The hardest 2D side scrolling shooter I have ever played!
This game has no storyline. After all, it;s just a NES game. But to make you understand, I'll say this: You are a special trained warrior that has the mission to protect the universe and destroy the enemy. Simple, huh? And the gameplay is really, really simple, too: You just move to the right and destroy everything that gets in your way. You move with the D-pad, jump with the A button, shoot with the B button. To jump down, you press Down+A. You can also look up and down, pressing combination of D-pad buttons and B button.
Well, really to catch up, isn't it? But, to tell you the truth, this game has 8 levels(trust me, it's just enough) and each level is a living hell where you has to fight a horde... no, a swarm of enemy with only 3 lives to support you through all 8 levels.And you die easily. You touch the enemy for one pixel, you're dead. You get hit by a little "dot"(the enemy bullet), you're dead. You fell down a hole, you're dead. And the bosses are painfully hard. And FYI, the normal enemy is hard enough. There are normal enemies, who rushes to you and sometimes got ammo. There are sharpshooters who aim at you. There are forts that shoot at you and has a lot of health.The are machine gunners shooting at you. There are spiked walls, there are flame rods, there are falling spikes,.... It's hard!And the bosses... they're too hard so I'll left you to find that out by yourselves.Thankfully, the game developers gives us some help. If you can clear a level without losing any lives, you get one extra life.(I think that can only be done at Level 1). And there a a variety of weapon you can choose from. Here a list:
R: Normal weapon. Lame.
M: Red,grape-shaped bullet. Increased damage.
S: Better M. Shoots out in multiple directions.(My favorite).
L:Laser.
F: Flame thrower.
B: Invulnerable.(Like the star in Super Mario Bros).
Eagle-shaped:Destroy all enemies on-screen.
Thanks to all that, the game has an excellent(but punishing) gameplay. And the graphics was done great.(For a NES game) The environment, the enemies, the character... is beautiful. And the music is enchanting and keep you playing.
Long live Contra! Long live Konami!