- For other uses, see Hard Corps (disambiguation).
- Not to be confused with Hard Corps: Uprising or Hard Corps (organization).
Contra: Hard Corps is a side-scrolling run-and-gun platformer style video game released by Konami for the Sega Genesis in North America and South Korea in 1994. It was also released for the Mega Drive as Contra: The Hard Corps (魂斗羅 ザ・ハードコア Kontora Za Hādo Koa?) in Japan, and as Probotector in Europe and Australia.
It was the first and only game in the Contra series released for a Sega platform, and serves as the first entry of the "Hard Corps" subseries within the Contra franchise.
Plot[]
Set in 2641 A.D., five years after the "Alien Wars". Alien cells kept at a military research facility are stolen in a terrorist attack. The Contra Hard Corps, comprised of Ray Poward, Sheena Etranzi, Brad Fang and Browny, are assigned to the investigation. They discover that retired Colonel Bahamut is implicated and that he has conspired with Dr. Geo Mandrake to create a biological weapon using the stolen alien cells as a form of leverage to overthrow the present government. Through their efforts, the Hard Corps manage to thwart Bahamut's plans and restore peace once more.
Characters[]
Protagonists[]
Ray Poward |
A blond-haired, blue-eyed male soldier. Born and raised among the filth and pestilence of the city's slum, Ray at one time was the leader of a bunch of rowdy, delinquent youths. Recruited by the Hard Corps for his unsurpassed combat skills and superb instincts, his cool exterior hides a burning lust for battle. Ray is a central figure in the Hard Corps. |
---|---|
Sheena Etranzi |
A blond-haired, blue-eyed female soldier. A fierce warrior whose abilities go far beyond those suggested by her appearance. Especially skilled in guerrilla tactics, in jungle combat she alone is said to be the equal of an entire squad. |
Brad Fang |
A wolf-like humanoid who wears shades, a bullet strap over his left shoulder and sports cybernetic arms with a battling gun on the left one. The ultimate fighter - created using the latest in genetic engineering and cyborg technology. Always calm and collected, he is well-trusted by the members of the force. He is best at close range, hand-to-hand combat. |
Browny |
A small-sized combat robot. Officially known as CX-1-DA300 Combat Robot, the members of the force refer to him as "Browny" because of his warm personality. His ability to link up with numerous data systems makes him an unsurpassed intelligence tool. What he lacks in height, he makes up with the ability to hover in mid-air. |
Character | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ray Poward |
Vulcan Laser |
Crash |
Spread |
Homing |
|
Sheena Etranzi |
Genocide Vulcan |
Shower Crash |
Break Laser |
Ax Laser |
|
Brad Fang |
Beast Shooter |
Power Punch |
Flame Thrower |
Psychic Blaster |
Tallest height No homing weapon Strongest arsenal |
Browny |
Victory Laser |
Gemini Scatter |
E.M. Yo-Yo |
Shield Chaser |
Shortest height Can double jump Can hover |
Antagonists[]
Colonel Bahamut |
The primary antagonist of the game. A hero of the Alien Wars, he planned and failed to overthrow the government in a coup d'état two years ago. He went into hiding until now, where he re-attempts at overthrowing the government by stealing the alien cells and making biological weapons. Depending on the choices made, Bahamut takes on a different form depending on the path the player takes. In one path, he even offers the player to side with him in ruling the world. |
---|---|
Deadeye Joe |
An evil terrorist who has had most of his body converted to cyborg parts. Combat is his only source of pleasure. A truly dangerous character. He mans a variety of machines when confronting the Hard Corps. |
Noiman Cascade |
A skilled hacker who infiltrated the military's computers. He will do anything to put a stop to the Hard Corps. He uses virtual reality as his primary stage for conducting his attacks, in which he takes on several forms. |
Dr. Geo Mandrake |
A genius working in the military's genetic engineering labs. He was apparently involved in the development of biological weapons during the Alien Wars. It is revealed that he is an ally of Colonel Bahamut. He suffers a terrible fate by his own creation in the game. |
Other characters[]
Commander Doyle |
The leader of the Hard Corps. He provides the team's mission objective at the start of the game. |
---|---|
Air Police |
A friendly pilot who patrols the skies with his aircraft. May help out our heroes twice during the adventure, depending on the route taken. |
Mysterious Character |
A character that is found on the roof in the Junkyard. He offers the team the opportunity to try their luck in the Battle Arena. |
Script[]
- Main article: Contra: Hard Corps/Script
Gameplay[]
The game follows its predecessor, Contra III: The Alien Wars, in many aspects, but also introduces several new gameplay mechanics, including:
- Although Contra Force is technically the first game that allows the player to choose other characters, Contra: Hard Corps is the first legitimate Contra game that allows the player to select their character at the start of the game, as well as when they use a Continue. Identical players cannot be chosen.
