Contra: Operation Galuga:
Among the classic KONAMI that the Japanese company has neglected the most in recent years is the Contra series. Among the pioneers of the run-'n'-gun, over the years the series failed to achieve the massive success of the original arcade game back in the late '80s, and the many variations on the original format introduced in the sequels were not enough to establish Contra as a strong name in shooter games among a younger generation of players.
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As KONAMI, which is now reviving many of its core franchises, must have finally realized that Contra is at its best when it is a pure run‑'n'‑gun game, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Contra: Operation Galuga, a modern take on the series' first entry developed by WayForward, is exactly that: a classic platformer videogame with many enemies being taken down, and very few more. The simple nature of the game is, at the same time, its greatest strength and its biggest weak link, as it offers nothing that could interest someone who isn't already a fan of the series.
As already mentioned, Contra: Operation Galuga is a re-imagining of the first entry in the series and therefore features the same setting and plot. In the distant future, the terrorist group Red Falcon has taken over the Galuga Islands off the coast of New Zealand and is working on something sinister that threatens the entire world. Elite commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are sent to the islands to stop the terrorists and save the world, only to find out exactly what the terrorists were planning and how it will affect humanity, even after the threat has been dealt with.
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In contrast to the original, which did not include much story material in the game, Contra: Operation Galuga includes several simple scenes and voice dialogues during the eight stages of the campaign. Naturally, it is not something special, but the writing and voice acting make the characters a little more approachable and not just simple functions with different abilities.
As expected, the story shouldn't be the reason why someone plays Contra: Operation Galuga. The gameplay should, and in that regard, the game delivers on all counts, offering a solid run-'n'-gun experience that takes the basics of the formula and elevates them with excellent level and enemy design, and some interesting plot twists on classic game mechanics.
Alongside Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, several other characters are available in the game. Some are unlocked by playing through Story Mode, while others can be unlocked after completing the main campaign and purchasing them from the game's Perk Shop. While the two Contra commandos share the same abilities and can run, aim in all directions while staying stationary, double jump and dash, the other characters have unique abilities that change how the player must approach each stage. Ariana, for example, cannot dash but can slide; Lucia Drake, on the other hand, cannot double jump nor dash or slide but can grab onto platforms above her to launch upward; Stanley Ironside cannot double jump or dash, but can grab like Lucia and fly for a limited time, allowing the player to skip platforming entirely. Some of these characters also come with unique versions of Contra's classic weapons that are available during the campaign, such as the unique versions of the Spread Gun and Machine Gun for Lucia and Stanley respectively.
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The weapon system in Contra: Operation Galuga is reminiscent of the first entry in the series, but it has some interesting plot changes that add a bit more depth. All weapons, which include the Machine Gun, Spread Gun, Laser, Flame Thrower, Homing Gun and Crush Gun, can be upgraded to level 2 by collecting them twice during a stage or equipping a specific Perk, part of a new upgrade system that allows each character to be equipped with two special coatings that can be purchased with Credits. All weapons also have an Overload function that destroys them but releases special attacks or provides some benefits that add a risk-reward element to the game. In most cases, however, you will want to keep the upgraded weapons rather than overload them, as they are significantly stronger than their base versions. However, they are lost as soon as the character is hit once, either in the Health Meter or in the 1-Hit Kill mode, so perfect play is required to bring them into battle against the final stage bosses.
It's no exaggeration to say that it takes a perfect game to reach the eight bosses of Contra: Operation Galuga, as the level design and enemy placements make the game extremely challenging, even on easy difficulty. As already mentioned, the level design is very good and, above all, varied, as it puts the Contra commandos in many different situations. Each of the eight stages, except for the first one, has some gimmick that makes it stand out from the others, creating an exciting experience that, next to the various enemy types, forces players to adapt. The high difficulty, however, never becomes frustrating like in the original game, as it is very easy to get extra lives with high scores. In addition, the Perk system can grant more health and lives, and the continue system makes sure that very little progress is lost in the event of defeat. Not that it will take that long to recover any lost progress, as Contra: Operation Galuga is a fairly short game. Each stage takes between 5 and 10 minutes to complete, and an entire run can take less than 1 hour for experienced players.
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Being a remake of a run-‘n’-gun game from the late ’80s, the short length of Contra: Operation Galuga was expected, but it is still disappointing, considering the game's price of €40. Of course, there is additional content that can be purchased from the game's Perk Shop with many Credits, such as the aforementioned extra characters, the Speedrun Mode and some BGM packs, which include music from other entries in the Contra, Castlevania and WayForward series, and a Challenge mode that offers small challenges in the main campaign with unique conditions, but the player will essentially go through the same eight stages over and over again, and inevitably will get bored quickly, even with many characters. Additionally, some Perk and Weapon combinations, such as the Level 2 Cannon Gun and protection from losing a Level 2 weapon on hit, are overly overpowered and can make a short work of anything, even at the difficulty of the hardest setting. The 2-player co-op for Story Mode and the 4-player co-op for Arcade Mode add a bit more intensity, but the lack of online multiplayer seems like a significant omission, as it would give the game considerably more longevity.
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Contra: Operation Galuga offers nice visuals, with bright, colorful 3D environments and very detailed and animated 2D sprites that, while not really matching the ferocity of the series, look great. The PC version is a bit simple in terms of settings, essentially allowing the user to choose resolution and frame rate, but it runs well without any issues. The system specs used for the test (i7-13700F, RTX 4080, 32 GB RAM) are well above the recommended specs, so it had no problem running the game at 4K resolution, locked at 120 FPS (frames per second), but I assume that will be true for most relatively modern systems. The addictive soundtrack and ridiculous but well-made voice acting are just the icing on a cake that takes the player back to the era when games didn't need to be overly complex or have huge production costs to be fun.
Genre fan or not, you'll enjoy your time with Contra: Operation Galuga quite a bit, but its simplicity, short length, and general lack of content will make it hard for many players to justify at launch. Despite its undeniable quality, paying $40 or even the discounted launch price of $35.99 for a game that can be completed in just over an hour is something I think most players won't be able to justify. Fans of the series and the genre in general, however, will find a lot to like about it, as long as they keep their expectations in check when it comes to game length and post-campaign content.
Source: wccftech
