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As a kid just starting into video games, one of my first games was the OG Contra, on the NES, back in 1989. My grandpa and I would coop and try to take on Red Falcon. We never beat the game (because we sucked) but I had some memories of the times we spent trying. It’s one of the reasons I hold the Contra series so close to my heart and also why I had wishlisted Contra: Operation Galuga on Steam the moment I was able to.
It’s taken months of waiting…but it’s finally here! The game’s finally out!
Has it been worth the wait?
What is Contra: Operation Galuga?
Contra: Operation Galuga is a single and multiplayer 2.5D run and gun action side (sometimes vertical) scroller. It’s developed by WayForward and published by Konami. The game is available right now for all platforms.
Our copies of the game were kindly donated by Konami! We really appreciate it!
Contra: Operation Galuga is a modern remake of the original Contra, though it’s taken certain liberties. There’s now a story to the whole thing!
That’s right!
The game has a story mode, which largely follows the stage flow of the original and ties them in with a narrative involving the Contra soldiers, an alien artifact and an intergalactic war between alien species. I actually enjoyed the plot (though it’s paper thin) and its attempt to tie in the Contra games with a cohesive, overarching plot.
While the game starts out super familiar with the beach setting, later stages changes things up a bit by adding in new sections that weren’t present in the original game.
Stage 2 for example, is now completely different, with the Contras on hoverbikes instead of on foot, infiltrating a Red Falcon base. WayForward didn’t just replace some stages, they also added to them. Stage 3 is no longer just the vertical waterfall climb. Now you start off in a village and then make your way to the waterfall to climb it.
On top of the expected stages, WayForward’s also added in a couple of new ones (mostly at the end) to mix thing ups even more!
The new stages are fun (though not as involved or lengthy) and flesh out the game’s plot a bit more. Unfortunately, the H.R. Giger-esque stage design (and the Xenormorph-like enemies) have been nixed for the alien hive stages. It’s a damn shame, because I love the homage in the original. As a fan of the Aliens series, it’s also what made Contra so very memorable.
It’s understandable though…why tempt a lawsuit for no reason, right?
Likewise, bosses too run the gamut from the familiar to totally new ones. Stage One’s infamous fortress boss makes a return (though now it’s joined by the Stage 2 boss as well) and hardcore fans will be tickled pink at some of the returning favorites.
I know I was when the infamous Skeleton boss appeared in one of the later stages, despite not being in the original at all! So damn cool!
Contra’s infamous punishing gameplay (where it’s one hit and you’re dead) has been shunted aside in favour of a health bar system. You start being able to take up to 3 hits (you can get more health bars by buying them from the Perks menu) before dying this time around, though masochists and hardcore gamers who want the OG one hit kill system can still opt for that.
The game also has two other modes apart from the Story mode.
Arcade Mode (which has you playing through all the story mode stages with any unlocked character and without the story cutscenes) and Challenge Mode, where you’re given specific conditions to accomplish. Challenge Mode is hellish hard (even the early Challenges took me a couple of tries!), which is will definitely draw in the Contra hardcore crowd.
WayForward’s also added in a customizable Perks system. Completing stages in Story mode (or when you Game Over in Arcade Mode) or finishing Challenge Mode stages, nets you credits. These credits can then be used in the Perks Shop.
There’s a ton of different perks. Perks that enhance your characters, perks that give you weapon boosts. perks that increase the number of lives you start out with. You’ll be playing the game for awhile if you want to unlock them all.
Unfortunately, you can only equip 2 perks to use at once (unless the perks are Universal, which means they’re always active). You’ll have to decide whether a longer life bar is worth it, because that means that you might not be able to start a stage with your favourite weapon available or powered up.
Visually, the game’s fire too. Just don’t go expecting a ton of graphical settings on the PC to differentiate it from the console versions.
…or any graphics settings actually.
That’s the all the options you have for visual settings on the PC. It’s a bit disappointing to be sure.
It’s not the most beautiful game out there, but I honestly love the art design. Cartoony without being too cutesy. Anime-ish without being too anime. It’s just right and looks great for the most part. As I mentioned before, the only part that disappointed me was the alien hive, which no longer looks H.R. Giger-ish.
