Contra: Operation Galaga – A Overly Faithful Trip
image credit: KONAMI
Contra: Operation Galaga instantly reconnected me with the classic 2D run and gun shooters from the arcade heyday of my youth. While nostalgic, it also highlighted how little the Contra formula has truly evolved over the decades.
Contra Before and Now
Contra Operation Galaga is billed as a reimagining of the original Contra, but it’s much closer to a remake. You and a friend reprise the roles of the macho protagonists, blasting through familiar stages like the waterfall level, icy train ride, and even the sequence inside a massive alien organism – just like the 1987 original.
There are some new additions attempting to freshen up the experience. Fully voiced characters and cutscenes provide extra narrative context, new playable characters offer distinct abilities, and brand-new 2D levels replace the original’s dated 3D shooting galleries. However, Operation Galaga doesn’t always succeed with these new elements.
The story is the biggest misfire, marred by stilted writing, one-dimensional characters, and sluggish pacing as it explores its “Lemis” doomsday plot device. Lengthy, melodramatic dialogue sequences constantly interrupt the fast-paced action, including villainous monologues delivered mid-level that state the obvious.
Both the revamped classic stages and all-new levels at least deliver solid old-school run-and-gun gameplay. The reimagined alien organism level lives up to its gross, creepy legacy, while a fresh stage putting your team on hoverbikes getting chased by enemy gangs mixes things up enough to remain engaging.
New Game Updates
Ultimately though, you’re still just doing typical Contra stuff – dodging enemies while filling the screen with projectile fire as you run, jump, and dash through linear stages. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the formula, but veteran players can predict exactly how each level will unfold from the start.
More surprises and evolutionary gameplay changes would have been appreciated in a genre ripe for innovation.
Most of Contra’s classic gameplay remains intact, for better or worse. You’ll wield the traditional arsenal like machine guns and spread fire while battling aliens, human commandos, and massive bosses vulnerable to getting shot in their glaring weak points. Minor tweaks like new character moves to hover, grapple, and slide supplement the action.
Other refinements include a two-weapon system to swap load-outs on the fly, the ability to upgrade guns by collecting duplicates, and a weapon overload for temporary power boosts at the cost of discarding your armaments entirely. These help add slight strategic wrinkles to the old run-and-gun formula.
Contra 4’s arcade and challenge modes also return, allowing 4-player co-op runs and special scenario restrictions respectively. However, their novelty wears thin quickly since you’re still essentially just replaying the same 8 campaign levels under different constraints.
Contra: Operation Galaga ultimately plays it too safe as a straightforward revival of this classic run-and-gun shooter franchise. Its handful of new ideas and small tweaks provide fleeting fun for fans craving a dose of retro nostalgia. But with only a few hours of entertainment value and very little true innovation, this Galaga operation runs out of steam almost as quickly as it reminds you why Contra used to captivate your quarters at the arcade decades ago.
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