When it comes to games with some unique flavor, I’m actually always intrigued by titles that utilize some sort of anime influence to make the experience a little more distinctive. Granted, that hasn’t always worked well, no matter how great some titles in that vein have looked visually, but in the case of others it has made for a treat. In the case of Space Adventure Cobra they really take it to another level though, outright featuring some clips of 12 episodes of the series that inspired the game and melding them together to form the underlying story.

I will give the developers credit for making the play style into something that feels distinctive as well, with plenty of fast-moving action, an assortment of weapons and gadgets to address a variety of scenarios, and periodic boss fights that put up a fair challenge. While it’s played more in a linear fashion the traversal and general flow of things often make it feel a bit like a Metroidvania at times, and its periodic interludes to advance the story are generally quirky enough to give it some humor and simply help it be more memorable than your average action-oriented foray.

All that said, I’ll admit that I was consistently frustrated by its chosen control scheme, and though you could alter it in some minor ways, none of them addressed my issues. Plain and simple, my brain and hands wanted this to play more like a twin-stick shooter, allowing you to truly run and gun in the most effective way possible. Instead, your movement and aiming are both tied to the left stick, making it a bit more like a classic Contra-style run-n-gun. Unfortunately, that feeling is complicated and undermined by the need to tap to shoot with your firing button, because if you hold that down you’ll charge your weapon. Given the number of abilities and gadgets you command, the overall scheme just doesn’t feel appropriate to the job. Yes, you can get acclimated to it and work through the learning curve, but honestly that feels like unnecessary effort that could have been addressed by either a better core control scheme or an allowance for more varied options to suit different tastes.

This is one of those situations where as much as I’d like to be able to put aside my own feelings and irritations, considering that not everyone will have the same experience as me, I can’t ignore the frustrations. More often than not action and shooting games in the indie space on the Switch get their control schemes right, or at least leave provisions for customization. The fact that this wild ride of a game doesn’t then ends up feeling like an unforced error. The good news is that the core gameplay and style still feels fresh, and with a hope that the controls can be better addressed, perhaps the game as a whole will shine even brighter. Just be ready for some possible growing pains.