Contra
Contra is a downloadable legacy shooter release for Wii U released in 2014 developed by Konami. It centers on aiming, shooting, and weapon use, aiming and shooting, and positioning and evasion, with controls, information, and pacing arranged around the GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, or another layout supported by the download.
- AI score · out of 10
- 6.1 / 10
About this game
Contra is a downloadable legacy shooter release for Wii U centered on aiming, shooting, and weapon use, aiming and shooting, and positioning and evasion. Missions pace progress through enemy waves, routes, objectives, and weapon opportunities, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make its immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Aiming feedback, projectiles, hits, and danger zones need to remain readable, while the original aspect ratio, scaling, filtering, sound, and television output need to preserve key information and the source game's style. The genre-specific limitation is that camera turning, aiming methods, dense encounters, and multiplayer service conditions can increase control pressure. Platform conditions also include control mapping, display ratio, emulation behavior, saving, controller compatibility, and the retired download service affect present-day use. The downloadable legacy release is judged for emulation behavior, control mapping, and retained conveniences rather than inheriting the original media score.
Collected in series
Contra is a run-and-gun action series where commandos jump, shoot and push through military fortifications and alien attacks. Weapon pickups, towering bosses and cooperative play turn each advance into a busy test of movement and aim.
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Related game recommendations on this platform
Wii U
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Weapon choices have appeal, but repetitive stages weaken progression; Wii U saves aid practice.
This Wii U Contra contains the MSX conversion: a solo game with a health bar and flip-screen routes, not the NES version. Collecting a gun icon opens weapon choices, and rear fire proves useful in vertical areas. Shooting between ledges still has appeal, but many encounters can be passed before enemies fire, while awkward trajectories and firing rates make weapons uneven. Additional bases, volcanic areas and vertical routes extend the journey without consistently enriching it: repeated turret-ringed targets, weak placements and a final-boss safe spot limit the payoff. Forests, blue-gray installations and red-rock areas have distinguishable shapes and color layers; additional stages reuse music. Wii U's restorable state makes segmented practice convenient, although a new save replaces the previous position. It primarily suits existing owners curious about this distinctive conversion, rather than those seeking consistently dense combat.
Strengths
- Weapon selection and rear fire provide practical tactical uses.
- The health bar offers forgiveness, with enjoyable shooting between ledges.
- Forests, installations and rock areas have distinguishable shapes and color layers.
- Wii U's repeatedly restorable state makes segmented practice convenient.
Weaknesses
- Many flip-screen encounters are easily bypassed, weakening combat density.
- Added routes repeat central targets and weak placements, with a limited climax.
- Additional stages reuse music, limiting their sonic differentiation.
Who it is for: Existing Wii U owners and solo series enthusiasts curious about the MSX conversion, rear-fire weapons and segmented route practice.
Play notes: This is the Japanese-documented MSX solo release, not NES Contra. New eShop purchases are unavailable; check ownership and installation. Purchased redownloads currently remain available, not guaranteed forever. There is one restorable state, replaced by each new save.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Bases, vertical areas and volcanic routes vary the journey, and familiar shooting sections retain some charm. Added routes repeatedly rely on turret-ringed central targets and weak placements, while a fixed final-boss safe spot limits the climax. The longer progression does not sustain proportionate rewards. | Reviewed | 4.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Weapon selection, rear fire and a health bar give this version distinct shooting pleasures and forgiveness, with choices that can suit routes. Many flip-screen encounters are easily bypassed, however, and uneven weapon coverage and firing rates weaken sustained engagement, leaving the main experience underdeveloped. | Reviewed | 5.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The observed forest, stone installations and red-rock areas use color and shape to establish distinct places, with towers and monster heads providing clear thematic focal points. Expression is sound, but unchanged music across additional routes limits their sonic differentiation and sustained atmospheric variety. | Reviewed | 6.7 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension A repeatedly restorable state and HOME suspension support segmented practice, with documented Wii Remote support making the usage conditions clear. Saving a new state replaces the old position. Existing owners can still experience the solo content, but new purchases are unavailable, so ownership and installation must be checked first. | Reviewed | 7.8 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Konami
- Publisher
- Konami
- Release date
- 2014
- Platforms
- Wii U
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Shooter · Primary genre
- Tags
- Third PersonReplayableFast-pacedLinear LevelsDodgeMain Story Under 10 HoursPlayer versus EnvironmentShooting3D GraphicsSolo-friendly
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- Side view
Release editions
- Wii UWorldwide2014
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided