Contra is a 1988 NES run-and-gun from Konami that marches two commandos through jungle, bases, snowfields and an alien lair. Infinite lives and a turbo button reframe its notorious difficulty into a breezy brute-force playground, fitting the game’s arcade-difficulty lineage.
The machine gun stands out as the best weapon, firing continuously with no bullet limits, while the spread gun becomes devastating under turbo. The laser barely moves under turbo and is all but useless, while rapid fire adds little.
Stage variety exceeds expectations, moving from jungle cliffs to bases, a snowfield, an energy zone and finally the aliens’ lair. The music is a genuine strength, a soundtrack that holds up well on the NES.
Tiny bullets that blend into the background are a major difficulty factor, compounded by one-hit deaths throughout. NES pop-in makes matters worse, with enemies appearing on screen only once they are already there.
The alien threat arrives without foreshadowing, and the box art barely hints at it, with protagonists drawn close to the likeness of two famous action stars. The campaign is short, but its difficulty guarantees plenty of play time.
The ending is minimal, a single line congratulating the hero for saving the universe, yet it suits the era. The franchise’s endurance is itself surprising, with the series still active long after the 1980s.
Overall, the weaponry and the varied stages make Contra a fast, fun blast that owns its difficulty. It is short, but it is a game well worth replaying properly with thirty lives.