I never really jumped on the G.I. Joe bandwagon when I was a kid, much preferring the quintessentially British Action Man. Who can forget the “Eagle Eyes” features when you could make him look in different directions?
Still, putting all that aside and we have a game that is based on the American hero, that goes by the name of G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra from Maple Powered Games and indie.io. Shaping up as a side scrolling beat ’em up, with a distinct retro look that ties into the 80’s cartoon series, the question is this: Can Joe still cut it today, or should I start digging the Action Man dolls out? Lock and load, it’s time to go in.
Carrying on from my introduction, I’ll start this review by talking about the presentation of the game.
First impressions are good, with the cutscenes that introduce G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra and the story being almost perfect copies of the style of the Saturday morning cartoon from the 80’s. Once we actually get into the game, the graphics take me right back to the days of yore, with retro styled sprites wandering around a variety of pre-drawn backdrops. The whole style of the game, from the looks to the sounds, even to the feel, are all like a love letter to the early days of beat ’em ups, and as a result everything ties together really well and works perfectly.
If I did have a complaint, it would be that the levels are absolutely stuffed with cookie cutter enemies, but having been back and rewatched some of the episodes of the G.I.Joe cartoon (all still available on YouTube if you fancy it) this is in keeping with the inspiration for the game.
Sound is equally good, with fully voiced cutscenes and in-game sound effects being bang on too. The explosions, the thumping, the sounds of battle – everything works really well.
Now, story time, so settle in and get comfy. Cobra Commander, the big baddie of the G.I. Joe universe, is at it again, with a whole new clone army poised to take over the world. Weirdly, he chooses to announce this new threat he is mounting by stealing landmarks from around the world, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. I mean, where do you even store these things once you’ve pinched them?
Anyway, there’s only one thing for it, and so the G.I. Joe team, from Duke to Snake Eyes, have to swing into action. Maybe with a precision airstrike, to take out the Cobra headquarters? Nope, by putting boots on the ground and punching anyone who gets in the way! The scene therefore is set for some epic fisticuffs.
The way that G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra plays out will be absolutely no surprise to anyone who has ever played a side scrolling beat ‘em up. We begin at the left hand side of an area, and then we keep walking right, fighting as we go, until we reach the mid-stage mini boss. After that, some more walking, some more fighting, and then the final boss of the level. These final bosses are characters from the Cobra hierarchy, such as Baroness and Firefly, all the way up to Cobra Commander himself. And that is about as accurate a summary as I can give you!
The way the game plays is also a nod back to the olden days – absolutely rock hard. Even on so called “easy”, myself and my son initially managed to get through about five levels before succumbing to the endless waves of foes, and that is only about half way through the game.
But this does lead me neatly onto the multiplayer part of the game. While you can play single handed, you really will need eyes in the back of your head to survive the onslaught. Having a second, third or even fourth player (assuming you have not only enough friends, but also enough Xbox controllers!) then the more the merrier. More goodies means the baddies attention is split more ways, and this helps with overall survivability.
The score chasing is also quite competitive, surprisingly, with arguments over whether it is overall score or the number of KO’s that dictate the true mark of a winner… Should you fail to survive, the game does take a little bit of mercy on you and permits you to start again at the start of the level that you are on, rather than throwing you all the way back to the start of the game, so small mercies and all that.
Controls are pretty good, and you’re never at a loss as to what to do. But more importantly the character you choose reacts well to your inputs. There are some weird moments, such as when you are fighting a group of enemies against the edge of the screen, where it is somehow possible to juggle the enemies so they can’t hit the floor, and this makes killing large groups much easier. Not sure it’s a feature, but it is flipping handy, I’ll tell you that.
In conclusion, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is a good game with a ton of fun included. As always with these games, the more players you can round up, the more enjoyment you will have and competing with friends and family brings G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra together. While the single player is perfectly playable, it is just too hard for my aging reflexes but in all, this is an accomplished game that deserves to be played.
G.I. JOE: WRATH OF COBRA Deploys on Consoles as a Retro Beat ‘Em Up with a Modern Punch – https://www.thexboxhub.com/g-i-joe-wrath-of-cobra-deploys-on-consoles-as-a-retro-beat-em-up-with-a-modern-punch/
Buy G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/gi-joe-wrath-of-cobra/9PPP9HPK40H3
