Muscular men and aliens: “Contra: Operation Galuga” makes retro fans happy

Yikes, what happened now? After almost two hours, the credits are already flickering across the screen. I was just warming up! Was it all too easy? Is my ability to respond not as rusty as I thought? And were the “Contra” games always over so quickly? Questions about questions.

The return of a cult brand

The Japanese games manufacturer Konami launched a number of games in the 1980s and 1990s, many of which can now carry the classic quality mark. The run-and-gun series “Contra” is also included. Above all, the legendary “Super Propotector: Alien Rebels” (original title “Contra 3: The Alien Wars”), which appeared on the Super Nintendo in 1992 and had a huge impact, was remembered by many for a long time.

The original “Contra” was an arcade coin muncher in 1987 and was implemented for several home computers and consoles. The game series now includes approximately ten titles. But it has been very quiet around the brand for years. Until Konami announced its return and promised that they would make die-hard purists happy with a new edition in the next round. The anticipation grew immeasurably.

Muscular men, terrorists and aliens

“Contra: Operation Galuga” is something of a reinterpretation of the first title, which provided a lot of shooting action in the arcade and on the NES. The well-known and super cool powerhouses Bill Rizer and Lance Bean shoot their way through eight levels and send everything and everyone in their path into digital nirvana.

But why exactly? Well, the story is as simple as ever and doesn’t require a PhD in storytelling to understand it: the Red Falcon terrorist group has holed up on Galuga Island and soon looks to destroy all of humanity with overwhelming weaponry. That’s why a special unit is sent out to take out the bad guys.

But an alien force also appears to have set up camp on the island and is conspiring with the terrorists. Our mercenaries are not only dealing with simple foot soldiers, but also with alien, human-tech creatures that are even more aggressive and of course even more opulent.

Shoot, shoot, shoot

To really clean up the levels there are always weapon upgrades that we can pick up gradually from left to right or sometimes from bottom to top. Of course, the well-known weapons such as Spread Shot, Laser Beam or Crush Bombs are included. There are a few more gymnastics options available via double jumps, sliding and grabbing, depending on which character you choose.

Speaking of characters, over the course of the game the dynamic duo is joined by a few more warriors who can also be controlled. But the basic principle remains the same everywhere: Shoot away everything, often shoot away an intermediate boss, then shoot away everything until a boss opponent who fills the screen also has to be shot away and the next level with the same procedure awaits you. Wonderful. In between you can also take a seat on a flying speedster, the iconic hoverbike, to compete at incredible speed.

And suddenly the credits are there

“Operation Galuga” always plays smoothly and provides a wonderful undercurrent, well-known sound effects from the past and fresh background music drive you forward and stimulate your nostalgia. Fun cutscenes occasionally want to tell the story and even create a little story twist. We nod happily for a moment, but then immediately forget everything because we are mainly here to indulge our passion for run-and-gun.

But then everything happens way too quickly and the credits roll across the screen. Now you can start all over again, bring in a second player, increase the difficulty or try out the challenging arcade mode, but let’s be realistic and honest: after two hours the fun is unfortunately over for too little time.

Despite the shortness, a nice time

Conclusion: This retro action game put a permanent grin on my face. With its simple look and game mechanics and its catchy sound, “Operation Galuga” reminded me of the glory days when companies like Konami produced tons of top games and we simply struggled through difficult titles.

Yes, this thing is short. Very short. And anyone who no longer wants to deal with it via multiplayer mode will remain dismayed. Even if there are different modes and additional playable characters waiting, the thing is and remains far too cramped. But honestly, you have to admit that ‘Contra’ games were actually very short back then. But since after the game we usually had to start the entire game from the beginning without the save function, it took us much longer.

Even though the retro action is over quickly, as a “Contra” fan I had an incredible amount of fun with it and will soon play another round of even harder difficulty and strain my nerves – just like before.

“Contra: Operation Galuga” will be available March 12 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC. Suitable from 12 years.