Collection essentials #118: Contra: Hard Corps

And here’s Konami with another series I’m very fond of now on the Genesis. Contra and Super C on the NES set an excellent standard for run ‘n gun action. Now, I really like Contra: Hard Corps and it has an awful lot going for it, but at the same time I feel that the game is a bit tragic. This SHOULD be the best game in the whole series, but there are flaws that hold it back a little bit from getting that title for me.

But first, allow me to describe the game and what’s great about it, because there’s plenty to say on that front. First of all, this game really cranks it up when it comes to graphics and audio. Contra on the NES is no match for how this game looks and sounds. The game boasts a killer upbeat soundtrack that really complements the action, and I even like to listen to music from this game while I’m out jogging! There are four different playable characters now, each of which has their own unique set of weapons they can acquire, which is super cool and provides lots of gameplay variety and replay value. And you’ll get even MORE replay value from the fact that this game has branching paths. This game has a bit more of a story than other Contra games, and between levels stuff will happen and you have to make a choice about which bad guys you want to pursue. There’s also a new slide move introduced here, in which your character slides forward on the ground for a split second, covering a little distance and being completely invulnerable when doing so, making it a very effective dodging tool. I love stuff like that in action games!

So why do I NOT think Contra: Hard Corps is the undisputed greatest Contra game? Well, the main thing is, I think some of the game leans a little too much into trial-and-error difficulty and could have been designed better. For example, there is one particular boss in the game that you’ll be fighting, and then you see a crosshair appear on the screen. Ask ANY experienced gamer what a crosshair means, and they’ll tell you that it means “the spot where someone’s about to shoot”. So you avoid the crosshair, right? WRONG. The crosshair marks the SAFE ZONE, and the boss will rain havoc on everywhere else on the screen. There are a lot of little annoying things like that in Hard Corps. 

Another issue with this game, in my opinion, is a lack of six-button controller support. The original Sega Genesis controller had only four buttons and a d-pad, which eventually turned out not to be enough for some games, so Sega later introduced the six-button controller to remedy this problem. The controller was already out by the time Hard Corps hit shelves, but like a lot of developers for the Genesis, they lazily chose not to do anything with it. The main reason this is an issue for me is bombs. The previous Contra game (which is on a different console that I haven’t gotten to yet) introduced bombs like you’d find in a shoot ‘em up, a limited-stock item that you can deploy when you’re in big trouble, and the entire screen will take damage while your character is invincible for a second, perfect for when you’re in a real pinch. Because of the lack of buttons on the Genesis controller, you have to actually select bombs individually as if they were a separate weapon, which is super clunky and inconvenient. WHY could they not have had their own button on a six-button controller?? It would have been nice for sliding to have its own separate button, too.

It’s also worth noting that this American release of Hard Corps was made very hard. The original Japanese version gave your character three HP per life. This time it’s ONE, so any hit kills you. And on top of that, there’s no longer infinite continues. They don’t even give you an easy mode nor a cheat code for more lives as compensation. It’s still not unbeatable, but it’s really tough and that could turn some people off. It’s worth noting, though, that you can play this game in the Contra: Anniversary Collection for modern platforms, INCLUDING the Japanese version! You won’t understand the story of course, but that’s not at all why you play this game in the first place.

Contra: Hard Corps is still a wonderful game that I have a lot of affection for, despite the bit of disappointment over what easily could have been but was not to be. It’s still a great and absolutely essential game.