Contra Reforged
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux
Retro graphics, retro difficulty, and retro cheat codes.
But it's a 3D third-person shooter.
Use the keyboard/mouse ("WASD", "LMB", "Space") or gamepad ("LS", "RS", "LB", "RB") to control.
You don't need to aim very much because of the auto lock-on mechanism. Just jump and shoot.
Have fun. Tell me if you find any bugs since it's still in development.
options:
F1: toggle crt filter, F2: toggle lockon-beep, F11 : toggle fullscreen
The Contra series is Konami's property, please use it properly.
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This game has many shortcomings and I see little against it, and I am going to leave you my evaluations of a player who has been playing first against for many years.
Mainly the first problem that I see for him to be a con is his jump, the character usually does a pirouette and his jumps are quite high, in this case I find a character who if he manages to make a good jump I would be grateful, since his height It is quite low and in places that it seems that one can reach, I end up dying not to reach the area.
Another problem is the enemies, since when does a standard enemy last 2 to 3 shots against you? That only happens with those that are mechanized, not with normal soldiers or snipers.
Then the level design needs to be more worked on, since sometimes you don't know exactly which path to take, I will have died on several occasions because I didn't know if I had to jump on one platform or another.
Another thing is the distance of the enemies in front of you, why do the enemies have infinite shooting distance, but your character has a limited distance? That is very overwhelming when the enemies shoot at you without you being able to do anything, and in an area where there are many shots on screen, becomes real torture.
Another is the enemies, why can't the enemies be seen correctly? Sometimes I don't know where a grenadier is attacking me because it blends into the color of the background and it's torture to look for them. In the end it's constant trial and error. unjustifiably for this reason, it would be good if the enemies (the soldiers) had a somewhat lighter color that would make them visible without any problem as happens in the original contra, who do not camouflage themselves.
Finally, the trees, why do you put something that blocks the view if it doesn't even have a hitbox so that you can protect yourself or the enemies can't attack you? I don't know how many times I have died because hey, someone has shot while I was close to one of the trees and the shooting does not stop, when it should since it is a lot of trees.
I will follow the project to see the improvements, since I think it can improve a lot and this is the beginning, but if you are going to call it Contra, at least it has a real essence and not only in the graphic aspect which is where I generally see Contra , and perhaps in the enemies' attacks, but the rest, mechanically, is far from really resembling the NES Contra, enemies that can withstand more than one hit, limitation of shots against enemies that do not have said limitation, but you do have that limitation, evil hidden enemies that you cannot see thanks to their colors that make it difficult to identify...
In short, it is mostly a criticism that I hope will help you improve certain aspects of the game, I will follow the project to see the improvements and that it becomes more similar, apart from aesthetics.
Greetings
I appreciate your honesty.Let me try to answer some of your questions.
First,the spin jump and improved enemy visibility are already in the plans.
Enemies having longer range than players is intended to encourage players to charge forward, just like in the original version, rather than playing as snipers.
You shouldn't trust the forest too much. Remember how enemies in the original version used to ambush players from the forest? The forest favors the enemies :)
And most importantly, you will die many times when you first run,just like in the good old days :)
I prioritize the gameplay experience, and since this is a 2D to 3D remake, many original mechanics may be adjusted.
Again, thank you very much for your sincere and detailed feedback.
Hello, good evening.
I'm glad to hear that the rotary jump and the improved visibility, especially the second thing that seems more important to me.
I understand that position, I have used to shoot forward quite a few times where I have pulled a bit of shooting scraping as much as possible to avoid a massive attack for several francs.
About the forest, I know that some enemies attack there, especially snipers tend to use it in the first level for example, but I think that should be a way to make, for example, an enemy appear in that place and shoot trying to kill us in Instead of it being something traversable, and that enemies, like the sniper that we can find before the first turret, could be somewhat annoying, just like a grenadier who, being hidden in the undergrowth, instead of being able to see something of his figure, until I managed to advance a little further, it was impossible for me to know where the grenades were coming from, becoming something too aggressive.
That would be correct but normally, in adventures like Contra, the first level is more to show what you have, and in later levels is when the difficulty of the game begins, since the first level, since I was little, I managed to pass to the second or third time the first level, here I have had about 20 or 30 attempts, if not counting more, and I have not managed to see the final enemy since among the jumps that, as I mentioned, are sometimes not well marked, as if because they are suddenly, something more worthy of a bullet hell, something that Contra at this point is not usually at least in the first installment (if we go to the Megadrive one, if I remember that it is something Bullet Hell), since 3 turrets, several enemies snipers, a couple of grenadiers, and the enemies who spam until the turret is defeated, it becomes hell that even if you push forward, it is quite likely that you will end up taking a few hits.
And I agree with that, currently your project stands out a lot visually, graphically it is very well implemented, and the sounds, such as music taken from the original game, are great, and mechanically you can see the intention, and that is why I want to continue your project closely since I would like to see the progress and be able to test it since enjoying the first Contra in 3D seems most interesting to me.
Greetings and I am glad that you have taken my comments into account, I will be happy to see your updates.
you need to add the circular jump instead of the regular bunny hop jump you have to be truly a contra
Alright, the winner for the jump animation has been decided.
Do you think a true Contra game needs some exploding bridges? :)
Windows7 x64 runs ok. But what about to add alpha to the trees sprites?
Glad to hear that. Alpha wouldn't help much, unless make a real 3d model for them, in my opinion.
Should be on PS1. :-)
Good idea :)
Разработчик, игра офигенная! У меня была денди и сега в своё время, но я бы хотел чтобы в игре были точки сохранения. Хотя бы перед боссом. Я хочу пройти эту игру, но я не хочу потратить на это пол жизни.