- Player characters have four main weapon slots. These generally range from a standard machine guns, homing missiles, grenade launchers, etc., with a fifth slot reserved for bombs.
- Every character has their own particular weaponry, with variations of the same type of weapons for different characters or all new ways of firing.
- Characters come with a sliding move which renders them temporarily invincible. In addition, certain characters have special moves particular to them (like the ability to hover).
- The game is story-driven and there are multiple paths the player can take; these are generally chosen by taking a decision at the end of certain stages. Depending on the paths taken throughout the game, a different ending will be awarded.
- The game is distinct in having dialogue in the form of mission briefings and exchanges between characters. This was not typically common in Contra games, which were usually only gameplay-oriented (although the Famicom version of Contra had cutscenes between levels that told the game's storyline).
- Autofire returns and the weapons are represented with mini-blimps.
- The game provides 5 Continues (4 in the European version).
- If a 1-player game is selected, a second player can join in at any time available. (Unlike other Contra titles, which must have the 2-player option selected first before a partner can join in anytime).
- The game does not have top-view stages but replaces them with other events or missions, such as running toward the screen while being chased by a giant robot, or riding on different vehicles whether it is on land, sea or air.
Stages[]
Internal # | Route # | Name | Minibosses | Boss |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 A/B/C/D | City Battle | Four-legged Robot Maximum Jumbo |
Powered Ninja Murasame |
2 | 2 C/D | High Speed Fight | Highway Spider Small Battleship |
High Mobility Tracking Robot |
3 | 2 A/B | Air Combat | Small Tank Wonderbird Rocket Ninja |
Huge Robot |
4 | 3 | Junkyard | Dustman | Noiman Cascade (Zodiac Constellations, Square Terror) |
5 | 4 | Jungle | Miyao Kappa Evil Snowman |
Long Hand Guy |
6 | 5 | Trap | Monster Genesis Machine | Fukinsheen |
7 | 6A | Military Train | Pulley Gunner Bros. Final Count Gun |
Super Power Robot Yokozuna |
8 | 6B | Sea Struggle | N/A | Takedda Robot |
9 | 7B | Missile | Gymnastics Soldier Team Colonel Bahamut Deadeye Joe Alien Cell Rocket Worm |
Alien Mounted Missile |
10 | 6C | Alien Space | Gebolien Java Kimkoh |
Mother Alien Alien Heart |
11 | 7A | Big Battle | Crab the Joe Doctor Spider |
Bahamut Overdrive |
12 | 6D | Space Station | Mach 777 | Big Magnum |
13 | Secret | Battle Arena | N/A | Simondo Belmont Psycho Mother Huge Face |
Stage Flowchart | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City Battle | |||||||
Rescue the Research Center Air Combat |
Go after Deadeye Joe High Speed Fight | ||||||
Junkyard | |||||||
Jungle | Hidden Area Battle Arena |
Jungle | |||||
Trap | Secret Ending | Trap | |||||
Surrender and fight later Military Train |
Fight to the end Sea Struggle |
Fight to the end Alien Space |
Surrender and fight later Space Station | ||||
Big Battle | Missile | C Route Ending | D Route Ending | ||||
A Route Ending | Refuse! B Route Ending |
Agree Bad Ending |
Regional differences[]
The Japanese version of the game includes a health bar with 3 HP, infinite Continues, and cheat codes. All this was removed from both the American and European versions, making the game considerably more difficult.
The Japanese version also included expanded dialogue between characters that gave a slight insight over each character's personalities. This dialogue would even further alter during a two-player game; after Player 1 speaks their character exclusive line, Player 2 will speak a co-op exclusive accompanying support line that also varies by character chosen. In all other versions of the game, all players share the same dialogue, although dialogue is still slightly altered during a co-op game.[1]
The European version, Probotector, has support for multiple languages in the Options menu.
