Contra (1987)

When I was a kid, I used to hate this game so much. always play the first level, and cannot even pass it. going through the game over the years has been the same thing of quitting right after I die on the first level, but I wanted to challenge myself this time.

Today (January 23rd, 2025) I have beaten Contra on the NES for the first time ever. I'm somewhat happy achieving this, but at the same time, I still hate this game a lot.

It doesn't sound the best, visually not the best, control-wise is not the best, yet I managed to pull through with the old say of "You get used to it". you just mash your way up while remembering which button does what and when, and make sure to remember some of those level patterns to make sure you don't die very frequently.

But the main secret sauce of this game is to button mash your way up. once you understand this small concept, the entire game is very much manageable.

While I do hate still hate this game, the best part about it is when you beat it. then, I don't feel like going back again.

Preliminary: I owned one of the later Contras in the PS1 era and never was very impressed. But wow, first little playtest was very impressive. Nothing special with the Sound or Look tho they both have that classic feel. But the gameplay was immediately exciting. I thought it was only known for its difficulty (which, yes, it is) but I love the tight controls, the advanced mechanics like being able to go both ways shooting down and up jumping down and up all the things I look for as games get more advanced into the 90s, good collision masks (so far), and best of all, fast and logical power-ups that were exciting and whose impacts were immediately felt! Yay. We will see if it can keep the energy going for 10 stages, apparently I already finished the first stage when I destroyed this door thing? according to strategywiki (not that I had to refer to it but I just have it ready in case of any confusion, and used it to confirm whether that was the first stage or just the first segment of the first stage)

(Uff boo that right at the start of my next play test I see that the format drastically changes for the 2nd level. The first level format was great! The pressure to diversify and complicate straightforward fun action is something I've never been into.)

Ugh yea it seems the first 4 stages each had their own format... Let me get used to something! The first level was so fun! At least the third level acted as a sort of boss level, and it had the shoot-away-enemy-projectiles mechanic I always like. (and the power-up carried over)

Look: 7/10 I somehow never knew Contra was an alien-involving series :-p For the most part just standard, actually a bit subpar for arcade, but some cool alien stuff in there.

Sound: 7/10 At first I wasn't loving it, especially the jingle for the 3d maze levels, but some of the action sequence jams I think during Stage 7? was hard to focus on anything other than the intensive gameplay lol, was nice.

Play: 7/10 That jump mechanic (at least on the scrolling levels) was so silly lol like you're always doing a flip/roll and it's quite chaotic looking. The 3d maze levels never really grew one me (kinda reminded me of Robotron, which I didn't love), tho I was grateful for the cool-looking map on top so it's not really a maze per se ha. I accidentally got a laser power-up instead of the rapid-fire one I was enjoying. On to the next "boss" type stage (I call it boss stages, apparently that's not what they are... regardless, already on the final stages of the game! This is a quick one!)

That mediocre jump mechanic became more of an issue in Stage 7. NES games had better control of the velocity and height of jumps than this did. Not that it was terrible, but I expect more from jump in 1987 arcade platforming.

Feel: 7/10 Sheesh okay the last parts there were ridiculous. Not only did I die, losing my precious power-ups, but then it was a series of insanely difficult alien bosses. Thank goodness for infinite continues with the way I'm playing now--definitely some coin-eating mechanics at the end there. I'm disappointed that that mindset is rising more and more in the late 80s I feel. I know there are surely players good enough not to see it as coin eating, but in the end, it was intended to get as many coins as possible let's be honest. That utter onslaught of enemies for the final boss lol. Without power-ups it was brutal, but I still mosssstly had fun. The last 2 bosses were a bit too much, and the forgiving Continue feature very much came in handy lol. Plus, I really liked the Credits music and images :-p

Attachment: 7/10 The Contra series is, of course, important. This game, like I knew of the overall series, is fun straightforward action, with a very intense difficulty spike at the end. The Continue function is, fortunately, forgiving, but for the last 2 bosses, you basically need power-ups or else you'll be abusing the Continue function. Not sure that I'd return to this one, but it's worth a playtest and had some great qualities, namely the power-ups.

Completion: Main Story Playtime: ~30 mins

This game has aged pretty well, especially when comparing it to all the modern retro revival titles.

The fun in this punishing game, of course, lies in the local coop play when you can experience the rewards and frustrations together. When the one gives up and the other says "Just one more time!". Because every death feels like your mistake that you can learn to avoid. Graphics are charming, showcasing the mastery of NES hardware limitations.

However I don't recommend this game playing without the save states on an emulator. But if you are really looking for a challenge go ahead.

Mashing together Predator and Rambo into a highly distilled action packed adventure can only result in perfection. I remember playing this game co-op with my best friend growing up. Struggling on the first level alone and that sense of accomplishment finally beating this tough as nails, but fair action side scroller. Still fun to this day. It's odd how few old school action games didn't give you full directional attacks... it makes such a huge difference in making the gameplay loop both satisfying and fair. Castlevania is great, but the limited attack options can feel a bit stifling and make the game feel unfair at times.

The last stage of this game is amazing. Pure HR Giger body horror with a satisfying and grotesque final boss fight that's a giant pulsating heart.

Contra was a popular run and gun arcade game in 1987, where one or two players controlled one or two soldiers fighting against an alien invasion. The game, capitalizing on the action movie craze going on in the 80s (think Rambo, Commando, etc.), is non-stop machine gun blasting action.

While the arcade game did well, the game blew up in popularity once it came to the NES in 1988. This version followed very closely to the arcade one, with a few changes here and there. Still, it's non-stop machine gun blasting action, with brutal difficulty unless you used the "Konami Code" at the beginning of the game for 30 lives.

