Contra (video game)

Did You Know?

• The game is set in the year 2633 A.D. on the Galuga archipelago near New Zealand, where the Red Falcon Organization plans to wipe out humanity.
• The promotional materials for the US arcade version downplayed the futuristic setting, and the NES and home computer manuals changed the setting to the present day and the location to the Amazon Jungle.

Release

Ocean Software produced ports under the title Gryzor for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC, released in Europe in 1988; the Commodore 64 version appeared in North America as Contra. These ports followed the arcade version. An IBM PC version by Banana Development Inc was released in North America and in Europe as Gryzor. The cover illustration for Ocean's Gryzor ports, by Bob Wakelin, was inspired by the film Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; this illustration later appeared on the NES packaging.

The Japanese MSX2 version used an exclusive photo cover but included Wakelin's illustration on the back. Another character design was inspired by the 1982 film Rambo starring Sylvester Stallone. A clone game, The Contras, was released for the TRS-80 Color Computer by Sundog Systems. The NES version, produced in-house by Konami and released in North America in February 1988, differs from the arcade release to suit the hardware: explosion sprites run at 30fps instead of 60fps.

Bill and Lance both appear as shirtless commandos distinguished by pant colors (blue for Bill, red for Lance). A player who loses all lives can borrow from the other player's stock. Power-up icons for machine gun and laser gun now use letter-based falcon symbols (M and L). Rapid Bullets and Barrier appear more often because flying item capsules appear regardless of the player's current weapon. The NES version adds a seventh item that clears all on-screen enemies.

Reception

In Japan, the arcade version of Contra reached the top of the Game Machine chart for table arcade cabinets during April 1987. Across the UK, the game, released there as Gryzor, was a major hit in arcades, and its home computer ports also led the Gallup sales charts. In the United States, Contra ranked among the four highest-earning dedicated arcade games of 1987. The 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System port sold two million copies, with its popularity largely driven by the two-player cooperative mode.

Critics gave the arcade version generally favorable reviews. Peter Shaw of Your Sinclair named Gryzor a personal favorite, while Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games found it exhausting due to its nonstop shooting. The NES version also received positive feedback. Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel, and Joyce Worley of Computer Gaming World praised it as an outstanding action epic with a beautifully scrolling playfield.

Famicom Tsūshin gave it scores of 6, 8, 7, and 6 out of ten. Famicom Hisshoubon highlighted the excellent graphics, especially the characters' flipping jumps. Electronic Gaming Monthly named it Best Action Game of 1988. AllGame editor Skyler Miller noted that the game set the standard for future platform shooters.

The MS-DOS version, however, earned a negative review in Dragon from Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser, who faulted Konami's copy protection for preventing the game from starting on their system.

Legacy

Contra was followed later in 1987 by Super Contra, the only arcade sequel developed in-house by Konami. After the success of the NES adaptations of the original and its sequel (retitled Super C in America), further sequels were made for home consoles, including Contra III: The Alien Wars for the Super NES and Contra: Hard Corps for the Genesis, making the series one of Konami's flagship franchises. As of 2024, the series has 13 installments. The arcade soundtrack appears on the album Konami Game Music Vol.4: A Jax, released by Alfa Records on May 10, 1988.

In April 2017, Beijing Starlit Movie and TV Culture announced a live-action film adaptation in China, with screenwriter Wei Nan, scheduled for June 6, 2018, but it did not meet that date. The Konami code, first introduced in home versions of Gradius, gained wider awareness through its inclusion in home versions of Contra, where it granted 30 extra lives. A board game adaptation by Blacklist Games and Kess Co. was released in 2022.