I can only imagine that the folks at Maple Powered Games received the pitch to develop a brand new game based on the G.I. Joe franchise, were told to not worry that much about making a bonafide banger of a game, and completely ignoring that last bit. Considering the fact this is a cheap licensed indie game (a trend I’ve also noticed with the recent Rugrats title), exclusive on PC, I wasn’t expecting much from G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra. Boy, was I wrong. This game had no reason to be as good as it is. The only major issue? The fact it’s currently an exclusive to the single worst platform to take advantage of its gameplay loop.

They are all laser rifles. Think of the children.

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is a retro-styled beat ’em up themed around a nostalgic 80s franchise. Oddly enough, this is the second game in a row I’m reviewing to feature the exact premise (looking at you, The Karate Kid: Street Rumble). Just like Daniel LaRusso’s brawler, Wrath of Cobra aims for that specific “retro-styled but more detailed than your average 80’s arcade” graphical style, synth-heavy music, and fast-paced arcadey combat. It just works better than its martial arts counterpart thanks to its excellent game feel.

Punching, kicking, and beating the living hell out of foes feels delightful. The game constantly plasters the screen with a crapton of Cobra goons, but they are there as fodder. It doesn’t take long for you to get rid of them. Chaining one kill after another, with the screen being filled with POWs and beefy sound effects, never gets old. Powerups can be found with ease, and each character feels quite different from one another, encouraging replayability.

Snake Eyes is a blast to play as, but his special attack is pretty underwhelming.

By no means is this a deep or innovative beat ’em up, but I honestly don’t think that depth would have been necessary for a game like this one. You have a light attack, a heavy attack, a block button, a jump button, and a meter that allows you to perform a special attack, depending on the character you’re playing as. You can also pick up weapons such as laser rifles and tasers, and they work as well as you’d expect. My only real issue with the implementation of ranged weapons is the fact that, whenever you decide to attack while sprinting, you will automatically throw your gun away. You can get used to this weird gameplay decision, but it doesn’t make it any less cumbersome.

I have a qualm with this game, though. No, it’s not the presentation, nor the stupidly short runtime (it’s an arcade beat ’em up, it is meant to be replayed). The issue is that this game is clearly meant to be played with more people, locally. That wouldn’t have been an issue on a console, but for some weird reason, as of now, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is PC exclusive. It just doesn’t feel right playing this game with more people in front of a computer screen. As of now, its exclusivity is actually a hindrance to its co-op potential.

Now THIS is a respectable special attack. Good old ‘Merican gunpowder.

Even if it doesn’t feel right as a time PC exclusive, G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is certainly one of the most impressive licensed titles to be released in a while. A fast-paced and responsive beat ’em up oozing charm and replayability, it will not only please people who grew up watching the cartoon, but anyone willing to spend an hour or two playing a traditional, but highly competent multiplayer brawler. I just hope the developers and publisher announce a handful of console ports soon enough. This title is tailor-made for some local couch co-op shenanigans.

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is available now on PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra was provided by the publisher.