REVIEW: ‘Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues’ (Xbox One)

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues, published by GameMill Entertainment, is a side-scrolling beat ’em-up video game that was released earlier in October. The game takes place in the Karate Kid universe and is set during the events of the Netflix original series, Cobra Kai. The story picks up in between the events of seasons one and two of the Netflix show. Players get to choose from two different story modes by selecting either the Miyagi-Do dojo or the Cobra Kai dojo. Each story lets you take control of different characters from the series to prove which dojo is superior. Players have to fight their way through countless enemies and boss villains on their way to take part in the All Valley Karate Tournament.

The mechanics of Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues are simple to follow, which will provide an enjoyable experience for most players. There are weak and strong attacks that can be combined to make multiple combos. Combos give players more power, but can be taken away if hit by an enemy or if a player takes too long to make any new combos. To continue to increase the combo score, players need to switch up the combos that they use. Using the same moves lowers the combo score. Each character has their own special moves and dojo special moves that only members of their own dojo can use. Once players use any skill, they’ll have to wait for them to be used again. Every character also has their own ultimate skills, which take a while to charge up. There are also collectibles and power-ups that players can find throughout every level that can be equipped to characters. However, the power-ups expire at the end of a level. Most of this information can also be accessed on the home screen, which can be a helpful reminder if players need it.

A major element of Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is being able to upgrade characters through skill trees. At the end of every level, and based on the overall score players gain, coins are earned that can be used to unlock skills and upgrades. The skill tree offers a variety of options to choose from rather than having players pick one specific path. Players should fully explore all the skills offered and decide which ones they want to be upgraded first. The skill tree is designed to benefit a player’s own style, whether it’s focused on building defense or adding to their offense. Whether players choose the Cobra Kai or Miyagi-Do dojo, the skill tree offers various ways to form a powerful character. There are some skills that affect all members of the dojo that a player chooses. Players should be on the lookout for skills that will improve the overall stats of their dojo members.

While I had a lot of fun playing Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues because of the nostalgic factor and being a big fan of the show on Netflix, I had difficulty getting used to the controls of the game. While the game is a side-scroller, it’s necessary to be aware of where enemies appear on the screen. There were times where I thought I was in front of an enemy but I wasn’t near them. Having a 3-D play area made it difficult to deal with enemies, especially when dealing with more than one enemy at a time.

The gameplay in Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues felt repetitive, especially as I got further into the game. I understand that at its core, the game is meant to have players battle their way through waves of enemies, but there could have been so much more. Perhaps if a training section had been implemented so that there could have been a bigger sense of belonging to a specific dojo rather than just jumping right into the action. There were various types of enemies to fight but the fighting itself got very repetitive.

There wasn’t anything in the story that made me want to continue playing the game either. Had its story been fleshed out more, or perhaps been told differently, it would’ve been more enjoyable. It felt as if the game was relying on the nostalgic factor at times. Had a game like this been released during the time of the original Karate Kid films, it would’ve been a big hit.

I had very high hopes for Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues but was ultimately disappointed with how the game turned out. While the game’s mechanics were great on their own and provided some enjoyable moments, they weren’t enough to fully make this game stand out. The skill tree function however was able to get me invested in the game since there were many possibilities to power up the characters in both dojos. On simple nostalgia alone or being fans of the Netflix show, I can see players enjoying the game. However, I can’t say that was the case for my experience.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is available for purchase now on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.