Contra: Operation Galuga reimagines just enough to feel modern without losing the original game’s identity.
By Steve Watts on March 12, 2024 at 8:41AM PDT
More than almost any other game from its era, Contra made its name on being brutally difficult: a legacy with an impact that can still be felt today. Even cultural touchstones like the Konami Code owe at least some of their fame to the Contra series–after all, half the reason we memorized that particular sequence of button presses was to get extra lives for our battle against the alien hordes. With Contra: Operation Galuga, WayForward had a peculiar challenge: Sand off the rough edges of the original Contra to make it tolerable to modern audiences without losing the mystique that owes so much to its absurd difficulty. Thanks to some smart improvements, it’s found an enjoyable balance, although it’s not enough to elevate Galuga to greatness.
This is a retelling of the first game, which means that once again you’re Contra operatives Bill and Lance dispatched to the island of Galuga to get to the bottom of strange goings-on there. After a slightly too-wordy introduction in Story mode, you’re dropped right into the run-and-gun action, and despite looking and feeling very similar to the first game, the differences will quickly become apparent to series veterans. To start, you have a double jump by default, as well as a dash maneuver that can be used on the ground or in mid-air. Together, these make you much more nimble at dodging enemy fire, allow more room for error when crossing chasms, and turn combat into a quicker, more acrobatic experience.
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Now Playing: Contra: Operation Galuga | Character Trailer
Despite borrowing the most iconic weapons from the first three games–the Machine Gun, Spread, Laser, Flame Thrower, Homing, and Crush weapons–your arsenal has gotten an upgrade, too. Each signifies a considerable power boost from your default gun by itself, but each can also be upgraded by stacking another weapon pick-up on top of it. Picking up another Homing power-up when you already have Homing equipped makes it a Homing Lv 2, for example. Sometimes this extends the range or breadth of the weapon, like in the case of the Spread and Flame Thrower, while other times it can change a weapon’s behavior more significantly. An upgraded Laser will ricochet off targets, while the upgraded Crush changes the weapon from an explosive missile to a firearm that opens small black holes that do continuous damage. And in a welcome quality-of-life tweak, picking up a new weapon will automatically replace a blank weapon slot if you have one. I spent half the game manually switching out of habit before I realized that little nice-to-have.
The weapons all feel rewarding and powerful, but in true Contra tradition, that also makes you feel all the more vulnerable if you happen to lose them. By default, if you’re playing with the life bar option, getting hit once will downgrade your weapon, and fully dying and losing a life will cost you the weapon altogether. This encourages you to think and fight somewhat strategically or potentially contend with Contra’s difficult fights without an upgraded arsenal.
This leads to another major feature of Operation Galuga – a shop where you can purchase different bonuses with the credits earned during missions. More challenges mean more credits, like when you choose higher difficulty levels or activate the single-hit kills. These credits can be used to extend your health bar, acquire extra lives or even start with a certain weapon – all at reasonably low prices. But some high-value purchases will significantly change the game. I immediately accumulated enough for an upgrade that automatically converts any retrieved weapon into its enhanced version, and then started collecting for an additional perk which would allow me to keep this upgraded weapon after getting hit. Another option – one I contemplated but eventually abandoned – is to maintain your weapon even after dying. You can only use two bonuses at once but, selecting a combination that matches your playing style adds a hint of character customization to an otherwise no-frills action game.
The balance of the game is centered around these bonuses, it presents a harmonious level of difficulty that is satisfying. Despite the benefits available, navigating through hordes of enemy attacks while taking down various extraterrestrial beings who are both shooting from a distance and rushing towards you, can be demanding. At the height of such battles, the combat can be exhilarating. However, the ability to individually select stages in Story mode makes it easier to retry after failing a stage, rearrange the bonus and try again. The game also features a relatively generous checkpoint system, so if you make a mistake, you might not lose your entire progress. This results in a game experience reminiscent of conquering the challenging Contra of the past, without necessarily depending on mastering a single run.
For gamers looking for more, there are options to play with traditional mechanics, including single-hit kills and 8-direction shooting instead of the default multi-directional shooting. An Arcade mode is available, where story sequences are skipped and levels are played consecutively, earning high scores and progressively increasing multipliers to use in the credit shop. Challenge stages have also been added and for additional tasks such as crossing a region or defeating a boss within a timed limit, usually without ever being hit.
The plot might be absurd, but it is delightfully so. Taking inspiration from the dramatic action movie themes of the 1980s, as in the original Contra, the story continues in the same vein with a sense of nostalgic joy. Even though the story sequences might drag on a bit, their overblown masculinity is treated humorously and brings out amusing and unexpected surprises. In fact, it could even push its satirical inspirations more blatantly.
Throughout the narrative, a variety of other characters aligned with the Contra force are introduced. Over time, these characters can be unlocked, be it through narrative progression or purchasing them from the shop. These characters possess unique abilities—such as Bill’s brief dash invulnerability or Lance’s enhanced double jump—which introduce some variation in gameplay despite their otherwise identical appearances. The special abilities offer minor motivation to select a favorite character, but most of the time, choice will come down to the preferred character model. Characters are not sufficiently diverse to offer any real strategic advantage.
The appearance of these characters, similar to action figures, is shiny and plasticky, as are their environments. The visual style is arguably the least appealing part of the overall package, largely due to its generic and uninteresting appearance. Some stages feature visually unique and engaging moments, and there is a feeling that the creators may have had an initial intention to create character models resembling animated G.I. Joe figures. Regrettably, the visual style lacks the flair typically associated with WayForward, which is somewhat disappointing given Contra’s illustrious history.
Regardless, Contra: Operation Galuga excels where it truly matters. The game captures the essential essence of classic Contra, while the introduction of new elements—ranging from small adjustments like automatic weapon selection to major additions like the perks store—ensure it feels contemporary and fluid. Contra: Operation Galuga may not be considered an instant classic, but it certainly demonstrates that longstanding franchises can be rejuvenated.
