Contra - Part 1 #

Contra, then.

This game has a big name in the retro community. If you spend a little time searching the relevant corners of the internet or other media where older systems from the relevant era are discussed, reviewed, and evaluated, this name is bound to crop up at some point.

Contra.

It even provides the basis for technical comparisons. The controls are said to be very sensitive, making it perfect for testing the D-pad sensitivity of modern handheld emulation devices. The “Contra test,” as it is called and often used as a rating, is used by the likeable YouTuber Russ on his channel “RetroGameCorps,” which he has dedicated to the world of emulation machines.

But how does it feel? From my perspective today in 2025: tough. I’ve tried at least 10-15 times on different devices—emulated or on original hardware (NES)—to find a way in.

Without success.

The famous, driving soundtrack catapults us forward with force. After overcoming the start screen with frantic start button mashing, Contra throws us onto a rugged pixel coast with different levels and immediately lets the character stagger and die the first few deaths.

Woah.

Where are all these bullets coming from? How am I supposed to get through here? Jump with A, shoot with B. I fire wildly around me. Die, come back, die. Before the first gap that forces me into the cool, tropical water, I receive the first message of “there are too many of them, you’re too damn slow” – game over.

Ouch.

You think you’re a hardened retro enthusiast, and then this happens. At this point, at the latest, the first dozen or so attempts have ended. “Well, maybe another time.” I can’t quite share the euphoria yet. But the feeling that I’m missing something here won’t let me go. I try again and again. The result: always the same. Game over.

I’m fed up.

It’s early June 2025. Rainy, gray, cramped. Southern Bavaria beneath the rails. I’m sitting in a regional train. The front part of the train has just been uncoupled. Technical problems. Passengers are crammed into a train that’s been cut in half. Here I pull my little handheld out of my shoulder bag. Pokémon FireRed is boring me at the moment. I need action. “Why not?” I think to myself and switch to Contra. It starts as it always starts. Bullets, bullets, bullets. Plus bullets that my tired eyes can barely make out due to the combination of size, speed, and color contrast with the background. But today is different. The music of the coastal level whips through my headphones, drowning out the noise of the crowded train. At this moment, I hardly notice it anymore.

I’m in it.

The enemies fall, I dodge and shoot. Shoot, jump, shoot and, honestly, die, again and again. Often. However, this time I manage to unlock a decent number of continues, which makes the frequent deaths more bearable. At this point, a disclaimer for all retro hardcore gamers: I’m not one of those. Yes, I use emulation. Yes, I use save states. My goal is to get a feel for the game. Not to let the sometimes sadistic game design rob me of my limited time. So I “ramboniere” my way through the jungle and end up – covered in pixel blood, drenched in sweat and now equipped with all kinds of weapon upgrades – in front of a steel-colored wall that continues to bombard me with a relentless hail of bullets. After briefly figuring out the solution based on the sound of my shots hitting the wall (it sounds different when they cause damage) and returning fire, the wall falls. A hole opens up. The character goes inside. Level complete.

Hot damn!

Since my encounters with the game had never reached this point before, I was quite surprised and briefly overwhelmed by what followed. But in a positive way. Suddenly, I find myself in a base. This time, there’s no side-scrolling shooting. No. This time, an electric fence crackling with electrical tension separates me from my enemies and the guns. Shots are fired into the room. A feeling of depth and three-dimensionality spreads.

I like it.

It doesn’t make it any easier, but slowly a sense of automatism sets in. Shooting, dodging, jumping, and “oops,” without warning, my character is hit by the electric fence and briefly immobilized by the electricity. The consequences should be clear to all Contra players who have now been briefed:

Death.

The game is easier to play, but that’s due to my growing skill, not the decreasing difficulty level. The higher frequency of my save states suggests that the difficulty has increased. I was very impressed by the surprise of the change in perspective. I didn’t expect that from this initially “dull” left-to-right shoot-’em-up. Hats off! I shoot my way through walls and cross the following rooms. A room that obviously represents the end of this section of the wild A-B orgy contains another boss fight, during which I briefly wonder what the level designer has against walls. Once again, one fires at me. I keep firing, blowing up everything that isn’t sprite- and pixel-proof.

Level complete.

Slowly, I get the feeling that I’ve found what impresses others about Contra. Sure, the setting is one that fits the time of its release. Back then, the big screen was populated by Stallones and other extremely exaggerated “masculine” action heroes. Contra fits the zeitgeist. Today, I tend to laugh at that, but I can understand the enthusiasm. The game itself impresses with the changes it makes from level to level. After penetrating “into the base,” a completely vertical level follows. It starts to be really fun, and the ambition to play through this projectile hell grows with every minute.

An announcement wakes me from my zone. Just as I’m taking apart the boss of the third level, “Waterfall” (an ALIEN, not a wall!), after climbing the mountain where he lives, my stop is announced. I turn off the handheld, pack it into my green shoulder bag, and start gathering my luggage.

It was barely more than 30 minutes in total. Nevertheless, the game managed to hook me in this attempt. “What was it about?” I don’t know. It just clicked. Something that I believe only the medium of video games can achieve. After frequently putting it aside, dismissing it as too inaccessible, too old, too exhausting, Contra has now won me over. I’m going to stick with it and finish it. As far as I can see, I’m already halfway through. I’m excited and looking forward to what’s to come. Hopefully more aliens. Certainly more screen deaths and save states.