Contra (series)

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Contra
Contral (logo).png
The Contra logo as it appears on the title screen of the 1987 Contra arcade game
Genre(s) Run and gun
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Platform(s) Arcade, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, IBM PC, Nintendo Entertainment System, MSX2, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Mega Drive/Genesis, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Network, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo DS, Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition, WiiWare, Virtual Console, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5
First release Contra
February 20, 1987
Latest releaseContra: Operation Galuga
March 12, 2024
Spin-offs Probotector , Hard Corps , Contra Force , Contra ReBirth ,

Contra [lower-alpha 1] is a video game series produced by Konami composed primarily of run and gun-style shooting games. The series debuted in February 1987 with the Japanese coin-operated arcade game of the same name, which has since spawned several sequels produced for various platforms.

Contents

The arcade version of Contra was released a few months after the Iran–Contra affair was made public. While it is unclear whether the game was deliberately named after the Nicaraguan Contra rebels, the ending theme of the original game was titled " Sandinista " (サンディニスタ, Sandinisuta), after the adversaries of the real-life Contras. [1]

Gameplay

The majority of the Contra games are side-scrolling shoot-'em-ups where the player takes control of an armed commando who must fight all sorts of extraterrestrial monsters and other kinds of futuristic menaces. In addition to the side-scrolling stages, the original Contra (among others) also features "pseudo-3D perspective" levels where the player must move towards the background in order to progress, while subsequent titles, such as Super Contra and Contra III: The Alien Wars , feature overhead stages as well. [2] : 40–41  Only the Appaloosa-developed installments in the series, Contra: Legacy of War and C: The Contra Adventure , as well as Neo Contra , deviated from the series' mainly side-scrolling perspective (although C: The Contra Adventure does feature two side-scrolling stages). Contra: Shattered Soldier , while maintaining the side-view perspective of the 2D games, features fully polygonal 3D graphics. Almost every game in the series, with only a few exceptions (such as the MSX2 version of Contra, C: The Contra Adventure or Operation C for the Game Boy, which were single-player only), allows two players to play the game simultaneously.

The main power-ups in the series are falcon-shaped letter icons which will replace the player's default weapon with a new one, such as a Laser Gun or a Spread Gun. There are also power-ups that are actually auxiliary items like the Barrier (which provides temporary invincibility) or the Rapid Bullets (which increases the firing speed of the player's current weapon) in the original Contra, as well as weapons such as the Mega Shell in the arcade version of Super Contra and the Bombs in Contra III and Contra: Hard Corps , that are used to destroy all on-screen enemies. The original arcade version of Contra used the falcon icons for all of its weapons except the Laser Gun and the Fire Ball weapon, while in the arcade version of Super Contra, no Falcon icons were used. Contra: Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra both deviate from this tradition by having set weapon configurations instead.

Most of the Contra games have the player begin the game with only a set number of lives (three in most console games). If the player gets hit once, they will lose a life along with any weapon they currently possess in some games. Because of this, the Contra series is notorious for being extremely difficult. Even in the original arcade versions, most of the games only give limited chances to continue before forcing the player to start all over. Extra lives are usually obtained in most games when the player reaches certain scores. The NES version of the original Contra used the Konami Code (previously featured in the NES version of Gradius ) to start the game with thirty lives instead of the usual three. Most of the subsequent console games in the series only featured these extra lives codes in their Japanese releases, such as Contra Spirits (the Japanese version of Contra III) and Contra: Hard Corps.

Games

Release timeline
1987 Contra
Super Contra
1988–1990
1991 Operation C
1992 Contra III: The Alien Wars
Contra Force
1993
1994 Contra: Hard Corps
1995
1996 Contra: Legacy of War
1997
1998 C: The Contra Adventure
1999–2001
2002 Contra: Shattered Soldier
2003
2004 Neo Contra
2005–2006
2007 Contra 4
2008
2009 Contra ReBirth
2010
2011 Hard Corps: Uprising
2012–2018
2019 Contra: Rogue Corps
2020–2023
2024 Contra: Operation Galuga

Main games

Other games

Spin-offs exclusive to mobile gaming platforms among other mediums.

