Contra is one of the most beloved classics on the immortal Nintendo Entertainment System. Since its release, its spawned a legion of fans and kicked off a 25-year-long franchise. Its one of the few games I owned as a kid, and I played it relentlessly. I was able to memorize the level designs, enemy placements and weapon spawn locations. I played so much Contra back in the day, I was not only able to beat it without the famous cheat code, I managed to beat it ending up with more lives than I started with.
Its been quite a few years since I picked it up, so last night I popped it in to see how well my skills with the game have aged. Here is the first of my retro review series: Contra on the NES.
Gameplay
Contra is about as pure of a run-and-gun game as we've ever had. You play as either Bill or Lance, as soldiers who are dropped off and tasked with singlehandedly destroying an invading alien menace known as "Red Falcon." The game features 8 stages, with level 2 and 4 mixing things up with a pseudo-3D stage design. From the beginning, you're given 3 lives that are snuffed out with 1-hit kills, loads of enemies and times when bullets are flooding the screen. You advance from left to right (and vertically in the level 3 waterfall stage) killing everything in sight.
Thankfully, weapon boxes and pods are scattered throughout the levels that allow you to power up your weapons, from the relatively worthless rapid fire and fireball to the powerful lazer and Godlike spread gun, these weapons help to even the odds.
The game is known for being extremely challenging, and made its 30 lives cheat code part of our pop culture lexicon. Most simply know it as the "Contra code", though it worked in a few other games as well.
Presentation
Contra utilizes the NES nicely, creating lush green jungles, high-tech enemy bases and white snow fields. Sprites are well-drawn, but use very limited animation. Backgrounds and stages look nice too, with nicely illustrated graphics that are clear in what they depict, but not so detailed that they look messy (a common issue with NES games).
Levels are varied, which keeps things interesting throughout the game. From the simple jungle, to the 3D-style enemy bases, the high-tech energy zone and the Alien inspired organic design of the final stage, each stage stands out as something new and unique (other than the nearly identical enemy bases).
Music and sound effects are done very well. Many of the tunes from this game have gone on to become chiptune classics and the sound effects are clear and distinct.
Verdict
I picked up the controller last night not knowing how well my skills with Contra have held up. I managed to make it to stage 3, the waterfall, before losing my first life. However, things went quickly downhill after that. I was forced to continue at level 4, the second enemy base, again at level 5 and my final continue was used in level 6, the energy zone. I managed to make it all the way to level 7 before my final life of my last continue was extinguished and I didn't manage to make it to the final stage. But for a game I haven't played in years, I did surprisingly well.
The bottom line is, Contra is a classic for a reason. Its as fun today as it was in 1988. The graphics are well done and don't have that grainy, overly ambitious look many NES games fell victim to, the music is energetic and memorable, and the gameplay is tight, fast and fun.
Writing this review makes me want to take another crack at it now, which is a testament to the staying power of this NES classic.
Score: 9/10
