Widely considered to be one of the greatest coming-of-age stories ever told, The Karate Kid was a phenomenon upon its 1984 release. The tale of young teenager Daniel LaRusso learning karate from his building's handyman Mr. Miyagi so that he can stand up to his high school bullies is an iconic one that has dominated pop culture ever since. But in 2018, a little show by the name of Cobra Kai came out and flipped the series on its head. Taking place 34 years after the first Karate Kid, Cobra Kai swaps perspectives, focusing on Johnny Lawrence, the antagonist of the original movie, and gives the franchise even more depth. Though for every sentimental, emotionally-complex moment in the show, a rad karate fight can be found soon after. A game based on Cobra Kai seems like a good idea on paper, and hopefully the recently announced Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising can live up to the promise.
Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising is set to release at some point during the Fall of this year and is the direct sequel to 2020's Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues. Unfortunately, despite the premise lending itself naturally to the video game medium, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues was pretty much panned by both critics and fans alike. If Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising is going to stand out from the crowd, it's really going to need to kick things up a notch.
Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising Needs To Be More Than Its Predecessor
On paper, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues sounds like a solid enough game. A side-scrolling beat 'em up fits the universe perfectly, and a returning voice cast with the likes of Ralph Macchio and William Zabka should be worth the price of entry alone for die-hard fans of the franchise. But in actuality, Cobra Kai ended up being a middling brawler that used its license to hide a plethora of technical issues and worn-out mechanics. When compared to the likes of Streets of Rage 4, which released in the same year a few months before it, Cobra Kai didn't stand a chance.
The visuals were quite a major issue in Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues. While the game was going for an 80s-inspired retro look, that doesn't excuse the game's poorly-rendered and animated character models and doesn't justify the blandness of each arena. After the player's dropped an hour or two into Cobra Kai, they've pretty much seen the game in its entirety, with every environment, challenge, and opponent blending into one.
That all being said, the potential for a good Cobra Kai game is still there. By taking inspiration from beat 'em ups that have come after it, like the recently released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising can rise above its predecessor to really nail the mechanics and vibe that it set out to achieve in 2020. By introducing Eagle Fang Dojo, Cobra Kai 2 has a lot more to work with both opponents-wise and in terms of playable characters.
Apparently, Cobra Kai 2 will feature a whopping 28 playable characters, each with their own unique moveset. Hopefully, Flux Game Studio isn't biting off more than it can chew once again. With more refined visuals, tighter controls and fighting mechanics, and the production value that the Karate Kid franchise deserves, Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising could be a great game.
Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising is set to release in Fall 2022 for the PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
