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For other uses, see Hard Corps (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Contra: Hard Corps or Hard Corps (organization).

Hard Corps: Uprising is a run-and-gun platformer video game developed by Arc System Works. It is a spin-off of the Contra series, a prequel to the original Contra, and a direct prequel to Contra: Hard Corps. The player plays the role of former Commonwealth soldier Bahamut alongside Krystal and other additional main characters via DLC. Kenji Yamamoto, the producer, stated that the intention was to make the Hard Corps series into a brand new franchise, hence the lack of the word "Contra" in the game's title. The game was available on Xbox Live Arcade on February 16, 2011 and on the PlayStation Network in March 2011.

Plot[]

In 2613, the world is ruled by an empire known as the Commonwealth under the reign of emperor Tiberius. Neighboring nations have suffered under the Commonwealth's oppression and resistance forces have risen across the land. However, so many resistance fighters have fallen to the overwhelming might of the Empire that their strength is now severely diminished. A group of elite soldiers rise through the ranks of the resistance and band together to execute a desperate plan. Various Tribes resisting the Commonwealth have elected an elite soldier within their Tribe to represent them. The leader of both the Union Tribe and group of soldiers banding together is the war hero Bahamut.

Characters[]

  • Bahamut: Once a soldier of the Commonwealth army, he turned on his comrades after witnessing an imperial squad execute innocent people. He shares his name with the antagonist from Contra: Hard Corps, but the producers have said he could actually be a entirely different character.
  • Krystal: A woman with seemingly no previous combat experience. However, after her hometown is attacked by imperial forces, she decides to join Bahamut. She wears an eye patch on her right eye and is one of the fastest characters in the game.
  • Harley Daniels: A bike-riding soldier sporting an extreme pompadour hairstyle. He has an extremely solid and confident personality, nothing can stop him as he loves to rock things up on the battlefields. He could be seen as the equivalent of Brad Fang from Contra: Hard Corps for having some design similarities (rockin' style, sunglasses, and confident personality).
  • Sayuri: A samurai who wears a kimono and sugegasa. She is extremely powerful compared to the other characters as she uses the best attributes from Bahamut and Krystal (Ninja jump) and has an overwhelming speed (Krystal). It is later revealed in the game that she is Tiberius's daughter and that her only motive was to take revenge on him for abandoning Sayuri and her mother. She can be a counterpart to Jaguar from Neo Contra since they are both samurais.
  • Leviathan: Bahamut's former friend and rival when he was still a member of the Commonwealth. He sets out to find out why his friend betrayed the Empire. He commands his own special mech known only as the Knight.
  • Dr. Geo Mandrake: An elite scientist forced to work for the Commonwealth, he works in a secret weapons research facility belonging to the Empire and joins forces with Bahamut in order to protect his wife and daughter from the tyranny of the Empire. He is held hostage in the capital laboratory (Stage 05) and has to be escorted to the exit.
  • Tiberius: The ruler of the Commonwealth calls himself the "Emperor" and has built his empire by invading neighboring nations. He organized his Death Squad to eradicate enemy armies. He is also revealed to be Sayuri's father through her story.

Gameplay[]

General gameplay resembles its predecessors, combining elements from various Contra titles. The game offers only two characters to choose from: Bahamut and Krystal. Harley, Sayuri and Leviathan are only playable via DLC (despite the former two only otherwise appearing in the game's opening cutscene). Each of the playable five characters also comes with six alternate outfit colors in addition to their default outfit, as well as their own set of default skills. The Health Bar from Contra: Hard Corps returns. Each character has their own default number of Health bars. Characters also have access to both Strafing and stationary aiming, as well as being able to perform a Dash for a quick burst of speed both on ground and in the air. When an enemy is hit, it creates a chain meter and as long as the meter lasts, each further hit enemy adds to the chain, resulting in more points earned. Taking enemy or hazard damage will result in losing the kill chain and losing the power-up weapon they currently are equipped. Each player can wield two different power-up weapons at a time, except Sayuri and Leviathan due to their preferred playstyle.

