Full disclosure: I grew up in the 80s and G. I. Joe was a major part of my childhood and I had almost every action figure. Now in my 40s and well, I have almost every G.I. Joe figure in Hasbro’s Classified series.
So, there might be some biases. But understand this, I have been waiting my entire adult life for a proper G.I. Joe video game to release, and while G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is on the right path it still has ways to go.
G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is a side-scrolling beat ’em up. And while many consider the brand to be all about running and gunning, the truth is that no one ever died in the cartoon series. However, there was tons of fist-to-cuff action with soldiers getting knocked out. So a beat ’em up video game makes perfect sense. Upon boot up, you will be treated to an amazing hand-drawn intro video that you would swear was from the cartoon.
Overlaying the video is a killer original track by Tee Lopes (soundtrack composer of Shredder’s Revenge among others) and Crush 40’s lead vocalist Johnny Gioeli. This opening video is by far the best I‘ve seen all year from any game. The track rocks, the artwork is outstanding and the animation/action is spot-on with the brand. This opening video will pump you up for some Cobra smashing action.
The good feels continues with the overall presentation. More hand-drawn animated cut-scenes that are full voice acted. By this point, you should still have a big Kool-Aid smile on your face because this presentation is NAILING IT!!! And then it’s level 1 and time to play. You get to pick from a handful of G.I. Joe originals such as:
- Duke
- Scarlett
- Snake Eyes
- Roadblock
Now at the time of this writing the game has not yet been released, but developers Maple Powered Games have plans to release more playable characters such as Lady Jaye, Shipwreck, and Timber, online multiplayer, and other game modes + modifiers for the very low price of FREE!. It’s also worth mentioning the game also supports local 4-player co-op.
The character models are beautifully detailed and each character is easily recognizable. The same can be said for Cobra. You will battle against jetpack cobra troopers to trouble bubble vipers and other familiar cobra units. Since it’s a beat ’em up, the controls are simple. You press (X) for light attack, (Y) for heavy attack, (A) to jump and (B) to block. While in a jump, you can perform an air attack by pressing the light or heavy buttons. Double tapping in any direction will allow you to sprint.
There is a taunt button like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge by pressing (RB) and when your special attack bar is full, you can perform your Joe’s special attack by pressing Right Trigger. Pressing (LB) will display your P# above your Joe. Oddly there is no grab feature. You can pick up dazed downed enemies and throw them by pressing (X). On that note, the overall move set for all characters is on the slim side. You have a few combos to pull off but never learn or obtain new moves. The special attacks are great to see, especially Roadblock which gives him his signature LMG, or Snake Eyes who summons his wolf Timber to help in the fight. But that’s about it for the moves.
The levels each have a mixed assortment of cobra units to fight along with mid and final level boss fights with the final boss fight being an iconic cobra foe such as Zartan, Dr. Mindbender, or Crimson Twins Tomax, and Xamot to name a few.
Now while it is a beat ’em up, there are plenty of guns that you can find in smashed crates and from fallen cobras to pick up and use. They have limited shots and once the magazine is empty you can throw it at your enemy.
G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra delivers 100% in the presentation. The gameplay is fun but limited. It would have been great to have a character upgrade progression system like in TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge so that you can evolve your Joe’s skills. I would have also liked to hear some quick one-liners from my Joe when taunting, for example, Duke does a salute and it would have been cool to hear him say “YO Joe.
Since we know the developers already have additional content planned, I have high hopes that more gameplay improvements are also in the works. Overall, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is a good foundation to build off and improve to produce a great G.I. Joe game.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra for PC provided by Maple Powered Games.
