NES Contra Review - A Classic That Still Slaps Today
Introduction
Run and shoot. That's all you need—charging forward, blasting anything in your way. That's the heart of Contra, the NES classic we'll explore for this week's Into The Backlog. First released in the arcade, Contra has a rich history with various versions brought to market, from home computers like the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum to home consoles like the NES. The latter is our subject today. Contra is widely regarded as a classic, right up there with franchises like Mega Man and Castlevania. But is it? We'll look at our first moments after dropping in, my experience punching through eight action-packed levels, the challenge of Contra, and finally, my recommendation. So, without further ado, let's lock and load!
Setting the Stage
Let's set the stage. It's the year 1957. The evil Red Falcon Organization has set up a base on an island in the South Pacific and is plotting to wipe out humanity. Two commandos, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, of the Earth Marine Corps' Contra unit, are deployed to the island to wipe out the enemy forces and uncover the true nature of the alien entity controlling them.
It sounds typical. Bad guys are doing bad things, and you must take them out. I wanted to mention this because a) I didn't know Contra even had a plot, and b) I found it interesting how some older games presented their stories. Growing up, video game manuals weren't like this. The manual was always a tool to convey health information and controls, not a narrative. So, having to look into the manual was a different experience. And with the stage set, let's dive in and see just how Contra plays.
Dropping In
Now it's time to get into the essence of what makes Contra, well, Contra. For this we’ll breaking everything out into three sections: Presentation, Gameplay, and Level Design.
Presentation
CREDIT: KONAMI
Let's start with the presentation. The graphics and music here are excellent. The backgrounds and levels are diverse and have a lot of detail and care put into them while being distinct. The music and sound effects are so catchy and make each level thrilling. Of course, with how much you're dying trying to beat this sucker, the music needs to be good.
Gameplay
Next up is gameplay, and boy, is it great. It's everything a classic shooter should be. Tight, responsive controls let you jump, dodge, and weave through enemy fire and shoot in eight directions with precision. Seeing it here makes me want to jump back into Super Castlevania IV sometime, but we'll save that for another day. Being able to drop down from platforms by hitting down and the jump button is helpful. The weapons/power-ups you have at your disposal bring the fun up to another level. The power-ups come in either these flying capsules that move across the screen or what the manual calls' Pill Box Sensors.' Either way, shooting them gives the following power-ups:
Machine Gun - Can fire faster than standard rifle and can continuous fire by holding the fire button.
Laser - Powerful but slow, it can be useful against bosses and vehicles. Disadvantage being that old beams are cancelled upon firing new one.
Fire Ball - Fires a small fireball in a looping pattern.
Rapid Fire - Speeds up the rate of fire of all weapons except Laser.
Spread - Fires a large, wide array of bullets and it considered by many players to be the best weapon to use.
CREDIT: KONAMI
Each one brings more oomph to your arsenal and makes pushing through enemies much easier. For example, Spread allows you to fire in a wide bullet pattern, perfect for clearing away regular enemies and bosses. There's also Force Field, which protects you from damage for a short period (think the Star from Mario), and Mass Destruction, which wipes away all enemies on screen.
Level Design
Contra features a diverse, well designed series of levels. With the traditional run-and-gun sections, we have vertical scrolling ones (can be a pain in co-op if one player rushes ahead, leaving the other to get killed by the screen scrolling) and some that take on a more 3D, isometric approach. With these, we're put in a behind-the-player angle and must now avoid projectiles coming at us while destroying a panel, or panels, on the back wall. This different approach is probably why these levels, Base 1 and Base 2, are my favorites when looking at all eight.
CREDIT: KONAMI
Embrace the Challenge
Now, we get to the hard part. Literally. Contra is a challenging game. But why? The apparent reason would be the one-hit deaths. Here, one hit from an enemy attack can put you six feet under. Of course, you get three lives plus three continues to survive off of it, but it doesn't go far when you're faced with a million things on screen trying to kill you, let alone the bosses at the end of each level. But, if I'm being honest? That's what makes it fun. Sure, it sucks when I'm on the second-to-last level and end up burning through my last continue and getting sent back to the beginning. But that's what makes it fun. That feeling of being right on the edge of beating it, but not quite. Kinda like in Cuphead, and you see your progress after dying to a boss. It makes you want to keep playing and pushing until you beat it. Contra balances brutal difficulty with rewarding gameplay, never feeling like an unfair bullet storm. Every death felt like my fault. My responsibility. It wasn't because the controls were inadequate or there was an outside force causing my demise. Because I wasn't good enough, that desire to finish it and complete my mission made it fun. It made me want to keep pushing and see things to the end. And that's what I loved about it.
Would I Recommend?
Let's answer the question. Would I recommend Contra? Absolutely! Contra is a must-play for retro fans and action junkies. With its tight controls, fun gameplay, and good challenge, Contra is an action-packed experience that doesn't pull any punches and is enough to keep you going. Consider bringing you back for another round. If you're looking for a chance to play it, more classics in the Contra series are available right now for consoles and PC in the Contra Anniversary Collection. But I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Is there something I missed? Do you agree or disagree?
