Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct was full of new releases that are on the horizon, including both highly-anticipated first-party titles and newly announced third-party games. As evident in the Direct, Contra appears to be making a comeback with the upcoming Contra: Rogue Corps.
In line with the Contra Anniversary Collection, which was announced last month and includes the majority of games in the Contra series, Contra: Rogue Corps was announced during Nintendo's much-anticipated E3 2019 Direct. Looking to take the series in a new direction, the trailer for Contra: Rogue Corps reminded viewers that one of the biggest reasons for Contra's appeal is its non-stop action.
The trailer provides a brief overview of the characters available in Contra: Rogue Corps, each with different weapons and abilities. It also provides multiple gameplay clips, illustrating its differences from previous Contra installments while maintaining the franchise's signature style of nearly endless armies of enemies engaging the player only to be duly defeated.
At the beginning of the trailer, it is revealed that the game takes place in the Damned City which has a "crazed" population. The first thing to notice about Contra: Rogue Corps is its 3D style of gameplay. Traditionally, the Contra games have been 2D side-scrollers in which the player fires away at waves of enemies. In Contra: Rogue Corps, the player seemingly traverses a 3D environment with the same objective in mind.
Additionally, there are four main characters in the game. The known playable characters include Kaiser, who is the protagonist of past Contra games and is described as a "headcase." There is also Hungry Beast who looks like a panda but is said to be a cyborg and wields heavy weapons. The third character is Ms. Harakiri, who merged with an "alien gutbucket" to then attack enemies with missiles and other weapons. Finally, there is the bug known as Gentleman who can seemingly lob spherical items at enemies.
Beyond this gameplay footage and story details of the characters, perhaps seeking loot in the Damned City instead of saving humanity, there is a multiplayer component announced for at least the Switch version. There is said to be both local and online multiplayer, though each player must have a Switch device and a copy of Contra: Rogue Corps to participate in multiplayer.
The trailer is unquestionably action-packed and seems to have overwhelming bosses in the style of classic Contra, which is considered one of the hardest video games of all-time. It also seems to contain a reference to a Terminator-like boss from Contra III: The Alien Wars.
This announcement is very likely to stir fan nostalgia. The Contra series made a comeback in China a few years, so it was perhaps a matter of time before the U.S., and other countries, would be in the middle of a Contra revival.
Contra: Rogue Corps is scheduled for release September 24, 2019 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Source: YouTube, Konami - Contra: Rogue Corps