Revisiting Contra, I find the action, the variety of guns, and the challenge all satisfying. The game does enough to keep the variety going throughout, and the music for an 8-bit game fits the theme well.

A solid 3.5 game, so rounds up to 4.

I have played this game a few times over the years, and would definitely consider it one of my favorite NES titles. The levels feel pretty iconic and varied, the gameplay is simple and fun (but challenging!), and it's a lean, action-packed experience that lends itself to replayability more than longer games from that era.

Out of curiosity, I popped in for a few levels of both the arcade version and the Famicom version as well today after finishing the NES one. The arcade version looks nice visually, almost to a point where it looks like a remake, and has a more interesting take on the vertical corridor/hallway levels. The Famicom version has this whole overworld map thing going on that's pretty different as well. Kinda neat to look at those.

The NES version may not look as detailed as the arcade version, but its visuals get the job done, very clear as they need to be to dodge bullets and identify weak points and stuff. Bosses and other setpieces look really cool, and I just generally like the looks of the levels. Its one big presentation/technical issue is semi-frequent slowdown that can be disruptive to gameplay when a lot is on screen.

The game's biggest annoyances come in areas with environmental hazards, particularly a level with lasers and conveyor belts that can be super frustrating to deal with. Levels with gaps in the floor also have problems in that you can easily die and respawn right above the pit and die again... I'd say the other big annoyance in gameplay for me is the loss of weapon upgrades on death, which makes the game so much more difficult and less fun when you're already struggling.

This is far from being one of my favorite games in the grand scheme of things, but I always find it fun, replayable, and memorable. It's challenging, but learning what's coming next is half the battle, and of course there is always a certain code you can enter to ease the pain...

With obvious influence from the Alien franchise and 80's action films the Contra series has long since been a staple of the run and gun genre. So it's not surprising that the original holds extremely well in terms of pixelated graphics, satisfying gameplay, and sound design. The game has only significant flaw in the form of its stinginess with lives. The player is given 3x lives + 3x continues at the start of the game and isn't given any way to obtain more. Which makes completing the game extremely hard for casual players; so the famous Konami Code becomes practically obligatory. Aside from that minor setback, Contra for the NES easily ranks among the best run and gun games out there even 30 years after its release.

History:

I feel like I may have played this once or twice when I was very young, but I can't remember. I do remember beating Super C just a few weeks ago though!

Expectations:

I know it's going to be hard. I know I'm probably going to yell a lot. That said, I'm really gonna try to beat this game. I'd really love to have two Contra games under my belt. Either way I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun with it!

Day 1:

I don't know why but whenever I think Contra I think this wall... Anyway it's apparent right from the get-go that this is a much slower game that Super C was. This is both good in that seeing a dodging incoming fire becomes easier, but I also have to readjust to my own character moving a bit slower.

Level 2 is the first of a few of these over the shoulder stages, and frankly I like these a LOT more than the top-down stages in Super C and Contra 3. Judging depth is a little tricky but I had fun jumping around these stages.

King of the waterfall! Stage 3 ended with a big crazy alien boss that was way too easy. Of course, I'm saying that finally ending a stage with the Spread Shot, which basically makes everything way too easy. Just like in Super C most bosses tend to have a "safe zone", where you can stand and shoot them, but they can't hit you. This is actually less so in Contra though, as most bosses do tend to move around.

Stage 4 was a strait forward snow level, where the background grenades from Super C apparently make their debut.

Stage 5 was the first stage where I could really feel the environment trying to kill me. Fire would shoot from the walls leaving just a split second to jump past it and avoid the next flame jet.

After that was another over the shoulder level, then the factory...

Even more BS here with these stupid falling claws, and almost moreso with the spike walls that would come out of the floor... After clearing this stage, it was already off to the final level...

As I enter the alien base I find myself immediately assaulted by floating shrimp...

...then the shrimp dispenser, courtesy of Ridley Scott.

The final alien stage was much easier that in Super C, though just like in Super C was made even that much easier by grabbing the Spread Shot halfway through.

Upon reaching the end of the level I encountered the final boss. Again, just as in Super C, I was able to just stand at the base of the boss and fire away!

Conclusion:

I almost feel bad for how many times I mentioned Super C, but if I were to play the games in reverse I'd no doubt be constantly mentioning Contra. You can't not compare the two. Contra is a fine game by itself, though I don't believe it lives up to its hard as balls mythos. In fact, compared to other NES games (Including Super C) the difficulty tends more towards the tamer side. That's not to say it's not challenging, but it's not as challenging as some might lead you to believe.

Part of this is due, I think, to the length of the game. I couldn't help but get a felling of "Oh what? I'm already done?" at the end of the game. While beating Super C left me exhausted and accomplished, Contra had me feeling wanting.

Judging Contra on its own merits, it's a fine run and gun game. The graphics are actually really solid, and the music is fine but forgettable. The controls are tight as can be and any death you incur feel entirely like they're your fault. Because they are. All in all Conta is a great game, but I can't understand how it was ranked so much higher than its sequel.

Liked:

- Perfect controls allowed for solid gameplay.
- Graphics are great, no flickering or studdering. I didn't notice any lag either.
- Over the shoulder levels are a great touch, and should have stuck around for future installments.
- I actually appreciated having a shorter game to play. Didn't feel like it dragged on for too long.

Disliked:

- Was expecting a game that would have me pulling my hair out, but ended up with something more middle of the road in terms of difficulty.
- Game felt a touch slower than I would have liked.
- The laser is still useless.

Personal Score: