Pure side-scrolling action games, also known as run-and-gun shooters, are few and far between these days. Sure, you’ve got anomalies like Alien Hominid and they put out a new Metal Slug every once in a while, but it’s nothing compared to the early 90s when the genre practically defined video games, both in arcades and at home. Even the Contra series, one of the founding fathers of run-and-gun shooters, has recently diverged from its origins with games like Neo Contra. So it comes as quite a relief to me that I can tell you that Contra 4 for the DS is an straightforward, old-school action game that absolutely lives up to the series’ legacy.

The story, as in all Contra games, is simple: aliens are invading our planet. Sure, there’s a little more to it than that, with an organization known as Black Viper playing a role in orchestrating everything. But honestly, who plays Contra for the storyline? The game doesn’t even really pay attention to the series’ story — you can choose between the characters from the Japanese version (Bill and Lance) or their American counterparts (Mad Dog and Scorpion) as if they’re separate characters instead of just name changes that got introduced during the localization of the original NES Contra. Long story short (no pun intended), Contra 4’s storyline is unnecessary filler. All you need to know is that you’re heavily armed, and there are legions of bad guys between you and victory.

 
Contra 4 begins like a good Contra should: you, dropping from a helicopter, firearm at the ready.

Actually, strike that — you don’t start out heavily armed, you start out with the same crappy gun you’ve started with in every Contra. But before long you’ll be using a variety of deadly weaponry, including lasers, flamethrowers, and the ever-popular Spread Gun. Two weapons can be carried at any given time and switched between on the fly, and can even be leveled up for more destructive power. Some strategy is thrown into the equation as you are allowed to keep a weapon after you die, but only if it wasn’t equipped at the time of your death. This forces the player to make some interesting choices, like not using your best gun during especially difficult sections so you’ll still have it when you get to the stage boss.

Because you will die — frequently. Contra 4 doesn’t come from the new school of game design thought, where games are made to be as accessible as possible. No, Contra has its roots firmly in the old school, when games were genuinely challenging and every inch of the level you explored was a hard-won victory. Although they don’t do much thinking, the hundreds of enemies in each stage are ingeniously placed within each perfectly-designed level so that they have the best possible chance to kill you. Hidden turrets that pop out of the ground right in front of you? Check. Guards on pieces of land that are barely big enough to stand on, meaning that you’ve got to take them out between the time you jump and the time you land? Check. Giant flying machines that can and will destroy the very ground you’re standing on? Check. And that’s just the first level. While there may only be nine levels in Contra 4, and each one can be beaten in maybe 15, 20 minutes tops, don’t think for a second that this is a game you can breeze through in an afternoon — not even close. These stages must be attempted time and again, until each pixel of the environment and each random enemy soldier is firmly rooted in your memory, and only then will you have a chance at making it through alive. Even the game’s Easy setting, which has fewer enemies and gives you fully upgraded versions of every gun you collect, is harder than 90% of modern-day games — and when you get to the end, the game laughs at you for not being able to play on a harder setting. Some people will be frustrated, but Contra 4 is never unfair. It’s simply a product born out of a time when video games didn’t coddle their players, and defeating a game was a genuine accomplishment.

 
Expect to be assaulted from all directions, constantly and consistently.

Like most features of Contra 4, the visuals are decidedly retro; sprite-based characters, enemies, and environments look like some long-lost Super Nintendo title. That’s not a bad thing at all, though; smooth animations and great pixel artwork show you every detail of this futuristic, war-torn battlefield. Even the game’s music is a throwback to that classic era, not just in terms of quality but also of style. Simply put, game music doesn’t sound like this anymore, and games are worse off for that fact. Series fans will also recognize songs from previous series entries, although they are new arrangements of those classic tunes. Contra 4 also uses sound effects from previous games in the series, so every gunshot and death scream will sound just like they should.

Flaws? Yes, of course, no game is perfect. First and foremost, the difficulty is going to turn a lot of players off immediately. And while the game makes great use of the DS’s two screens (levels span vertically as often as they do horizontally, and a new grappling hook mechanic makes traversing skyward as painless as possible), enemies and bullets get lost in the dead space between the two screens all too often. It’s one thing to die because you didn’t get out of the way in time; it’s quite another to die because you couldn’t get out of the way in time, because you had no idea there was a soldier headed your way. Also, while two-player mode is fun, and sort of the way these games are meant to be played, the fact that you can’t do single-card multiplayer is pretty lame.

 
See that bullet, about to enter the dead space between the two screens?

But forget all that. Contra 4 is so intense, frantic, chaotic, and fun that it’ll make you wonder why they don’t make more games like this anymore. With so much to do here (did I mention the fact that, since this is Contra’s 20^th anniversary, they’ve packed the cart with everything from interviews, a series retrospective, and perfect NES ports of both Contra and Super C?), this game will keep you busy for a long time. Contra 4 will take you back to a time when games didn’t need complex combos, hidden areas, and 50 million things to collect. It’ll remind you that sometimes, all you need for a good time is a couple of commandos, a Spread Gun, and a horde of aliens to shoot.

Gameplay: 9.1
This is 2D, run-and-gun gameplay hone to a razor’s edge. Contra 4 will test your skills and your reflexes in a way they haven’t been tested in years. While the game is tough as nails, it controls so beautifully and plays so smoothly that you’ll keep coming back, despite the punishment it continues to send your way.

Graphics: 8.5
While they’re simple by today’s standards, the 2D sprite-based graphics seen here certainly do the trick. Your character animates beautifully, and while the enemies might not look quite as good (or as unique — the majority of enemies are visual clones), they’ll be dead too soon for it to matter. The game’s environments have so much depth, detail, and retro charm that they might distract you long enough to get you killed.

Sound: 8.4
While it may not be the most technically advanced soundtrack you’ve ever heard, the combination of new arrangements of classic Contra songs and new tunes that are just as good make for one of the best soundtracks on the DS. Sound effects are taken straight from previous titles in the series, but that’s not a bad thing.

Difficulty: Hard
Like, super hard. You’ll probably struggle just to get through the game on Easy, only to have the game laugh at you. Normal is a formidable challenge, and Hard mode? Good luck getting past the first level.

Concept: 8.7
Forget updating the formula, this is what Contra fans have been wanting for years: a true follow-up to Contra III, with all the difficulty, retro design decisions, and flashing weak points that that entails.

Overall: 8.9
This game is absolutely not for everybody. Most gamers brought up on the cushy, forgiving action games of the last decade will probably feel like somebody slapped them in the face the first time they play it. But for the right sort of person, that slap in the face is exactly what they’ve been craving. Contra 4 presents some of the best, most hardcore run-and-gun shooting action on the DS, and is a breath of fresh, alien-blood-scented air for the system, and gaming in general.