I didn’t notice any input lag at all, which is great for a game like this. Jumps are tight and responsive, movement and aiming controls feel great. I ran both the PS5 and PC versions at 4K and both ran smooth without any issues. I didn’t notice any input or slowdown, even when things got hectic with enemies and projectiles on the screen.
Honestly, that’s one of my peeves for the game. There’s so much happening at once sometimes it’s hard to keep track of your character. I got hit too many times just because I couldn’t make out an attack was coming at times. It’s a bit unfair…but then again, that’s pretty much the same for the original Contra too.
Playable characters have enhanced too; Bill and Lance (the OG Contra soldiers) are still playable, but you also unlock other playable characters as you progress through the story mode and finish the game.
In a neat touch, those other playable characters are actually from other Contra games, like the Mega Drive’s Contra: Hard Corps.
Incidentally, the game is tantalizingly teasing a follow-up to Contra: Operation Galuga with The Alien Wars with its ending. Old school gamers will know that’s actually the subtitle for the third game in the Contra series, wherein the Contra guys fight to take back an Earth decimated by alien invaders.
There are also other welcome changes to that’s been made to Contra: Operation Galuga.
Each character (except for the Contras who play similarly) has their own unique specialty weapon. Stanley Ironside (one of the game’s playable characters) for example, has a boomerang-like cannon when he picks up the Machine Gun upgrade.
Meanwhile, if other characters pick up the same upgrade, all they get is a fast firing linear projective weapon.
Weapons can now be upgraded by picking up the same weapon type twice.
Once you’re at Weapon Level 2, the weapons in Contra: Operation Galuga are transformed into more powerful versions. Some even come with new effects, like the Homing Missiles being able to pierce through enemies. The downside is you can lose the upgrades if you get hit (that is unless you equip a certain Perk that ignores that).
On top of that, each character (except for the two Contras, who share the double jump and dash) also have their own unique moves, such as a grappling hook or the ability to fly. It all adds to a ton of variety, which is really cool and gives a ton of gameplay options.
It’s also nice that the game incorporates a lot of features from other Contra games. You can carry up to two different weapons, can swap between them at will, can climb walls and ceilings and gameplay even involves vehicular stages!
The only omissions seem to the top down stages from Contra III and the background scrolling stages from the base invasion stages of the original game.
Despite that, the game still feels very much like a Contra title.
The run and gun action is sublime and WayForward has done everybody a great service by giving two control options. You can use the D-pad and shoot in 8 directions or use the analog stick and then hold the RT to shoot in a 360 angle.
Both styles are equally valid in Contra: Operation Galuga, though I prefer the analog + RT because of the precision it gives you AND because it sticks you in place while you aim. That means you won’t move forward or backwards when you’re aiming in those directions.
That’s super useful!
Finally, I just love that the game is showing a ton of old school love by having unlockable secrets instead of DLC. You can unlock new tunes, characters and more! I really love playing the game with the original music (though the new score is epic too) or with the NES Castlevania soundtrack!
I cannot stress how cool that is!
The Bottom Line.
Contra: Operation Galuga is a great example of how to remake an old game for modern audiences while retaining the spirit of the original. WayForward has done a great job and has faithfully brought a video game classic into the modern era and should really be commended for that.
Gameplay is great, the controls are tight, the visuals cool, the music awesome and there are tons of unlocks. It’s pretty much what every old school gamer could’ve wished for!
It’s great to finally see Konami stepping back into the gaming arena after years of light activity. With this, Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid Delta on the horizon, it finally looks like one of gaming’s most venerable companies is rousing from its slumber. I really, really hope this means we get more classic Konami titles (a remake of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night please!) in the future.
At the very least, I’m really hoping that Konami’s already greenlit The Alien Wars because I know I need that game in my life as soon as possible!
TDLR:
Contra’s back, baby! Nobody should be missing out on this!
The Good:
- Tons of unlocks.
- The Perks system adds to the replay value.
- Classic Contra run and gun action.
- Cool bosses!
- Lots of playable characters from the series’ history.
The Bad:
- The cliffhanger ending makes you want more!
- Too easy to lose track of your characters in the midst of all the action.
Salehuddin Husin, EIC
Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.
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