Notes[]
- In Stage 3, just before breaking the first door, it is possible to climb up the wall and reach a secret screen. In it, the player will meet the Mysterious Character, who will ask if they want to fight in the Battle Arena. Saying "Yes" will have the player entering a small boss rush course consisting of three special minibosses, one of which who resembles both Simon Belmont from the Castlevania series (also by Konami) and Masato Shimon.
- After all three bosses have been defeated, the game will end and the player will be awarded a secret special ending.
- In Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX, the top-view stages (Stage 2 and 5) from the original Super NES game were replaced with two stages from Contra: Hard Corps: the Military Train and Big Battle.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Promotional artwork[]
Other[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The subtitle "Hard Corps" is a play on words that sounds as "hardcore".
- The Huge Robot boss appears on the American cover artwork of this game.
- In the European Probotector version, leftover humanoid faces from the original version of the game can briefly be seen when switching between characters in the Select Player screen, with Ray's face being the most recognizable.
- If choosing the options "Rescue the research center" and "Fight to the end", before the final boss, Colonel Bahamut will invite the player to side with him. If they agree, a bad ending will be awarded. This ending was censored in the European version of the game, Probotector.
- Unlike other Contra titles, if a character falls into a bottomless pit immediately after respawning, they won't lose a life and instead the invulnerability time will reset. This exploit can sometimes prove useful in certain stages with difficult bosses (like the Missile stage, for example).
- Contra: Hard Corps pays homage to the Castlevania series (also by Konami) in the ending of the Big Battle stage, where the Hard Corps can be seen staring at Bahamut's base –which resembles a castle– crumbling in the distance, similar to the iconic ending scene featured in most Castlevania games.
- A handful of leftover debug options are located within the game. Some can be accessible using cheats:
- When the game is paused, holding C on controller 2 makes the PAUSE letters vanish.
- At the Game Over and final Score screens, a mobile formation of stars appears in the background. This pattern can be controlled with a controller in the Player 2 port.
- A Test level can be accessed that also allows players to read all the text dialogue in the game.[2]
- Inputting a certain code in the Japanese version will activate a special controller option in-game: When the game is paused, pressing Up on controller 2 will move forward the game by one frame (meaning multiple presses allows for the game to be played in slow motion).
- Several bosses seem to be inspired by the 1982 science fiction horror film The Thing by John Carpenter.
- In a Konami mashup advertisement (see above image), Probotector is being promoted but displays non-Probotector gameplay. What makes this more curious is the screenshots themselves, which display possible early development gameplay. Noteworthy is Ray's Spread Gun is located in Slot A, replacing Slot C with the Laser Sheena would normally have in in her Slot C in the final builds. Furthermore, Ray's Health Bar extends far greater than three Hit Points and is also resized, accommodating up to eight Hit Points total.
- In a similar fashion, the "Electronic Gaming Monthly Issue 060 (July 1994)" magazine also displays similar pre-release screenshots of the game, but with some showing Ray strangely having an empty Health gauge while continuing to move and attack as normal.[3]
- In the aforementioned magazine issue, the magazine's cover refers to the game as Contra 5 (likely meant that this was the fifth Contra game on a home console to be released).
Related pages[]
Related products[]
- Contra III: The Alien Wars - Previous installment in the Contra series and frequently referred to throughout the Hard Corps subseries.
- Contra: Legacy of War - Sequel to this game (not part of the official timeline) developed by Appaloosa Interactive and which marks the return of Ray (although set in an alternate continuity).
- C: The Contra Adventure - Sequel to Legacy of War (not part of the official timeline), also featuring Ray as the main protagonist.
- Hard Corps: Uprising - Spin-off prequel to Contra: Hard Corps.
- Legend of Game Music ~Consumer Box~ - Contains music tracks from the game.
- Contra: Hard Corps - Vinyl soundtrack from the game.
References[]
- ↑ Contra: The Hard Corps script (Japanese)
- ↑ Contra: Hard Corps | Debug Room at The Cutting Room Floor.
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, Issue 060 (July 1994), pages 122 and 124 at Internet Archive.
External links[]
- Contra: Hard Corps – 1994 Developer Commentary at shmuplations
- GameFAQs
- MobyGames