  • Operation C (Game Boy) (1991)
    Operation C is the first Contra game made specifically for a portable platform. Featuring gameplay similar to the NES version of Super C, Operation C also first introduced the "homing gun" power-up.
  • Contra Force (NES) (1992)
    Contra Force combines the run and gun style of the Contra series with a power-up system similar to Gradius . The game is notable for being the first Contra to feature selectable characters with their unique weapon configurations. Contra Force lacks the alien invaders and futuristic environment of previous installments, as the game centers around an elite task force fighting human terrorists in a present-day setting. The game was actually planned as an unrelated game in Japan titled Arc Hound, but it was never officially released there, nor in Europe.
  • Contra: Hard Corps (Mega Drive/Genesis) (1994)
    The first Contra game for a Sega platform. Hard Corps also contains selectable characters with unique weapons and abilities and introduces an in-game storyline with branching paths that alter the ending.
  • Contra: Legacy of War (PlayStation, Sega Saturn) (1996)
    The first of two Contra titles developed by Appaloosa Interactive, as well as the first attempt to convert the Contra gameplay to 3D and the first game in the series to be played in an isometric perspective. It was originally sold with a pair of anaglyph glasses. It is the first console Contra game to be released in the PAL region with no changes. A Japanese release of Legacy of War was planned, but canceled.
  • C: The Contra Adventure (PlayStation) (1998)
    The second Contra game developed by Appaloosa. The gameplay is composed of several side-scrolling and 3D stages, as well as a single overhead stage. It's the only console game in the series to lack a multiplayer mode. C: The Contra Adventure was only released in North America, with no Japanese or European versions.
  • Contra: Shattered Soldier (PlayStation 2) (2002)
    Features 2D side-scrolling gameplay with fully polygonal 3D graphics. The player now has a fixed weapon configuration, allowing the character to use one of three weapons. The player can also charge their weapon for a more powerful shot. The game grades the player's performance on each stage and only allows the good ending to those with an above-average rank.
  • Neo Contra (PlayStation 2) (2004)
    Most of the game is played in an isometric perspective, but portions are side-scrolling or overhead-behind. The player can now select their weapon configurations, which includes a weapon that locks onto airborne enemies.
  • Contra ReBirth (downloadable for Wii) (2009)
    Developed by M2 and published by Konami for WiiWare, [3] this 2D side-scrolling game was released in May 2009 in Japan and features Bill Rizer and Genbei Yagyu from Neo Contra fighting off an alien invasion. [4] It features hand-drawn sprite-based visuals, and has two unlockable characters as well as an unlockable "nightmare mode." The Nintendo Wii Shop Channel closed in 2019, thus the game is no longer available for purchase.
  • Contra: The War of the Worlds (mobile) (2009)
    A mobile game developed by Konami's Chinese division. In this game, the player fights alien intruders on the Moon.
  • Contra: Evolution (Arcade, Android, iPhone, iPad) (2010)
    A remake of the original Contra which was released in China on mobile phones (2010), [5] based on an arcade version that would actually be released later (2011) [6] and later ported to iOS systems in 2013. [7] It features updated graphics, new characters to choose from, pay-to-play credits to buy extra lives, and bonus stages.
  • Hard Corps: Uprising (downloadable for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) (2011)
    The game was developed by Arc System Works and is the first Contra game without the Contra name in the title. It became available on Xbox Live Arcade on February 16, 2011, and was released on the PlayStation Network on March 15, 2011. It is a prequel to the original Contra. The player plays as Colonel Bahamut, the main antagonist from Contra: Hard Corps. Although the game was released with only two different characters to choose from, Konami has released additional characters via DLC.
  • Contra 3D (Pachislot)
    Contra 3D is a pachislot game based on the Contra series which was released in Japan in 2013.
  • Neo Contra (Slot Machine) (Pachislot)
    Neo Contra (Slot Machine) is a Slot Machine game based on Neo Contra which was released in North America in 2014.
  • Neo Contra: Warrior Reloaded (Pachislot)
    Neo Contra: Warrior Reloaded is another slot machine game based on Neo Contra , released in 2016. [8]
  • Neo Contra: Samurai Strike (Pachislot)
    Neo Contra: Samurai Strike is another slot machine game based on Neo Contra , released in 2016. [9]
  • Contra Returns (mobile)
    A free-to-play mobile game developed by Tencent and Konami which was originally exclusive to China in 2017. At the time of the Chinese release, it was nominated for "Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game" and "Best Music in a Casual/Social Game" at the 16th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards. [10]
  • Contra: Rogue Corps (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One) (2019)
    Developed by Toylogic and published by Konami, Contra: Rogue Corps is a top-down isometric view run and gun game taking place years after Contra III: The Alien Wars , which was released on September 24, 2019.
  • Contra: Operation Galuga (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S), released on March 12, 2024.
    A remake of the original game developed by WayForward.

