The Canadian studio Maple Powered Games and the publisher once known as Freedom! Family Alabama LLC, now known as Indie.io, are taking us back to the nostalgic 80s, where the G.I. Joe team saves the world from villains. For those unfamiliar with this franchise, G.I. Joe or Joseph Colton is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a toy series owned by Hasbro. He later appeared as a character in comics. In the film adaptation, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, he was portrayed by Bruce Willis. Colton graduated with top honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1960. He later served in special forces and ended up in the Green Berets. After numerous successful secret missions, President Kennedy appointed him to command the ultimate fighters for freedom, and at that moment he received the codename G.I. Joe.
Wrath of Cobra is a chapter of the beat 'em up game where legendary G.I. Joe fighters like Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Gung-ho, Snake Eyes, and others battle against Cobra troops, including Vipers and Crimson Guards. The game functions by allowing you to fight in 2D using punches, special attacks, and firearms against hordes of obstacles and enemies. Just like back in the good old days on the "Commodore" with a joystick. The base game has three difficulty levels. At the end of each level, you face a boss, such as Destro, Serpentor, Baroness, and finally, the Commander of Cobra himself. You can choose which of the available heroes to use to complete each level, and each has its unique combo moves and special abilities. The game does not have checkpoints, and if you die, you must restart the entire level from the beginning.
The game allows you to die once, but after the second death, you must restart the current level. Once you complete a level, it remains unlocked, allowing you to replay it if you want to try completing it with a different character. The game is adapted for modern platforms, so the gameplay is smooth whether on keyboard or controller, and you can replay it multiple times to unlock some modes. The game functions as a single player, but also co-op with a maximum of four players. It is worth mentioning that the pixel art is hand-drawn, as well as the classic cut scenes. To make everything perfect in arcade style, we should mention the person who worked on the fitting soundtrack, Tee Lopes. Some of the titles he has worked on include Sonic Mania, Streets of Rage 4, and Major Magnet. With the game's release, the developers also offered a free DLC that includes online multiplayer co-op and three new characters you can play as, which are Shipwreck, Lady Jaye, and Timber. Additionally, Lightning Mode (a challenge against faster attackers), Boss shuffle, and Time Attack are included.
If you need a little outlet after a hard day's work, support the indie studio and have fun with this action retro side-scrolling beat 'em up title. G.I.Joe: Wrath of Cobra is available for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Xbox Series X/S, and Mac OS.
