Contra Force

Contra Force is a run-and-gun platformer created by Konami and released exclusively for the NES in 1992 in North America only.

This is the fifth game in the Contra series and the third of the franchise to be released for the 8-bit console. However, the story and the settings differ from the other titles; it should be considered a spin-off. In fact, the game was supposed to be released in Japan as Arc Hound, with a story based on a terrorist attack, nothing related to aliens.

Contra was born as an arcade, but the real success arrived when it was released for the NES in the USA. That's why when Arc Hound was canceled, the game was renamed and added to the Contra series for a north american release. It was published right after Contra III: The Alien Wars for the SNES; this way, NES owners had their own Contra in 1992.

Contra Force includes five levels: three with the usual side view and horizontal scrolling, while two levels have a top-down view similar to the ones seen in Super Contra.

One of the game's unique features is the character selection: there are four different heroes, each with his abilities. You can choose one at the beginning of the game, but you can also switch to a different one during the game, depending on the situation. The power-ups system works similarly to Gradius: each time you collect a power-up, you move a cursor in a bar indicating the power-ups. Once you see the one you need, you can select it, and the bar will reset. In addition to the character selection, this system adds a strategic element not present in the original Contra.

The game supports two simultaneous players, but if you play alone, you can temporarily activate another hero to help you. When you do it, you can choose between 6 levels of aggressiveness or defensiveness.

Unfortunately, the programming quality was imperfect, so we can experience lags when too many objects are on the screen. The difficulty level could also be adjusted better.

However, thanks to the unique features listed above and stunning pixel art, Contra Force is a game you should play at least once, especially if you are a fan of the series.