Contra 1987

About

Contra (also known as Gryzor in Oceania and Europe), is a 1987 run and gun action game developed and published by Konami originally released as a coin-operated arcade game on February 20, 1987. The game had multiple ports, including for various computer formats. Several Contra sequels were produced following the original game.

Story

In Contra, the player controls one of two armed military commandos named Bill "Mad Dog" Rizer and Lance "Scorpion" Bean, who are sent on a mission to neutralize a terrorist group called the Red Falcon Organization that is planning to take over the Earth. Details of the game's setting varies between supplementary materials: the Japanese versions sets the game in the year 2633 on the fictional "Galuga archipelago" near New Zealand, whereas the manual for the American NES version sets the game during the present in an unnamed South American island. The American storyline also changes the identity of "Red Falcon" from being the name of a terrorist organization to the name of an alien entity.

What is happening now

Contra is the foundational 1987 arcade shooter-platformer that defined run-and-gun gameplay, blending rapid weapon-switching with precise platforming across alien-infested landscapes. Players navigate tight corridors and open stages while managing an arsenal of upgradeable guns, establishing conventions that would influence decades of action game design. The classic remains culturally relevant as a reference point for contemporary developers. Recent indie releases have explicitly drawn from Contra's template, combining its fast 2D action framework with modern design trends like roguelite progression and cooperative multiplayer, proving the core appeal of its straightforward mechanical clarity continues to resonate.