I don’t know why, but Konami tends to announce brand new games with little to no fanfare, almost covertly, during Nintendo’s Directs. Well, when those games aren’t called Silent Hill, that is. Contra: Operation Galuga just showed up for a millisecond during a reveal reel, almost as if the company was afraid to unveil it. I get that Contra: Rogue Corps was poorly received (I didn’t find it to be that bad, but I get I’m in the minority), but when you’re publishing a remake of the 1987 original, developed by the acclaimed folks at WayForward, you should showcase some semblance of confidence. Most importantly, because the game is actually really good.

In essence, Contra: Operation Galuga (look at those initials, it reads “OG”) is a remake of the 1987 classic, with a bit more meat, but without losing its arcade vibes and overall retro appeal. It’s so loyal to its origins, it’s not even a twin-stick shooter, which would have been a perfect fit for it. You aim and move with the left analog stick, just like how you used to aim and run with a d-pad a whopping 37 years ago. There a few improvements that make this game more accessible to modern players, however.

Old school Contra was super fun, but also obscenely unfair. It was a bit glitchy. No room for a single mistake. One hit, you’re dead. You can play with one-hit-kill rules in Operation Galuga if you’re that much of a purist, or lunatic. But if you’re a newcomer, or someone just wanting to enjoy a high-quality run-and-gun platformer, you can add a (small) health bar to your character. You can carry two weapons at once. There’s the possibility of overloading your weapons, destroying them in the process, but allowing them to perform a temporary perk, such as a drone barrage, a shield, or slowing down time.

At the end of each level, you also acquire credits which can be spent on perks. Such perks range from starting a level with new weapons, or even more health. I’m not gonna lie I was a bit weirded out with this credit system when I first booted up the game. I was greeted with a “thank you” message and was given 1000 credits. Immediately, I worried Contra: Operation Galuga had microtransactions. Don’t worry, that is not the case. It’s just a small incentive to let you buy a better, beefier perk right from the getgo.

Contra: Operation Galuga‘s story mode is pretty damn short. It only lasts for about an hour, maybe two if you keep dying a lot. As a result, Konami and WayForward had to figure out a way to make this game be replayable enough, as it’s not exactly being sold for a budget pricetag. Complete the main campaign once, and you’ll unlock a handful of new characters to play as. Each character in the game has some exclusive lines of dialogue, as well as a few exclusive special moves, effectively incentivizing you to experiment with them.

There is also a challenge mode, and an arcade mode, which let you tinker with perks with more depth. The more credits you earn, the more perks you can obtain. Add in co-op, and what you have here is the closest to a pure remake of classic arcade Contra. Of course, the improved presentation is also a plus.

I wasn’t exactly amazed by Operation Galuga‘s graphics and sound department, but at the same time, they didn’t feel like issues or hindrances. It was all competent. Quite decent, in fact. The fact its framerate is always kept at a rock-solid 60fps is way more important, in my opinion. I could be plastering the screen with homing missiles and explosions, and performance wouldn’t budge. Regarding the sound department, the music is basically comprised of tunes from the 1987 original, rearranged with new instrumentations. I am not going to say I prefer them over the classic 8-bit tunes, but they were still quite good. I was also impressed with the voice acting. There was quite a lot of it, and it was actually quite good.

Contra: Operation Galuga is not a long or groundbreaking title, but after the poor reception generated by its predecessor, a simple return to form for the franchise was the ideal way to go. It retains the gameplay loop, challenge and adrenaline from old school Contra, with a series of gameplay, accessibility, replayability, and quality of life improvements. If you want to relive some hair-pulling traumas from your past, you can play this game with the same challenging rules from 1987. If you want to have some fun and find out why Contra is so revered, but you value your sanity, you can play the short-but-replayable campaign with perks and quality of life improvements. In short, there’s just enough for every kind of player.

Graphics: 7.0 Not exactly a marvelous display in terms of graphics, but it looks decent enough, all whilst maintaining a rock-solid framerate.	Gameplay: 8.5 Even if I think that this game should have been a twin-stick 2D shooter, the controls are fluid and responsive. It’s basically old school Contra, just adapted to a new coat of paint with some much needed quality of life improvements.
Sound: 7.5 Rearranged renditions of classic Contra tunes. They do not sound as intense as they used to, but are still quite good. The voice acting is also quite decent.	Fun Factor: 8.0 This is not groundbreaking nor very long, but it’s fun. It retains the gameplay loop, challenge and adrenaline from old school Contra, but modernized. It’s also very replayable, mitigating its short length.
Final Verdict: 8.0

Contra: Operation Galuga is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch.

Reviewed on PS5.

A copy of Contra: Operation Galuga was provided by the publisher.