Picture this: It is the late 1980s, and you walk into your local arcade with your friends and a few coins in hand. Your game of choice is Contra, and it’s time to take on the bad guys. Now fast-forward to 2024, and Contra: Operation Galuga has just dropped. And I’m excited to try it out.
In the world of arcade games, very few franchises evoke as much nostalgia as Contra, so it’s a brave decision by the developers, WayForward, to even attempt to bring out a sequel to the original. WayForward was founded in 1990 and has had a hand in developing games for the Super NES and Saga Genesis. They are not by any means new to the industry, but how did they do in bringing Contra: Operation Galuga to a now older generation who hold the original so close to their hearts?
At its core, Contra: Operation Galuga maintains the franchise’s trademark run-and-gun gameplay, which made Contra, Contra. Considering that, it makes sense that the storyline would not be the biggest selling point of the game.
The Galuga Archipelago, situated off the shores of New Zealand, becomes the focal point of a rare meteor shower. This is the location where Contra: Operation Galuga takes place. Six months after the meteor shower event, the Red Falcon terrorist organization infiltrates and sets up a base on the island. Their intent is most likely to use the peculiar gravity waves emerging from the region.
A reconnaissance team is sent in to investigate, but communication is lost. The Earth Marine Corps decides to send their most skilled soldiers—Bill Rizer and Lance Bean from the Contra unit—tasking them to investigate further and eliminate any threats. The ensuing conflict transforms the once tranquil island into a full-scale warzone, where humanity’s destiny hangs in the balance.
Contra: Operation Galuga tells the story through a lot of cut scenes and dialogue, but somehow, it doesn’t feel like it fits with the fast-paced Contra franchise’s style. Some of the dialogue scenes are just too long and distract you from what you are meant to be doing, especially when a cut scene happens in the middle of combat, and all you want to do is shoot some bad guys.
Your main protagonists, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, are back in Contra: Operation Galuga. They are joined by a roster of other Contra Corps, each with its own unique abilities and playstyles. Characters become available as you progress through the game and complete levels.
A new feature in Contra: Operation Galuga is the option to purchase perks for your characters. You’ll be able to buy and equip perks for your character before the start of each stage. Some perks are character-specific, while others can be used by other characters. You only have slots for two perks, so choose wisely. My go-to was to start each level with a homing gun and an extra life, which worked for me most of the time.
Contra: Operation Galuga offers solo and co-op game modes, with up to 4 players teaming up in the game’s arcade mode. The co-op mode is still a highlight for fans who fondly remember the days of playing Contra with a friend and will spark some nostalgia. Plus, now, with online play, you can experience it in a whole new way with friends all over the world.
The controls for Contra: Operation Galuga are kept very straightforward and in line with the original. However, sometimes it felt like the developers still had the joystick of the arcade game in mind and not the Xbox controller when they were developing the controls. The aiming mechanic – for example – felt a little difficult to master on the analog stick. There wasn’t enough range of movement. On top of that, sometimes the occasional climbing left me stuck on walls because I couldn’t move to where I wanted to go.
I ended up using the dash button quite a bit. Whether it was to dodge an enemy’s attack or to traverse quickly over a moving platform, you’ll find it extremely useful. Despite the mechanics lacking in some areas, they are intuitive and allow newcomers and seasoned Contra veterans to jump right into the action.
And boy, is there some action in Contra: Operation Galuga. You’ll face a whole plethora of enemies, from soldiers with grenades to aliens that shoot poisonous liquid from their tentacles. That brings us to the guns; there are a few of those—laser guns, homing guns, and flame throwers, to name a few.
You’ll spawn with your default gun at the start of the level. As you make your way through the stage, you will be able to shoot what looks like emblems, and those will drop guns for you to pick up. Each gun has a different symbol on the emblem so it’s easy to see what weapon you are picking up.
Equipping your guns is as simple as walking to the dropped emblem; your character will pick it up automatically. You can have two guns equipped at any given time. You are also able to stack guns, which will upgrade your weapon and make it more deadly. However, if you die, you will lose the gun that is currently in your hand.
The enemies in Contra: Operation Galuga are fun to take on. They are widely diverse and unique to some of the levels. They have different weapons, and you will have to assess the situation and decide which weapon is best suited for the job.
The stages themselves can, at times, be your worst enemy, though. I got – for lack of a better description – spawn trapped by a rock and some poisonous goo. I died, and every time I respawned, I was stuck in the same place and died the same death. Eventually, I ran out of lives and had to restart from the last checkpoint. Which thankfully wasn’t too far away.
Contra: Operation Galuga gets a lot of points from me in the looks department. The stages are well-built and beautiful. They are vibrant and have a lot of details, and you can see the care that was put into creating each area. The one thing is they aren’t anything new. If you have played Contra before, then you’ll probably end up recognizing a few of the levels, or if you have played almost any side-scroller, run-and-gun game, then you’ll know what to expect.
It would have been nice to have a few surprises in the game, maybe something that could have brought a fresh idea to a well-loved franchise. However, I do understand that sometimes it’s better to stick to what has been tried and tested, and for that reason, in my opinion, fans of the original Contra will love the graphics.
Like most action movies and games from the late 1980s and early 1990s, the dialogue in Contra: Operation Galuga is kind of corny. Funny enough, though, it suits the game. You wouldn’t expect amazing dialogue from a game like Contra, and that’s okay because it works. The sound effects during combat are clear, with just enough going on to not overwhelm your senses. Each stage has its unique ambiance, creating the mood for the upcoming battles where needed.
Contra: Operation Galuga successfully pays homage to the rich legacy of the Contra franchise and will appeal to longtime fans and newcomers to the game. It embraces its roots and delivers a solid Contra game with updated graphics and mechanics. Contra: Operation Galuga had me reliving my childhood, if only for a little while.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it will be a game that sticks in my mind for decades. There aren’t enough moments in the game that truly stand out. It can be repetitive and predictable, and gamers who have played the original will know what to expect next. More risks could have been taken to reinvent the Contra series.
The co-op mode is still the most entertaining and explosive part of the Contra franchise, and Contra: Operation Galuga didn’t disappoint in that aspect. It’s great to sit on your couch and run and gun with your friends for a few hours, but that’s all it was a few hours. The game is short, and the storyline mode could be clocked in around 4 hours or so, depending on how many times you die – I died a lot, so it was a tad longer; my reflexes aren’t what they used to be.
Contra: Operation Galuga won’t disappoint Contra fans, but it also won’t give them something new. While the game was described as a sequel, it is honestly more of a remake with some added extras. I’m not saying it’s an entirely bad thing; as “remakes” go, it’s done well. The developers at WayForward have kept the parts of the game that are so loved and improved on them, basically bringing Contra to a new generation while keeping the older fans happy.
