History VideoGame / Contra

* WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture: It's the 27th century lasers (and in later years other energy weapons) have become an increasingly important part of the human arsenal as tankbusters and a great counter for especially tough units. This is especially prevalent in ''Contra Returns'' where most of the best weapons are energy weapons and many of the more exotic firearms had their physical bullets replaced with energy bolts.

* ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]'' (Platform/WiiWare, developed by Creator/{{M2}})

* SuperSpecialMove: Shows up in ''Super Contra'', Bill and Lance have a limited number of these "weapon crash" attacks where they [[PowerFloats levitate up]] and then face the 4th wall screen while DualWielding whatever guns they have. They then proceed to rapidly hose the screen with their guns (especially devastating with powerful weapons like Lasers and Crush missiles.

** In Japan, ''Contra 4'' is known as ''Contra: '''D'''ual '''S'''pirits''.

* AutomaticCrossbow: ''Contra Returns'' has a weapon category called Bows. None of these are traditional bows, intead they're rapid-fire crossbows that have a decent firing rate and a somewhat decent ammo capacity. Unfortunately they enter the AwesomeButImpractical territory because of their awful reloading time.

* WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture: It's the 27th century lasers (and in later years other energy weapons) have become an increasingly important part of the human arsenal as tankbusters and a great counter for especially tough units.

* ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]'' (UsefulNotes/WiiWare, developed by Creator/{{M2}})

** ''Contra Tournament'' is a cookie-cutter BattleRoyaleGame, as a ''Videogame/PlayerunknownsBattlegrounds'' clone than a proper ''Contra'' game. It has the names, locations, and weapons from ''Contra'', however.

* ReformulatedGame: The [[UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} MSX2]] port features a LifeMeter, Bill Rizer only, a Rear Gun instead of a Spread Gun, ten additional levels, the Vital Alien Organ PostFinalBoss, and no continues.

** Bill Rizer and Lance Bean themselves look like [[LawyerFriendlyCameo lawyer-friendly cameos]] or outright [[{{Expy}} Expies]] of Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger and Creator/SylvesterStallone respectively. The Internet further highlighted this resemblance with videos like "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xco-UqhNEw8 Contra: The Movie]]" or what a ''Contra'' movie would look like if Hollywood made one in the 1980s.

** The soundtrack for Alien Wars lists Stage 3's name as [[VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}} Neo Kobe Steel Factory]]. The level also ends with a fight against several skeletal robots resembling Snatchers (and [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} Terminators]] by proxy).

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the Sega Genesis version of ''Probotector'' (''Contra: Hard Corps''), Dr. Mandrake did not betray the ''Probotector'', and was removed from other scenes he was supposed to be in after the first stage split. Colonel Bahamut is also replaced by an unnamed alien who has a pyramid for his head.

* BittersweetEnding: Two endings in ''Contra: Hard Corps'', which are only achieved in the routes where you kill Deadeye Joe after the first encounter.
** '''Alien Cell Ending''': You have finally destroyed the Alien Cell and single-handedly stopped the alien mutation before it spreads to humanity. However, Colonel Bahamut escaped. Still, you'll still stand to oppose him the next time he rises, and at the very least, you pretty much wrecked his current plans (using the Alien Cell) that he cannot rise again ''THAT'' quick.
** '''Big Magnum Ending''': You destroyed Bahamut in his space station headquarters. However, it counts as a HeroicSacrifice as you do not get out alive from space. Not to mention, the warning shot from Bahamut damages a portion of Earth, but you ensure that none of those will happen again, even if you die in process. The people of Earth reward you with a golden statue of yourself to remember your deeds and sacrifice.

* BullyingADragon: In Stage 3 of ''Hard Corps'', you end up walking on the neck to the head of a brontosaurus. It won't hurt you unless you purposely attack its snout (either by shooting it or sliding through it), in which case it will sneeze out an energy blast that kills you in one hit. Even if you're playing the Japanese version, where you can take three hits before dying, the sneeze will [[OneHitKill instantly deplete all of your life bars.]] [[PressXToDie Attack that brontosaurus at your own peril.]]