There are two types of game modes:

  • Arcade Mode is classic gameplay akin to other Contra titles, where one simply plays through all the levels from the start using the default skills a character has available.
  • Rising Mode converts Score into CP (Contra Points). CP can be used to purchase upgrades at the Shop to enhance a specific character, such as giving them more Health, effects, or maneuvers. Stage select is available, but only levels that have been unlocked. If a Game Over occurs, players have the choice to change upgrades before returning to battle, provided Continues are available.

A second player can join in on the game when selecting a character before entering a stage. In this game, it is possible for both players to play as the same character, though not as the same costume (likely out of confusion). If defeated, a second player can return by borrowing a spare life from the remaining player. Players start with 3 continues but as the game is played over time, more continues are added.

A screen in the main menu lists total amount of play time within stages as well as kill count. All of this plus any earned CP carries over should a Game Over occur. Online gameplay is also present, as well as an online leaderboard.

Stages[]

Mission Name Miniboss(es) Boss(es) Music
1 Desert Defense Wall
Spider Tank ×2
Lotus Wyrm Stage01_Active
Common_Boss_Mini
Common_Boss_Middle
2 Jungle Defense Wall
Morphing Copter
Knight Persica Stage02_Active
Common_Boss_Mini
Common_Boss_Middle
Stage02_Boss
3 Ruins - 573-Tigris
573-Draconis
Stage03_Active
Common_Boss_Middle
4 Capital Highway Tetranducker
Armored Vehicle
Lux Corona Stage04_Active
Common_Boss_Mini
Common_Boss_Middle
5 Capital Laboratory Laser Eye Celestial Imperator Stage05_Stealth
Stage05_Alert
Stage05_Active
Common_Boss_Middle
6 Capital Railway Train Smasher
Smoke Wrestler
Arachne Stage06_Active
Common_Boss_Mini
Common_Boss_Middle
7 Capital Tower Building Leviathan Knight Lunata
Cerberus
Stage07_Active
Stage07_Boss_Rival
Stage07_Boss
8 Battleship - Vitis Engine
Tiberius
Tiberius Augustus
Tiberius Invictus
Stage08_Active
Common_Boss_Mini
Common_Boss_Middle
Stage08_Boss
Stage08_Boss_Final

Development[]


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Soundtrack[]

Main article: Contra Chronicle Vol.1 coupling with Hard Corps: Uprising

The game's soundtrack was composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who is well known for composing musical scores in Guilty Gear and BlazBlue.

Gallery[]

Playable characters[]

Bosses[]

Screenshots[]

Miscellaneous[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the third game in the Contra series that does not contain the word "Contra" in its title, the other two being the NES game Super C and Operation C.
    • Furthermore, the word Contra is rarely used in this game at all, only appearing in certain instances relating to "Contra Points (CP)".
  • This is also the second Contra series game to not feature any sort of alien enemies at all, the first being Contra Force.
  • Some of the game's elements bear a few similarities to the Mega Man X series:
    • Sayuri's swordplay is similar to that of Zero.
    • Dashing is utilized in a similar manner, most notably in the midair dashing.
    • Before fighting a stage's main boss, the screen will flash a "WARNING" label with an accompanying voice.
  • The Extra Life Upgrades are all named Uprising **, where ** is an initial. All of the initials shown are initials of canon Contra titles (with the exception of Contra, which is considered the default lives option as Contra is the first canon game in the series). The order shown is from earliest to latest release date:

Related pages[]

  • Hard Corps: Uprising/List of Trophies & Achievements

External links[]

Hard Corps: Uprising
Organizations
Union Tribe
BahamutKrystalHarley DanielsSayuriDr. Geo Mandrake
Commonwealth
Lotus WyrmKnight Persica573-Tigris573-DraconisLux CoronaCelestial ImperatorArachne
Knight LunataCerberusVitis EngineTiberiusTiberius AugustusTiberius Invictus
Stages
DesertJungleRuinsCapital HighwayCapital LaboratoryCapital RailwayCapital Tower BuildingBattleship
Soundtrack
Contra Chronicle Vol.1 coupling with Hard Corps: Uprising
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