The historic Contra series, between very high peaks like Contra III: Alien Wars (known to us as Super Probotector: Alien Rebels) and disastrous falls like the last, atrocious, Rogue Corps of 2019 has reached the present day, with the review of the brand new Contra: Operation Galuga.
There is little doubt that Contra, Turrican (HERE the review of the collection) and Metal Slug represent the holy triad of run & gun with (mainly) horizontal scrolling. Not that over the decades there has been a lack of other illustrious exponents, such as the exceptional Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier from Treasure, the western Sunset Riders, or the more recent Blazing Chrome, Broforce and Cuphead (REVIEW HERE), but they are certainly the works of Konami, Manfred Trenz and SNK are the ones that have remained in the hearts of gamers the most. With Contra in the lead for its importance in defining the entire genre.
Given the premises, budget and trailer, we certainly didn't expect that this Operation Galuga could overturn the genre or reach who knows what qualitative peak, but certainly it was reasonable to hope for something more from WayForward Technologieswho had already had the opportunity to work on the series in 2007 with the good Contra 4. Instead, the final result seemed really subdued and with few flashes, even as fans of the franchise.
Operation Galuga basically serves as a reboot of the series, and looks like a sort of remake of the first chapter from 1987. The story mode will therefore put us in the shoes of the historical protagonists Bill Rizer and Lance Beam, dealing with the alien invasion that we all remember.
Our job will be to shoot anything that moves through eight levels taken more or less directly from the old Contras. Most of these will be on foot, with some platforming elements, but in a couple we will have to fend off enemies by speeding on futuristic motorbikes (with camera rotations reminiscent of the splendid 1994 Megadrive chapter, Hard Corps).
Curiously the typical levels with a view behind the protagonist are missing (à la Cabal or Nam-1975), or from above as in Contra III on Super Nintendo, and frankly we don't understand why. Giving a bit of variety to the type of action would have been a blessing for Operation Galuga, which instead suffers from considerable repetitiveness.
At the end of each level, as usual, a final boss will await us. Almost all of them are revised and corrected versions of old knowledge, but in some cases they seem more difficult due to difficult to read moves and some confusion on the screen.
Operation Galuga in fact It features less than mediocre 3D graphics, and also due to a fairly dull color palette it sometimes ends up making it difficult to distinguish backgrounds from foreground objects. Clearly this translates into unaware deaths, especially if you decide to activate the one hit kill option, where you only need to be hit once to lose a precious life. By default, however, you have three energy bars available before leaving this valley of tears.
The difficulty level, as per tradition, is quite challenging, but never hellish. Thanks to the checkpoints scattered throughout the levels we managed to finish the game in one hit mode without going too crazy.
The internal shop can also come to our aid. With points earned by playing Permanent upgrades and abilities can be purchased (a maximum of two can be equipped at a time) such as more powerful weapons, more life points, more lives, invincibility while sprinting and so on.
You can find them in the shop also purchase new characters, each with their own special abilityor soundtracks coming not only from the old Contra chapters but also from other old Konami glories (we'll leave the surprise for you).
In addition to the aforementioned Story mode, there is also a second mode, called Arcade. In reality there are no such significant differences between the two, the levels are identical, and considering that the story's brief interlude sequences are as pointless as they are left-handedyou might as well dive straight into the second mode.
The real difference lies in local multiplayer: in History you can play with a maximum of two people, while in the Arcade you can play with four. However, there is no support for online gaming, and this is certainly not good news.
Plus we will be able to face a substantial list of challenges, where we will have to satisfy specific conditions. In some we will have to overcome a portion of the level within a certain time limit, in others we will have to defeat a certain number of enemies with a limited number of shots, in still others we will have to reach a checkpoint without ever shooting and so on. An addition that is certainly pleasant and gives the title a few more hours of play (also because some challenges are really demanding).
On the gameplay side, WayForward has tried to modernize the formula by inserting some new mechanics based on the tried and tested jump and shoot game. All characters can in fact sprint or double jump, and some of them can unlock unique abilities such as the grappling hook in the shop. You can carry two types of weapons, which can be alternated at will, and if we collect a weapon already in our possession for a second time, we will upgrade it.
The most striking innovation consists in the absence of the classic smart bomb, but through the prolonged pressing of a button we can decide at any time to overload one of our weapons, sacrificing it in exchange for a special effect. For example, the machine gun will give us a few seconds of invincibility, the legendary spread gun will fill the screen with bouncing bullets, the laser will slow down time and so on.
Unfortunately the game is rarely worth the candle: in progressive shooters, having a powerful weapon is also of vital importance in terms of survivability, and therefore we found ourselves making effective use of this new mechanic only on a few occasions, clearly designed ad hoc (such as the final boss).
Pad in hand Contra: Operation Galuga proved to be enjoyable. The shot is precise (you can use the analog stick to hit 360 degrees), the controls are responsive, the collisions are accurate, the feeling of control is more than good. But despite appearances being deceiving, this is a 2024 game, so these features are the minimum wage.
For the rest, as mentioned at the beginning, the production seemed quite weak and devoid of creative or qualitative sparks. The levels are banal in construction and repetitive, the audiovisual aspect is anything but captivating, many ideas are simply recycled from the old Contras and the new ones, such as the overload of weapons, only work at times.
Nothing to say about quantity, however: for what the title has to offer, eight levels are sufficient and the additional challenges, as well as the various skills to unlock in the shop, they raise the longevity up to the right standards of the genre. But the rest is really too little for 2024.
It is sad to note that even today, if you want to play Contra, the best option remains to recover the splendid Anniversary Collection released a few years ago. Inside there are at least two or three titles that even thirty years after Operation Galuga look at it from top to bottom from every point of view.