* CerebusSyndrome: ''Hard Corps'' start out as being LighterAndSofter than ''III: Alien Wars'', with the main threat being a group of human terrorists wanting to conquer the world as opposed to the aliens, and the fights are often [[DenserAndWackier fun and over-the-top]] (an example is a boss fight that resembles the Seven Force). Choose the path where it is set in "Alien Space" though and things go for a dark turn (with the tone resembling that of ''Alien Wars''); enemy soldiers are injected with an alien embryo and they violently mutate into a bipedal alien (that eat each other on collision), the scenery slowly transition from an installation to alien-like (the walls start to feature alien faces) until it assimilates completely into an alien hive, enemies include grotesque-looking aliens, and having a menacing and creepy final boss.

* CombiningMecha: One of the stages in ''Hard Corps'' has an aeroplane robot, a sea-urchin robot and a dolphin robot as the minibosses. After the three get their asses handed to them (and escape), they merge together to form a large running robot, a robot bird, and a robot-tank hybrid respectively before attempting to merge one last time and exploding spectacularly instead.

* CrosshairAware: Inverted in ''Hard Corps''. One of the bosses places a crosshair on the ground before firing a lot of explosives into the air... seconds later, the explosives land, and blow up the entire place ''except'' the crosshair.

* CutsceneIncompetence: Actually ''optional'' in ''Hard Corps''. At one point [[spoiler: [[MadScientist the Doctor]]]] tells you that the situation is hopeless and you must surrender, what with the thirteen [[{{Mooks}} regular soldiers]] with their guns trained on you. You may choose to surrender or fight it out (granted, if you do fight it out, you end up fighting completely different enemies).

* DeathThrows: Browny from ''Hard Corps'' falls off the screen when killed.

* DerangedAnimation: The larger bosses in ''Hard Corps'' are made up of multiple sprites put together to create the illusion of more fluid movement. Sometimes this works, like with Big Blue Bucket O' Bolts. But sometimes this means they have absolutely bizarre movements, like the Wrecker or the CombiningMecha.

** The Japanese version of ''Contra: Hard Corps'' had a life meter with allowed three hits before dying. This was removed in other regions without otherwise modifying the difficulty, leading many to regard this as the hardest game in the series.

* DragonTheirFeet: One of the possible path in ''Hard Corps'' has the player fighting against Colonel Bahamut in the second to last level. The last level features Deadeye Joe, who doesn't seem to care that his boss is dead. Unfortunately for him, he's really easy for a Contra mini-boss.

* EpicFail: In ''Hard Corps'', the second stage features an airship in the distance launching a bunch of airborne mooks at you for a little bit. It's destroyed when it abruptly crashes into a sky rise building.

* HeroicSacrifice: In one of the story branches in ''Hard Corps'' Colonel Bahamut uses the Alien Cell to power an orbital cannon on a SpaceElevator, and your head after him. Destroying the cannon causes the entire top of the elevator to explode, and you perish along with it. The ending screen shows a memorial statue for your character.

* KarmaHoudini: In one of the endings of ''Hard Corps'', [[BigBad Colonel Bahamut]] ends up escaping on a helicopter into the sunset after the destruction of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Alien Cell]]. Subverted, because his master plan hinged on that Alien Cell, but you destroyed it, so your action pretty much diminishes his chance of being a threat in the future.

** ''Contra: Hard Corps'' includes in its sound test a BGM titled "Jurassic Dope." This tune is played in only two areas of the game. One is nothing but a very brief dialogue sequence. The other instance is a second dialogue sequence, this one with a whopping one dialogue box. The tune itself is a minute and a half in length. Unless you're an extremely slow reader, you won't be hearing the whole thing in-game.

* MixAndMatchCritters: One fight in ''Hard Corps'' is against a series of enemies from the previous stage combined in a machine. [[HelpfulMook One of them turns out to be a harmless walking flower that drops some powerups, then leaves.]]

* MultipleEndings:
** ''Contra: Hard Corps'' has five possible endings depending on the character's choices in the game (including a joke ending).
** In ''Shattered Soldier'' and ''Neo Contra'', the type of ending you receive depends on how well you play (i.e. continues used, number of lives lost, and non-respawning targets destroyed in each stage).

* PunBasedTitle: ''Contra: Hard Corps'' is a play on the word "hardcore".

