I haven’t heard anything coming from Konami in a long while about a new Contra game since their awesome return to the series back with Contra 4; that was until last month when I first heard wind of their latest entry in the franchise, Hardcorps: Uprising. Despite not having the Contra moniker in front of it it is still a Contra game at heart, and from what I played during my time with its demo on the E3 showfloor, it will undoubtedly be one of the best in the series history.
Doing away with Lance and Bill, the player takes on the character of Colonel Bahamut, originally the main enemy of Contra: Hardcorps from the Sega Genesis/ Mega Drive game. But that’s not what will make you want to play it. I think the main drawing point for a lot of players, including those not even familiar with the Contra series, will be its unique look. Teaming up with Arc System Works, the studio more well known for their work on fighting games like Blazblue and Guilty Gear, Konami took the usually gritty setting to a much more colorful HD setting that feels a lot like a living, breathing anime. And while that Japanese cartoon style may not be for everyone, the gameplay will definitely bring dedicated fans of the series back for some more side scrolling action.
The pacing of the game is a lot slower than what I would’ve like but then again I was always playing with a second player during my demo, so I’m sure if I was alone then all those enemies would’ve been a challenge to fight if the game were any faster. But if you do ever feel like kicking it up another notch, there is a dash feature that allows your character to run or dash in the air for some extra speed. What surprised me the most about the game though was how familiar it all felt. The same controls are there as before; all the classic weapon upgrades like the Spread Shot make a return, but a few new tricks are added to keep the experience fresh – moves like the double front flip jump, a bullet reflection shield, and the air dash I touched upon earlier.
Hardcorps keeps that same Contra-esque difficulty but makes it a little more user friendly offering you a life bar as well as lives to keep the fun going as long as you can keep those from depleting. I haven’t been able to play a Contra game in a multiplayer setting since the original, but Uprising lets me relive those days with a 2 Player Co-Op option so I don’t have to go it alone. It remains to be seen if there will be online Co-Op feature, but here’s hoping there is. There will also be the inclusion of an Uprising Mode that allows players to upgrade their character and abilities.
Hardcorps: Uprising hits XBLA and PSN this holiday season.
