Cobra Kai is one of the best shows on TV and seems to have only gotten more popular after having been acquired by Netflix. It features the return of two central characters from the Karate Kid movie and features a cast of new characters that fans have come to love.
Cobra Kai Card Fighter is a mobile game based on the series and features a unique twist on the usual deck-building games. Here is what we think about it, and if it is for you.
This is a free-to-play game, available on both Android and iOS, and features a multiplayer system that pits players against each other in live PvP modes.
Gameplay
Unlike other deck-builders, players have to choose cards at the same time behind screens, and there isn’t exactly a turn-based structure here. You build a deck of 30 cards, and there are various moves that range from kicks, punches, grabs, boosts, and health cards that you can choose from. Now, each turn, you choose three cards from the ones you drew. The opponent is doing the same, and players are given some time to decide.
After you have a sequence of three cards decided, both players’ cards will be pit against each other in a rock-paper-scissor scenario. We won’t spoil which card cancels out which, but to give you a general idea, if you picked Kick, it will beat a Punch. If both players had the same card in the sequence, it will be considered a draw, for example, if your second card was a kick, and the opponent’s second card was a kick as well, it will be considered a draw.
Essentially, your goal is to finish off your opponent, and their health bar. Each card has an energy requirement too, so you will be using energy boost cards to maintain that. The gameplay itself isn’t exactly deep, but it is fairly engaging. Especially if you want to kill some time, and collect more cards on the go.
A game like this would have been better with on-screen combat buttons like Mortal Kombat Mobile, but the deck building helps in giving it a unique element.
Visuals and Audio
Considering this is a mobile game, the visuals are decent enough. Players’ characters are shown on-screen as they perform the various card moves you have decided for them. These short bursts of animations are surprisingly well done for a mobile game and provide both players some visual feedback on their decisions. Usually, card games don’t exactly animate their player avatars, and since this is a karate game, it does commit to that part, with a lot of effort.
Character portraits are well done, and all the game icons are self-explanatory. The menus aren’t very cluttered either, so navigation throughout the game is fairly simple. We have various characters from the TV show as playable characters, mainly the teen stars.
The game sounds fine, and as well as you would expect. I would’ve appreciated, if the general soundtrack was a bit more thrilling, and it sometimes falls flat even during intense encounters. The grunts and impact sounds of characters are pretty good though and keep players engaged throughout the match.
Here are a few screenshots of the game in action.
Online Experience
Since this game is entirely online, you will be either taking part in Quick, or Ranked matches. These are fairly self-explanatory, where Ranked has higher stakes. Now, finding a player wasn’t that hard, and it took me a few seconds in most cases. Given how this is a free-to-play title, the player-count is pretty healthy at the moment. So for now, the online experience is satisfactory, without any disconnections whatsoever. Hopefully, the developers keep adding content to the game to keep players engaged, which in turn will ensure that there are enough players to keep online play functional. Given how there is a turn-based element to the game, your ping doesn’t matter all that much either.
Conclusion
Cobra Kai Card Fighter is a fun game, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It features characters from the hit TV show from NETFLIX and puts a unique spin on the deck-builder genre. You can face off against other players in a deeper version of rock-paper-scissors with energy management, and a decent amount of strategy. The visuals and audio are decent, and the online experience is good enough. Recommended for players looking to kill time.
