Contra: Rogue Corps
Developer(s)Toylogic
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)
  • Daichi Kurumiya
  • Nobuya Nakazato
Producer(s)Nobuya Nakazato
Designer(s)Katsuro Ouchi
Programmer(s)Katsufumi Fujimoto
Artist(s)Atsushi Yamaguchi
Writer(s)
  • Evan Dorkin
  • Sarah Dyer
Composer(s)
  • Takahiro Nishi
  • Takashi Okamoto
SeriesContra
Platform(s)
ReleaseSeptember 24, 2019
Genre(s)Run and gun, twin-stick shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Contra: Rogue Corps is a run and gun twin-stick shooter in the Contra series developed by Toylogic and published by Konami. It was released on September 24, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.[1][2][3]

Rogue Corps is set in the fictional Damned City two years after Contra III: The Alien Wars and Contra 4, featuring four playable characters and a wide degree of weapon customization. The game received generally mixed reviews upon release. It was criticized for its gameplay, graphics, and story, although praise fell toward its upgrade and customization system.

Gameplay

The gameplay utilizes a mixture of side-scrolling, third-person, isometric, and top-down perspective shooters, similar to Neo Contra.[4][5][6] The gameplay modes are single-player story campaign, multiplayer online cooperative, and four-player local cooperative (with separate Switch consoles[7]). It is based on player versus environment (PVE) gameplay, with dual analog controller sticks.[7]

Players configure a main weapon and sub-weapon in real time. These have unlimited ammunition, but also a heat meter to be managed. Between stages, weapons are upgraded and uniquely customized. As a last resort, the player can clear the area with a huge bomb or use the character's special ability.[4][8]

Plot

The story is set several years after that of Contra III: The Alien Wars, taking place in Damned City.[3][8] Due to the catastrophic events of the Alien Wars, Damned City has now become a post-apocalyptic environment that is home to "all sorts of strange artifacts and tech". The harsh environment causes incurable psychic damage to the minds of human beings, driving them insane. The city has a mysterious gate that unleashes hideous Fiends, attacking anything that is alive.

Players assume the roles of four former military mercs, scrappers, and bounty hunters who are known as the Jaegers:[2][4][7] Kaiser, a rebuilt cyborg from The Alien Wars; Ms. Harakiri, an assassin with a parasitic alien attached; The Gentleman, a well-cultured, highly intelligent alien bug; and Hungry Beast, a brilliantly scientific cyborg giant panda.[3][4] Naturally immune to the mind-destroying effects of the city, the Jaegers are humanity's hope against the threat of the Fiends.

Development

Contra: Rogue Corps was announced at E3 2019. The development of the game was overseen by veteran Contra series director and senior producer, Nobuya Nakazato, who also had been director, game designer, and artist of Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992) and Contra: Hard Corps (1994); and was producer and director of Contra: Shattered Soldier (2002) and more.[7] Nakazato wanted to capture the traditional spirit of the Contra series, while modernizing it for a new audience.[8]

Reception

Contra: Rogue Corps received "mixed or average" reviews on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and received "generally unfavorable" reviews on the Nintendo Switch, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[9][10][11] Mitchell Saltzman of IGN attended the E3 2019 preview, initially feeling "some strong initial whiplash" from the dramatic departure from the series' history and the lack of nostalgia. With its "solid foundation" of gameplay, he found "a respectable twin-stick shooter with good gunplay and the potential for a great time with four-player couch co-op". He praised the way the game rewards a player's thoughtful strategies with a "smart and fun dynamic where you'll need to juggle your main and sub-weapon regularly".[4]

Destructoid criticized the use of season pass downloadable content though "nothing of substance is being gated off", and noted that the overall reception by E3 attendees was "incredibly mixed".[14] Nintendo Life criticized its controls, graphics, and "bland" mission structure—while praising its complex upgrade and customization system.[12]

PlayStation LifeStyle's review of the game was more positive, stating that it "understands the appeal of revisiting gratuitous 90s cheese, but filters out all the tropes we’ve grown out of since. By injecting actual, creative humor instead of edgy cynicism or boring references, Contra: Rogue Corps really has a personality of its own despite most of the storytelling living in the background."[13]

References

  1. ↑ Bullard, Benjamin (June 11, 2019). "Gaming: Konami fires up the nostalgia with Contra: Rogue Corps; Xbox One says goodbye to older games; more". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (June 11, 2019). "Konami brings back Contra with Contra Rogue Corps". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Nunneley, Stephany (June 11, 2019). "Contra: Rogue Corps. coming to consoles and PC in September, Contra Anniversary Collection out today". VG24/7. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Saltzman, Mitchell (June 12, 2019). "Contra Rogue Corps Plays Nothing Like the Original – E3 2019". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Jagneaux, David (September 24, 2019). "Contra: Rogue Corps Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Barker, Sammy (September 24, 2019). "Review: Contra: Rogue Corps - Bargain Bin Isometric Shooter That's Easy to Forget". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Romano, Sal (June 11, 2019). "Contra: Rogue Corps announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Contra Rogue Corps Gameplay Walkthrough - IGN Live E3 2019. IGN. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019 – via YouTube.
  9. 1 2 "Contra: Rogue Corps for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Contra: Rogue Corps for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Contra: Rogue Corps for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  12. 1 2 O'Reilly, PJ (25 September 2019). "Contra: Rogue Corps Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Contra Rogue Corps Review - Cybernetic Pandamonium (PS4)". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2019-09-25. Archived from the original on 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
  14. ↑ Glagowski, Peter (19 August 2019). "(Update) Contra Rogue Corps is getting a season pass because of course it is". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
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