U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R

1988, Manhattan, my uncle turns on the NES and hands me a controller. He presses the power button, and a wall of texts scrolls from the left. I only recognize the same symbol from the Castlevania games we would play. I look at the two men who look like 80s action stars while my uncle double taps several keys before selecting 2 players. In case you couldn't tell from the title or this scene-setting, I am talking about the first time I played the classic Contra.

The franchise which has lived fondly in our collective childhood has lurked around for over 30 years. Boasting over 15 titles, some of which are more welcome by fans than others, the Contra series has been on every significant console released since the 1980s. The last one I played and enjoyed was Contra Hard Corps on the Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, the 3D aspect of the Playstation titles never really appealed to me. And other than the occasional collection or remaster release, I haven't heard much of Bill, Lance, or the Red Falcon. That was until a good friend, Captain Jack Walter (Check out his Twitch), got me a new phone.

Being unfamiliar with a higher-tier piece of technology, I explored all the games I could find on Google. Some were mediocre, and I will discuss, while others were a delightful surprise. Contra Returns falls into the latter, but at first, I was highly sus of this title. I had just finished sampling Puzzle Quest 3 and was sadly not impressed. I downloaded Contra with much skepticism and forced my way through the tutorial.

Besides forcing you to go through EVERY feature this app had, I have no real complaints about this Konami creation. The graphics still maintained their 2D charm, but with much more polished sprites, the controls are responsive for a Run-and-Gun title converted to a smartphone. The way they handled the transition, I'm sure I could hand my phone over to my uncle, and he could be playing like a pro within the hour.

I'm not sure if it was Konami's or Tencent's idea. Still, the team went above and beyond to ensure this didn't feel like another remaster. They added more contact than just Lance, Bill, and a horde of baddies to shoot. The players now have life bars, starting weapons, characters with unique abilities spanning from all Contra titles, and RPG elements for both guns and characters. Seeing Fang from Hard Corps made my soul scream, "Hell Yeah!" in delight and has given me a goal to work towards.

Part of me feels like the music is lacking in the sense of variety. Still, considering that each level has multiple features with no end in sight, one can only expect so much from the soundtrack. That said, they kept several iconic sounds to give off a nostalgic aura complimented with remixes of classic Contra music. I also encountered redesigns of the old NES bosses, which brought the whole package together.

Now for many gamers, the real meat and potatoes, sort of speak, lies in the replay value. Contra Returns is jam-packed with protein and starch for a free-to-play app. One hit mode, online co-op, and arena are just some features you unlock while playing. Mix that with a farming mechanic to build weapons, and there is enough to keep you occupied, whether it's a short bathroom break or a long road trip. So if you want my opinion, download it and play today! Feel free to contact or add me as well.