Some of our earliest childhood memories can be tied to a side-scrolling, bullet-hell shooter from the 80s called Contra. We’re sure many of our readers are too young to remember it, but for some of us, it was our first real introduction to gaming. And what better way to hone our twitch gaming skills than with one of the most unforgivingly difficult games of our time.
Now, that iconic game franchise from the 80s and 90s is headed to mobile, where it’s sure to frustrate a whole new generation of gamers. Developed for mobile by Konami and Tencent Games, the new Contra Mobile was shown off during keeps that same classic side-scrolling gameplay, but polishes up the visuals with high-res 3D graphics. We have to say, it looks pretty great.
As of right now, we don’t know much about the title but all the ingredients are there for them to make big bucks. Through the roof difficulty? Check. Bigger, badder, seemingly impossible bosses? Check. Loads of power-ups with some that can likely be obtained via in-app purchases? Probably. Let’s hope they made the decision to keep the Konami code in the mobile version for 30 extra lives. We have a feeling you’re going to need it.
The only thing more frustrating than the original Contra is is watching today’s kids give it a spin on the original NES. For more on the game, check out the “Teens React” video below. It gave us a good chuckle.