If you’ve watched The Electric State, you’re familiar with the robot rebellion, the resulting war between man and machine, and the battle-scarred world left in its wake.
But the thrilling sci-fi adventure — in which protagonist Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) braves a retro-futuristic wasteland to rescue her younger brother, Chris (Woody Norman) — only tells half the story. If you want to experience the full tale, from a time before the robot uprising, check out the Netflix exclusive mobile game prequel The Electric State: Kid Cosmo.
Free to subscribers, the new mobile game serves as the official prequel to the film. To learn more about it — and what Michelle was up to before she teamed up with a toy robot and the quirky drifter/smuggler Keats (Chris Pratt) — read on for everything you need to know about The Electric State: Kid Cosmo.
The Electric State: Kid Cosmo delivers an absorbing blend of emotionally charged, character-driven storytelling and classic gaming that’ll feel familiar to anyone who spent much of their formative years bathed in the soft glow of a Nintendo Game Boy.
As the film’s official origin story, Kid Cosmo mixes engaging narrative and nostalgia-fueled gameplay to immerse fans in its unique sci-fi universe. We’re introduced to Michelle and Chris during more innocent times, when robots were loyal servants rather than sentient killing machines.
As players adventure through the game-within-the-game, Kid Cosmo: Martian Marooner, they also follow the pair’s evolving relationship, as well as the foreboding events that shape it.
Set in the mid ’80s in a retro-futuristic version of Midwestern America, Kid Cosmo begins a few years before The Electric State. We meet Michelle and Chris, suburban siblings living in a world heavily reliant on servant robots that tackle everyday tasks, like doing the dishes and pumping gas.
Those who’ve seen the film know this mechanical workforce eventually gets tired of existing merely as butlers and maids, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. While the game covers the coming robot rebellion, its story is more focused on the nuanced bond the brother and sister form while playing a video game.
Kid Cosmo: Martian Marooner is an old-school puzzle-adventure that feels like a classic Nintendo game. As the pair help Cosmo repair his ship, which has crash landed on Mars, they battle evil bots, and solve environmental mysteries while also learning about the siblings’ lives through their frequent exchanges. Background chatter from other characters, such as Michelle and Chris’s parents, also fill in some of the blanks.
While most of the dialogue unfolds as they steer Cosmo through his pixelated adventures, the game also presents story elements — particularly its more emotional beats — in cinematic scenes. Realized with a rich, painterly touch, these moments trade the Kid Cosmo game’s modest visuals for elaborate images evocative of a graphic novel.
The cool twist in Electric State: Kid Cosmo is that you spend most of your time playing as Kid Cosmo. Technically assuming the role of Chris — and occasionally Michelle — players dive into the fictional, puzzle-packed adventures of Kid Cosmo: Martian Marooner.
Sporting 8-bit-inspired graphics with a top-down perspective akin to the bird’s-eye view of The Legend of Zelda’s Hyrule, Kid Cosmo is a full-fledged game. Throughout its four-hour campaign, you’ll explore the stranded protagonist’s alien surroundings, combat enemy robots, acquire power-ups, assist friendly NPCs, and seek out valuable cogs to get his crashed spaceship up and running.
When not helping Cosmo escape Mars, you’ll enjoy immersive interactions with Chris’ handheld gaming gadget, the PX-1. While using the device, your phone essentially becomes a retro gaming console. Using intuitive touch controls, you’ll click the game cartridge into place, power the system on and off, and even decorate it with stickers.
No, The Electric State: Kid Cosmo can be enjoyed on its own. As it leads up to the events of the film, the game serves as a prequel. But it also works as a self-contained narrative that happens to be a fantastic throwback experience fans of 8-bit games will love.
That said, the game and movie share characters and story elements, so fans of the film should appreciate diving deeper into this universe. Similarly, those yet to see the film but looking for a bit more context might enjoy a sneak peek into the rich sci-fi surroundings.
Netflix subscribers can download The Electric State: Kid Cosmo from the App Store or Google Play Store right now, and play ad-free with no in-app purchases, extra fees, or interruptions.
