Contra is set in the distant future of the year 2633 A.D., where the evil Red Falcon Organization have set a base on the fictional Galuga archipelago near New Zealand in a plot to wipe out humanity. Two commandos, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean of the Earth Marine Corp's Contra unit (an elite group of soldiers specializing in guerrilla warfare), are sent to the island to destroy the enemy forces and uncover the true nature of the alien entity controlling them.
Stage 1: Jungle
This stage, like most stages, are 2D, side-scrolling and platforming affairs. Left and Right let you not only move around, but aim the gun in conjunction with Up and Down. While you cannot shoot downwards on the ground, you can shoot downwards in the air. A jumps, and B shoots.
The squares with the flashing falcons on them allow you to get power-ups. R is rapid fire and allows for - well - rapid fire as well as faster bullets; M is for machine and gives you a more powerful basic shot; S is the spread shot and not only allows for a five-way shot but also for ten bullets to be on-screen at any given time; L is a powerful, piercing laser; F is a flamethrower that shoots a powerful shot that rotates in a circle; B is for Barrier and gives you temporary invincibility; and the icon with no letter on it at all is a screen-clearing bomb that destroys all enemies.
The soldiers here are pretty basic. Some run at you; others stand there and aim. There are some that hide in the bushes and peek out to attack every so often, and there are also turrets that will track you to a point and shoot at you. Thankfully, those turrets can be taken out. Just remember: one hit and you die. Given that you have only a few lives and only two or three continues, you'll have to get good to survive.
To beat the boss, just destroy the flashing panel at the bottom. If you can rush right up to it as the screen scrolls the boss into existence, you can take it out very quickly; otherwise, destroy the soldier at the top first, then take out the turrets before destroying the flashing panel.
Stage 2: Base 1
Here, you'll be in the first of a few behind-the-back segments. Take out the soldiers as well as any turrets that shoot at you. The flashing circles, or cores, are what you need to aim for, as the wall will explode and the electric barrier in front will go away when you destroy them all. Once you've opened the way, keep holding Up until you reach the next stop-over, where you'll once again battle to get further and further into the base.
The green soldiers will run and shoot, while the red ones will hop continuously and drop power-ups when defeated. Some soldiers throw grenades; the explosions will hurt.
The red cylinders can be jumped over, but if you hold Down as you shoot at them, you'll be able to lie down and shoot low to get rid of them.
To beat the boss, you'll need to destroy the panels first. Be sure to defeat the upper side panels before getting rid of the other four, as you don't want to be shot by their three-way shots at as you take on the main boss. To defeat the main boss, which is a blue circle that moves back and forth, avoid or shoot down the fireballs that it shoots downwards while also shooting at the circle itself. If you have the spread shot, this whole battle is a snap; otherwise, you'll need to tread carefully.
Stage 3: Waterfall
Here, you'll be jumping your way up from platform to platform. Aside from the soldiers, you'll need to watch out for falling rocks that come out of the holes in the background wall as well as the guys in the waterfall who shoot upwards when you get above them enough.
You can get barrier at the bridge with the two flames that move back and forth. Thankfully, those flames are easy to dodge, it's just the soldiers that make it harder.
There are platforms that move back and forth in mid-air as you make your way up; be ready to take advantage of them.
To beat the boss, remember that while the main weak point is the mouth, you can shoot down the arms. Just be ready to avoid the fireballs that the arms shoot at you. If you shoot down the arms, you'll not only get more points, but you'll make this battle easier. All that is left is the fireballs that come out of the mouth, but you can easily position yourself away from them.
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