G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra

G.I. JOE: Wrath of Cobra is the 2D arcade beat-'em-up game your inner child wanted. Who doesn’t want to feel like they are in an episode of a cartoon with their friends?

64%Game Brain Score

graphics, music

gameplay, story

57% User Score Based on 121 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 10 reviews

Platforms

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About

"G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra" is a retro side-scrolling beat 'em up game that takes place in the 1980s era of the iconic universe. Players can choose from legendary characters such as Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, and more to defeat hordes of Cobra troopers and malevolent villains. The game offers both close-range combat with unique combos and special moves and long-range fighting with a variety of weapons. Experience classic arcade gameplay updated for modern times with smooth controls and challenging enemies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews

graphics16 positive mentions

gameplay11 negative mentions

Captures the nostalgic feel of the G.I. Joe franchise, appealing to long-time fans.
Graphics and sound design are well-executed, enhancing the retro experience.
Offers a fun local co-op mode, making it enjoyable to play with friends.

Gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, with basic combat mechanics and limited character moves.
The game is plagued by bugs and technical issues, including crashes and soft locks during play.
Boss fights and enemy encounters are often unchallenging and poorly designed, leading to a lack of engagement.

gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
40%
31%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it boring and repetitive, while others enjoy its addictive beat-em-up mechanics. Critics have pointed out the need for more complex enemy attack animations and additional content to enhance the overall experience. Despite its classic feel and responsive controls, many believe that improvements are necessary for a more engaging gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay and combat is so addictive and fun.”
- “It has serviceable beat'em up mechanics that I had fun with overall.”
- “Joe: Wrath of Cobra is an energetic, nostalgia-fueled beat-em-up that has some length and technical issues, but not enough to seriously dampen the solid side-scrolling gameplay and excellent retro aesthetic.”
- “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and uninspiring.”
- “To summarize, the game is terrible both in terms of gameplay and presentation.”
- “Almost every beat-em-up I've played has better gameplay.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
13%
14%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many praising the visuals as fitting for the license and evoking nostalgia. However, some reviewers noted inconsistencies in quality, with certain areas appearing amateurish and not fully capturing the beloved 80s art style. Overall, while the graphics are enjoyable and enhance the gameplay experience, there is a desire for more polish and adherence to the original aesthetic.
- “Fun game and graphics are perfect for the nature of this license.”
- “On the positive side, it has good visuals and representation of the G.I.”
- “Audio on point, graphics on point, very very nostalgic, I am so pumped to be able to play this - funnest Joe experience I've had in a long time!”
- “As it is, it's baby's first beat 'em up; it kinda feels like some dude's 'Beats of Rage' amateur effort with some decent visuals in some places and bad in others.”
- “The art style in the story isn't exactly the 80s style that most fans feel comfortable with and love.”
- “Stylistically, the visuals are chasing 'TMNT: Shredder's Revenge'.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the original soundtrack as fantastic and nostalgic, while others find it uninteresting and lacking iconic themes from the source material. Many players express disappointment over the absence of classic tunes, suggesting that licensing issues may have affected the soundtrack. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the retro feel, it fails to fully capture the essence of the original franchise.
- “Anyway, I have to rate this game positively because the OST is fantastic and the game itself scratches some nostalgia itches.”
- “Nice and short experience for the price, great replayability, and the background music is an absolute bop.”
- “[Great music and sprite artwork, satisfying sidescrolling fisticuffs.]”
- “The animations look amateurish and the sounds/music aren't from the cartoon.”
- “Music is also pretty meh.”
- “I may be wrong, but I don't remember hearing anything resembling the classic theme in the soundtrack of the game.”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
63%
21%
The game's story is minimal and often hindered by bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players who encounter issues with cutscenes not playing. While there are some narrative elements and unlockable content, the linear progression and lack of depth in storytelling leave much to be desired, especially when compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, players should not expect a rich narrative experience.
- “The opening cinematic was skipped when I first started story mode - suspecting it was weird I was given nothing for context, I returned to the main menu and started again and sure enough got the opening cutscene.”
- “The art style in the story isn't exactly the 80s style that most fans feel comfortable with and love.”
- “Overall this is a fun novelty, but don't expect the level of consideration that was put into TMNT: Shredder's Revenge; this is a linear level system, scant story points, purely left-to-right scrolling, and unbalanced playable characters which is a shame when you consider this is a franchise that people will heavily favor a specific Joe over others.”
- “The game has no story; there are a few cutscenes that play, but for some reason they didn't play for me on my first playthrough. Either way, it doesn't matter much because the game always softlocks after a cutscene, so I have to skip it anyway. There are no stage transitions or alternative paths.”
- “Of course there's not much storyline, simplistic action, and the game itself is bug-ridden.”
- “I played the entire story mode without cutscenes because there's a bug where they don't play when using a controller.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been widely criticized for its severe stability issues, with numerous reports of crashes, glitches, and bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. Players frequently encounter problems such as freezing, getting stuck, and bosses malfunctioning, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game's stability is deemed unacceptable, reflecting poorly on the developers.
- “The game is also amazingly buggy; it would consistently crash after the opening cutscene for me, and I encountered an endless string of bugs and glitches.”
- “You know a game is high quality when it freezes and needs to be reset the instant you start playing.”
- “The game itself is buggy, such as getting stuck in midair and being unable to complete a level.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, with long, repetitive levels and basic combat mechanics that lack satisfaction. Boss fights are particularly criticized for their lack of excitement and excessive health, making encounters feel like a drag. Additionally, character balance issues and a slow introduction of enemy variety contribute to a frustrating experience overall.
- “Every boss in the game just appears with barely any fanfare suddenly at the end of whatever of the 12 boring long corridor levels you're in, and what follows is tedious fights against super armor bosses with enormous amounts of health.”
- “The combat is very basic, unsatisfying, and tedious with barely any of the satisfying aspects of good beat-em-ups.”
- “A few things stood out such as base enemies taking many levels before variety was added in, no way to earn extra lives while playing, and some enemies being just way too tedious and unforgiving (I'm looking at you teal ninjas and the cobra quads).”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with some users noting a lack of incentive to play again. However, there are a few game modes that can be unlocked by collecting floppies, which offer slight variations to the gameplay.
- “There is a bit of replayability; many game modes that provide alterations to the game can be unlocked by collecting floppies.”
- “No replay value.”
- “There is a bit of replayability; however, many game modes that provide alterations to the game can be unlocked by collecting floppies.”
- “No replay value.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, particularly highlighting the hilarity of the introduction, which many players found to be exceptionally funny.
- “The intro is hilarious.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch and keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game uses clever jokes and puns to enhance the experience.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviewers express a strong appreciation for the character designs, noting that they remain true to their original forms rather than being altered into unrecognizable redesigns. This fidelity to classic designs enhances the overall character development experience for players.
- “I appreciate that the character designs are as they were back in the day, and not some unrecognizable redesign.”

71%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews

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