* RouteBoss: ''Hard Corps'' on the Sega Genesis does this extensively, being a BossGame. After fighting the first stage boss, you're presented with a choice to either pursue them or ignore them to provide backup to a research station being attacked, both of which have their own boss fight. Later on, in the fourth stage, your player gets caught in an ambush, and you can choose to either surrender peacefully or fight back. What makes this stand out is that both choices end up influencing the final stage route, alongside what FinalBoss and ending you get. Spoilers ahead:
** Save Research Station + Fight Back: [[spoiler: The team takes an overseas route to Colonel Bahamut's base, and his defeat in battle causes him to launch a missile containing the Alien Cell he stole. This prompts the team to destroy the missile before it can detonate. The FinalBoss is a mutated Alien Cell.]]
** Save Research Station + Surrender: [[spoiler: The team is detained aboard one of Bahamut's trains, but Deadeye Joe (the boss from Stage 1) busts you out, wanting a proper fight. The team infiltrates the base, prompting Bahamut to inject himself with the Alien Cell as the final boss [[BodyHorror (and it doesn't end well for him)]].]]
** Pursue Deadeye Joe + Fight Back: [[spoiler: The Alien Cell goes out of control and engulfs Bahamut's base, prompting a small EnemyMine between them as they move to kill the Alien Cell. Bahamut manages to escape in the commotion.]]
** Pursue Deadeye Joe + Surrender: [[spoiler: Bahamut uses the Alien Cell to create Big Magnum, a powerful superweapon positioned high above the Earth. The team destroys the weapon, which also [[HeroicSacrifice takes their lives when the weapon detonates.]] The team is awarded post-humous medals of bravery for their deeds.]]

* SchrodingersGun:
** In ''Hard Corps'', [[BigBad Colonel Bahamut's]] plan for the [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Alien Cell]] depends on which path you take through the game. [[spoiler: Either he wants to use it to power a KillSat, turn it into a bio-weapon, [[FusionDance merge with it]], or load it on a missile and launch it into civilization.]]
** From the same game, Bahamut's base is either right next to your current location, a train ride away in the jungle, or a boat ride away on an island.

* StoryBranching: In ''Contra: Hard Corps'', at the end of the first stage you have the choice of either going after Deadeye Joe or saving the alien cell. At this point, the only impact it has on the game is the second stage (which depends on the choice you make) and whether or not Deadeye Joe appears at the end of the fourth stage. Afterwards, you have the choice of surrendering or fighting to the end. This choice, along with the choice at the beginning of the game, determines how the plot unfolds for the rest of the game. Also, there's a secret story path that doesn't regard the first decision, and it is hidden in the third stage.

* TraintopBattle:
** ''Contra: Hard Corps'' has a stage taking place on a military train, featuring two mid-boss battles and culminating in a fight with Powered Ninja Yokozuna, all on its roof.
** ''Contra: Shattered Soldier'' has a level that involves chasing a train down on motorcycles, attacking the weaponized caboose, and heading to the engine. At which point the Yokozuna Jr. mecha attacks the train, leaving the player to wonder why our OneHitPointWonder heroes had to bother.

* TheUnfought: One of four main story paths in ''Contra: Hard Corps'' ends with an outbreak of alien organic matter, providing a distraction for the main antagonist, Colonel Bahamut, to escape to fight another day.
%%** Chief Salamander in ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]''. {{Justified|Trope}} for plot twisting reasons.

* VillainExitStageLeft: Bahamut does this in one of the endings of ''Hard Corps''. [[spoiler: Lance Bean]] does this when you first meet him in ''Shattered Soldier'' and Master Contra does this as well in ''Neo''.

* WeCanRuleTogether: In one of the paths, Colonel Bahamut asks you to join him in ''Contra: Hard Corps''. Choose "Yes" will net you a NonstandardGameOver ending where your character becomes his top enforcer. Choosing "No", in which player refuses, will start a BossBattle instead. In Probotector, you instead fight Colonel Bahamut who never asked you to join him in the European version.

* WorthyOpponent: [[TheRival Deadeye Joe]] considers the player this in ''Hard Corps'', to the point that in one route, [[spoiler: he breaks the player out of their cell and gives them back your/their weapons so that he can be the one to defeat you.]]

* ''Contra: Hard Corps'' (Genesis)

* ''Contra: Operation Galuga'' (Nintendo Switch/[=PS4=]/[=PS5=]/Xbox One/Xbox Series/Steam, a reimagining of the original game developed by Wayforward Technologies).

