While there isn't any big innovation over the previous entries, the game manages to feel more badass and grander in scale. Those glorious 16 bit graphics have aged like a fine wine. Each level is brimming with atmosphere. There's a ton of variety in enemy types, bosses, and gameplay. It's challenging, but fair which will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The controls feel as smooth as ever, which is important given how brutal the game's difficulty can be.

They make plenty of tasteful references to the first game. The first part of the final level is basically the final level to the first game. This would have been a bit disappointing if the last level from the first game wasn't so awesome and they didn't add multiple new bosses you have to blast through. Ultimately this is a perfect sequel.

I suppose one gripe I have is with the final boss. I couldn't figure out how to deal with some of his attack patterns. Particularly the stones that slinky across the screen. I have no idea how to avoid it... to beat the final boss I had to basically avoid activating this attack pattern.

Finally playing with a friend only makes it more enjoyable.

As a sequel in the iconic Contra series, it delivers intense gameplay, responsive controls, and a relentless challenge that quickly earned it a reputation as one of the toughest games on the system.The game features a mix of side-scrolling and top-down levels, showcasing the SNES’s capabilities with slick visuals and impressive Mode 7 effects. Though while I'm not a fan of the top-down levels, I can totally see this as something that would blow away people's minds back in the day.

The boss fights are frequent and memorable, often filling the screen with bullets, explosions, and monstrous enemies. The ability to carry and switch between two weapons adds strategic depth, encouraging players to adapt quickly in the heat of battle, and there is not a single weapon that is worth skipping, all of them are very fun to play with. But where this title really shines in coop, as previous titles did, unfortunately this was not how I played it though. The soundtrack and sound effects complement the action perfectly, adding to the game's intense, sci-fi atmosphere.

What also stands out is the game’s pacing and structure, stages are short enough not to get repetitive, yet each one introduces a new mechanic, enemy pattern, or environmental hazard to keep it dynamic. Whether it’s scaling walls under constant fire or reacting to sudden perspective shifts, it demands focus at all times. This tight design helps balance the brutal difficulty, making deaths feel like a lesson rather than cheap punishment. With practice, runs become smoother, and that sense of mastery is incredibly satisfying.

Overall, this Contra entry feels like a culmination of everything the series had refined up to that point. It’s hard, visually striking, and mechanically sharp, rewarding quick reflexes and memorization without losing its arcade roots. Even playing solo, it remains a thrilling and exhausting ride, and it’s easy to imagine how much more chaotic and fun it becomes with a second player. Decades later, it still holds up as one of the finest action games on the SNES and a benchmark for run-and-gun design.