Re-releases

The original arcade versions of Contra and Super Contra were ported to several computer platforms in North America and Europe during the late 1980s and 1990s. In North America, the original Contra and Super Contra (as Super C) were ported to DOS. A version of Super C was also released for the Amiga. Contra was released for DOS, [11] the Amstrad CPC, [12] the Commodore 64 [13] and the ZX Spectrum [14] in Europe under the Gryzor title.

As software emulation became more widespread, the games would be re-released in numerous formats on several platforms, most notable through the Wii's Virtual Console, the Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network. [15]

Cancelled games

In other video games

In other media

Plot

Storyline and protagonists

Contra, and its initial sequels, are set in the 27th century, and center around two commandos named Bill Rizer (code name Mad Dog) and Lance Bean (code name Scorpion). They are members of a special guerrilla task force codenamed "Contra", who are sent to thwart armies of alien invaders seeking to destroy the Earth. After Contra III: The Alien Wars , the series would deviate from its original premise.

Contra: Hard Corps and its sequels ( Legacy of War and C The Contra Adventure ) take place after the events of Contra III, and followed several new characters; namely, recurring protagonist Ray Poward. Additionally, Hard Corps would feature human antagonists, rather than aliens. 2011's Hard Corps: Uprising is a prequel to Hard Corps, and is also set twenty years before the events of the original Contra. The game follows a character named "Bahamut", but in an interview with Siliconera, producer Kenji Yamamoto comments that Bahamut may or may not be the same character from the original Hard Corps. Yamamoto would also reveal the reason why the game doesn't use the Contra name in its title was due to how "different" fans regarded Hard Corps from the rest of the series. [20] Hard Corps and its follow ups have since been considered to be spin-offs from the main series. [2] : 37 

Bill would not return until 2002's Contra: Shattered Soldier ; where he became a convicted war criminal sent to fight against his former partner, Lance, who has become a terrorist leader. In the game's sequel, Neo Contra , a cryogenically frozen Bill is ultimately revealed to be a clone of the original Bill Rizer.

Contra 4 was intended to be a direct sequel to Contra III, ignoring the events of previous installments. However, "Mad Dog" and "Scorpion", originally the nicknames given to Bill and Lance in the NES versions of Contra and Super C, were made into separate characters. The game's main antagonist, "Black Viper", is also treated as a new character, despite originally appearing in the North American version of Operation C (which also refers to protagonist Lance as "Scorpion"). [21] [22] On the official timeline seen in the "History of Contra" e-book included with the Contra Anniversary Collection, the game is chronology set after the Japanese versions of Operation C and Contra III, but before the events of Hard Corps. [2] : 37 

Contra: Rogue Corps would return to the post-Contra III setting. The game features the return of Kaiser from the latter game, who joins a group of bounty hunters in a place called the "Damned City". [23]