* ''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' (SNES/GB, released as ''Contra Advanced: The Alien Wars EX'' on the GBA, ''Super Probotector: Alien Rebels'' in European languages, with added elements from ''Hard Corps''.)

%%* CloningBlues: [[spoiler: Bill Rizer]] in ''Neo Contra''.

** The BoardGameAdapatation produced by Blacklist Games includes Anastasia and Dmitri from ''Battle Masters'' as support characters for those who pre-ordered the game.

* GuestFighter: ''Contra Returns'' allows you to play as the ComicBook/GreenArrow, [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} a T-800, and John Connor]].
* GuideDangIt: ''Contra 3'' has top-down shooting stages where you can rotate your character to aim. What the game doesn't tell you is that you can double tap L or R to rotate faster. This seemingly useless maneuver is ''extremely'' useful against the boss of Stage 5 on Hard difficulty when he starts to spin your character uncontrollably-- double tapping rotating against the way the boss is forcing the player to spin will make aiming at the boss weakspot much less troublesome.
* HappyEndingOverride: All those Alien Wars you've been fighting throughout the entire series? As of ''Contra: Shattered Soldier'', [[spoiler: it turns out that the war was all part of a GovernmentConspiracy known as the Triumvirate, and that Lance had uncovered the truth by accident. After Bill was thought to have murdered his partner Lance and destroyed 80% of the world's population, Lance returns as a notorious terrorist leader trying to overthrow the Triumvirate and is the DiscOneFinalBoss of the game]].

** If you beat ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]'' on the Normal difficulty or higher, you'll get a scene after the credits revealing that [[spoiler: Plissken was Chief Salamander, the game's BigBad, all along, and it's implied that BR-W9 makes a FaceHeelTurn as well (that, or Plissken makes a HeelFaceTurn)]].

* ThemeNaming: [[spoiler: The members of the Triumvirate in ''Shattered Soldier'' (Gaius, Nero and Commodus) are named after three of the most infamous Roman emperors (you may know Gaius better as [[TheCaligula Caligula]])]].
* TimedMission:

%%* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler: Mystery G in ''Neo Contra''. Subverted because he was the ''true'' Bill Rizer all along]].
%%* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler: Bill Rizer and Lance Bean. Lucia too was a friend of Bill]].
%%* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Lance Bean in ''Shattered Soldier'']].

* WhatNowEnding: At the end of ''Contra Force'', [[spoiler: Fox is still missing, and Burns suspects someone is stalking him]].

--->'''CONGRATULATIONS!'''
--->'''YOU'VE DESTROYED THE VILE RED'''
--->'''FALCON AND SAVED THE UNIVERSE.'''
--->'''CONSIDER YOURSELF A HERO.'''

* ''Contra: Operation Galuga'' (Nintendo Switch/[=PS4=]/[=PS5=]/Xbox One/Xbox Series/Steam, a reimagining of the original game (developed by Wayforward Technologies).

* ''Contra: Operation Galuga'' (Nintendo Switch/[=PS4=]/[=PS5=]/Xbox One/Xbox Series/Steam, a reimagining of the original game, developed by Wayforward Technologies)

%%* CraniumRide: You can do that a in some sections in ''Contra'' ''[=ReBirth=]''.

%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: ''[[spoiler:Winning]]'' in the Amstrad CPC version.

%%* FlashOfPain: From ''Contra III'' onward.

%%* SmartBomb:

On April 19, 2017 a live-action film was [[http://chinafilminsider.com/classic-1987-arcade-game-contra-set-become-movie announced,]] and was scheduled to be released in 2019, a date it missed. Its current status is unknown. The WebVideo/NintendoDirect of September 14th, 2023 announced that Contra would recieve a VideoGameRemake developed by Creator/WayforwardTechnologies for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, ''Contra: Operation Galuga'', in early 2024.

** Downplayed in ''Shattered Soldier''. There are segments like standard Contra of running and gunning through grunts, but even then, most of your time is spent fighting mini-bosses and bosses.

On April 19, 2017 a live-action film was [[http://chinafilminsider.com/classic-1987-arcade-game-contra-set-become-movie announced,]] and was scheduled to be released in 2019, a date it missed. Its current status is unknown. The WebVideo/NintendoDirect of September 14th, 2023 announced that Contra would recieve a VideoGameRemake for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, ''Contra: Operation Galuga'', in early 2024.