The Contra name rightfully earned a place in the gaming history books during the late 1980s and 1990s. However, it’s a series that has fallen on hard times the past few years. A few missteps and duds have seen the name fade, and its influence has sadly outlived its relevance on the current gaming landscape. But, acclaimed developers WayForward are hoping to change that with Contra: Operation Galuga, and to be honest Konami have given the task to the best team.
WayForward are the team behind series like Shantae and River City Girls, as well as games like The Mummy Demastered and Double Dragon Neon. Its safe to say the dev team know 2D gaming well, and have a high standard of titles.
Switching Decades
Contra: Operation Galuga takes things back to it roots in more ways than one, as it’s a remake in ways of the very first Contra title, but falls more into a loose reimagining.
Where an over the top, questionably written action movie tale unfolds, that sees the Red Falcon terrorist group take over the Galuga Islands, off the coast of New Zealand.
Elite Contra commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean spring into action, which leads to an all-out war where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance. It’s a popcorn affair that leads you through the Story Mode.
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And, if you just want action, there is also an Arcade Mode. This is basically the same thing as Story Mode, just without the drawn-out exposition dumps and melodramatics.
Though there is a kicker to unlock each character to play, as in arcade mode you’ll have to blast through the story mode like it or not.
Contra Gameplay Returns
Gameplay on the other hand will see you running, jumping, and shooting your way through eight levels based around locations from the first game in terms of tone and theme.
There are also a few new sections that have replaced levels, that didn’t quite work too well in the original.
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You’ll spend most of your time running, gunning and blasting everything that moves. Yes, it’s mindless in some ways, but it’s fun and very satisfying when you get in a groove of trying to beat your past scores. Plus, you can team up with some mates for some co-op fun too.
You’ll use an ever-growing arsenal – including new toys like spread shot, laser, and homing missiles. All of which can be stacked for a powerful upgrade, or used to unleash an Overload attack.
Konami Coded
There is also a good array of accessibly options on show that let you really dial in the difficulty to your skill level, which is a very welcome addition, especially when you think that the original was so challenging, that it was the game that spawned the now ionic Konami code…↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A.
You’ll also get to unlock perks from credits you bank on your runs, which will give you an extra life or a new starting gun for your next run. Again, this helps to make everything that little bit easier going.
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If you’re a diehard fan, who thinks this is all a bit too soft – fear not. You can play the game in a rather punishing hard mode, which is apes games released in 1987. This is a lovely addition for those who still have unresolved trauma from the OG Contra (or Probotector if you are European), or have a masochistic itch needing scratched.
Contra Look and Sound
For a WayForward game, Contra: Operation Galuga is not the prettiest of things. This is surprising given just how good past titles look. Some of the visual limitations may be part of the basic overall art style chosen for the game.
The audio of Contra: Operation Galuga fares much better. A rocking soundtrack keeps the action going, while the over-the-top, sometimes cheesy, voice work fits perfectly.
Contra: Operation Galuga is a welcome addition to the series, and a throwback that really understands what makes Contra the legendary series it became. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fun, 1980s action blockbuster romp, that is worth a weekend of play. Be it solo or with your mates, Operation Galuga is the best that Contra has been in decades.