Continuity differences

While the original Japanese version of the early Contra games (specifically Contra, Super Contra and Operation C) were set in the 27th century (in the years 2633, 2634, and 2635 in that order), the American versions of these games omitted this detail and the instruction manuals for these versions implied that the series was set during the present day. [24] Contra III: The Alien Wars retains its futuristic setting of 2636 for its American release, but the identities of the two player characters, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean (the heroes from the previous installments), were changed to their descendants "Jimbo" and "Sully" in order to retain the continuity of the previous localizations. [25]

The enemy characters of the earlier games were also named differently in the American versions. In particular, "Red Falcon", originally the name of the terrorist army that was fought by the main characters in the first game (the Red Falcon Organization), became the name of the actual alien entity leader; thus, "Red Falcon" became the name of the final boss fought at the end of Contra, where the player fights both his alien body form and his heart. [24] In Japan, these are intended to be two different entities: Emperor Demon Dragon God Java and Emperor Demon Evil Heart Gomera Mosking, respectively. [26] [27]

The final boss of Super Contra (or the third to last boss in the NES Super C) and Contra III; is named Emperor Demon Gyaba in the original Japanese versions. Often mistaken as Red Falcon, his American name is referred to as Jagger Froid in the Super C instruction manual. [28] The American Super C instruction manual also illustrates a common "running" alien enemy from its final stage as Red Falcon. [28] The alien entity leader known as Red Falcon does not appear as an enemy in the Super Contra or Super C games.

In the Japanese version of Operation C, the antagonist was originally a nameless hostile nation seeking to develop alien-based weapons. This was changed in the North American version to "Black Viper", another alien invader. [21]

With the release of the American and European versions of Contra: Shattered Soldier , all international Contra releases began to follow the Japanese continuity.

Alternate continuities

Contra Force is a standalone entry that, due to it being originally intended to be separate game altogether, is considered to be non-canon from the rest of the franchise. [29] [30] [31] [32]

Contra ReBirth begins in 2633, but the game's plot primarily takes place in 1973 and incorporates elements of time travel. It has since been considered non-canon, instead taking place in an alternate timeline during a period dubbed "the KONTRA era". [2] : 37 

Contra: Operation Galuga is a reimagining of the original game and a reboot of the series set in 26XX as opposed to the original taking place in 2633. Bill Rizer and Lance Bean also once again return as the main protagonists.

Probotector

When Konami released the NES version of the original Contra in the PAL region (Europe and Australia) they modified the game by replacing the original main characters and most of the human enemies with robotic counterparts, retitling the game Probotector (a portmanteau of "Robot" and "Protector"). The title referred to the two robotic soldiers, RD-008 and RC-011, who replaced Bill and Lance in this version. This was presumably done due to the German Federal Agency BPjM, which prohibited the sale and advertisement of media deemed too violent to children, including "content which glorifies war".

While the original arcade games, as well as a few computer conversions under the Gryzor title, were released unchanged in Europe, subsequent console installments of the Contra series were released under the Probotector title in Europe. The original Probotector was followed by Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces for the NES (originally Super Contra or Super C) and Super Probotector: Alien Rebels for the SNES ( Contra III: The Alien Wars ). The Contra games for the Game Boy ( Operation C and the Game Boy version of Alien Wars) and Mega Drive ( Contra: Hard Corps ) were also released as Probotector titles in Europe. The series would revert to the Contra title in Europe beginning with Contra: Legacy of War for the PlayStation, retaining the human characters. However, Probotector II and Super Probotector were still released for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe and Australia like their original releases, with no "uncensored" versions available. Although Contra 4 was not released in Europe, the "Probotector" character appears in the game as a hidden character.

Reception

By the end of 1996, the Contra series had accumulated combined sales of over 4 million units worldwide. [33]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Japanese: 魂斗羅 (Kontora)

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References

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  31. ↑ "Pak Watch: From Konami/Ultra". Nintendo Power. Vol. 26. July 1991. p. 95. As for sequels, look for Contra Force (aka Contra 3) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 sometime this winter
  32. ↑ Nintendo Player's Guide: Super NES. 1992. p. 152. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  33. ↑ "Contra Legacy of War: The Classics Come to 32-Bits". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 87. Ziff Davis. October 1996. p. 142.
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