolf Hitler). With great presentation, this is a real treat for fans of the show.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.001.000.