Two sides of the same rivalry
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues is a 2.5D beat 'em up set 34 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where the rivalry between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence carries on. You pick a dojo and play through that side's storyline campaign: Daniel and his Miyagi-Do students, or Johnny and his Cobra Kai disciples. Each side has its own cutscenes and dialogue choices, and finishing both campaigns unlocks an ultimate ending. The campaign takes you across Los Angeles in 28 missions filled with characters and enemies from the show, with the voices of William Zabka, Ralph Macchio and the rest of the cast, plus an exclusive soundtrack from the show's creators.
Fighting and progression
Combat is built around deep movesets, combos and ultimate attacks. You have 8 playable characters to work with: Daniel, Robby, Sam and Demetri on the Miyagi-Do side, Johnny, Miguel, Hawk and Tory on the Cobra Kai side. Within your chosen dojo you can swap between them in real time mid-fight, so you can bring out whoever suits the moment. Progression works like a dojo skill tree: 40 unique skills to master and character stats to upgrade as you punch, kick and sweep your way through enemies. The tags also point to score attack and character customization, so runs can be chased for higher scores and looks tweaked along the way.
Before you start
Decide as a group which dojo you want to run first, since the two campaigns are separate storylines and the full ending only appears once both are done. Choices made in dialogue matter, so expect the story to branch rather than play out identically for everyone. The game supports Remote Play Together, which lets friends join in over a stream of the game rather than needing their own copy. Expect a hand-drawn, colorful presentation with martial arts brawling at the center, and a story that leans on the mystery and choices in the Cobra Kai universe rather than pure fighting alone.