Ещё замечание - Я не мог понять куда идти на начальном уровне, пока не посмотрел видео. Тот выступ, на который надо прыгнуть - очень не примечательный, и не выглядит как то место, куда стоит пойти. Дальше 1 уровня я пока не проходил.
Developer, the game is awesome! I had a dandy and a sega in my time, but I would like to have save points in the game. At least in front of the boss. I want to complete this game, but I don't want to spend half my life on it.
Another note - I couldn't figure out where to go at the initial level until I watched the video. The ledge to jump on is very unremarkable, and does not look like the place to go. I haven't gone beyond level 1 yet.
Thanks for the feedback.
I think you need to be a little patient to familiarize yourself with the levels, just like the good old days haha. I even brought back cheat codes in order to save you time.
Yes, I'm sorry, I wasn't patient. Before going to bed, I tried again, and passed 1 level at a time)
Да ладно, я сразу въехал, куда прыгнуть.
I would like if I use the joystick to have automatic sights and be able to choose who to shoot at.
Like Dark Souls? That might not be a good idea since you need to switch targets frequently.
If you connect the joystick at the same time you want to use the keyboard, the keyboard stops responding correctly
Controller support still lacks testing. I'll look into this issue later. Thanks for the feedback.
Like many PlayStation 1 games, there is a target that automatically targets the closest enemy and you can also switch to different targets with a button.
Fantastic! Thank you for Linux support!
My pleasure. since it is power by Godot.
What a great game please keep working on it! Add menus unless im missing something?
Thanks. I have made some progress. but still not menu yet :)
that's ok I heard about this on YouTube from Madlittlepixel , this is like a lost N64 title!
Made a video
Whoa, it looks like the hardware performance couldn't meet the game's requirements, causing the frame rate to be extremely unstable, sorry, the game hasn't been tested on various platforms yet.
although the video is still very fun.
Even as a prototype, this is already great fun. It reminds me a lot of Returnal; fast firing, rapid movement and tons of enemy projectiles to dodge. And of course it's also a great throwback to games like PS1 and N64 Duke Nukem games (while controlling quite a bit better, even in this early state!)
Would love to see this developed further; I could absolutely see it evolving into its own unique retro-styled third person action game that goes beyond the Contra inspiration.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your wise and kind words.
I really liked the prototype and it really deserved a full version. The game manages to maintain the nostalgia, the sound effects and the 2D assets, but it transports very well to the 3D world. Of course, it needs some fixes, like the platform walls that have no collision and the jump that doesn't have the game's physics or animation, but everything looks very good. Excellent work.
I enjoy seeing how different players approach the game and offer suggestions. Excellent showcase, thank you.
I love the look of this! What engine did you use? Obviously, looks like Doom to me, but I don't know anything. Also, reminds me of War Final Assault for arcade
Thanks! I made it using the Godot engine. The arcade game you mentioned looks really cool and quite rare. Actually, the inspiration for this project came from PSX-era action games like Armored Core and Duke Nukem.
Oh yeah, I love this game and I'd love to see a 3D version of the giant "alien statue" at the top of the waterfall.
You turned Contra's "charge" into "finding the boss in the maze." Although the game system is not perfect and lacks some content, it is a good start. There used to be some 2D-3D design works, but they all stopped development in the end, such as Turrican3D, Power Blazer3D, ThunderJaws-3D, etc., which is a pity. I hope the author doesn't give up on this project.
I don’t know if the author wants to recreate the “bad third-person version of PSX Contra”, or turn this game into a refreshing “Duke Nukem Mod” in the future. Because after 3D, you have to consider bullets from all directions and the protagonist. As well as attacks on the blind spots of the player's vision. (Ambush around the corner) The enemy building and defense systems in the game must also be designed to make common sense rather than a confusing heap. This is a test of design. Enemies appearing out of nowhere also need to be changed. Because the enemies in Contra do not appear out of thin air in the player's field of vision, but appear outside the screen.
I hope the author keeps up the good work and you've got a great start.
Yeah, “giant alien bosses in 3D” are one of the motivations behind this project.
I didn't know there were so many abandoned 2D to 3D projects. It's really unfortunate even though such projects are quite challenging. It's difficult enough to design effective 3D levels, let alone make sure the final product preserves the original's aesthetic. You are disassembling and reassembling these 2D classics in 3D, which made them legendary in their day. You have to make difficult choices during this process to get rid of some of the original components, like the jump flip that many players are attached to :) It will also introduce some new components, something like the sudden appearance of enemies that you mentioned. to make sure the game is still enjoyable.
I'm just doing this project for fun, and I'm not sure how far it will go. But I promise to at least create a huge alien boss :)
No matter what, I'm very grateful for your suggestions.
This is really cool! Really nails the Contra aesthetic. One thing I'd recommend is removing/replacing the footstep sounds. They're very loud and feel out of place.
Also, you mention it has "retro cheat codes". I assume that's the Konami Code which is a very cool touch. Where do you input it though? I couldn't figure it out!
Oh, hello! I've been watching your YouTube channel for a long time, So glad to see your comment here.
I’ve always wanted to make the game closer to the original atmosphere. Thank you for the suggestion!
You can enter the Konami Code(↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A ) any time before the scene loads. If successful, you'll hear an extra life sound effect. However, be careful: if the last two digits of the cheat code are entered in reverse order,you'll hear a death sound effect insted, and the game will enter an easter egg mode.
Glad you like the channel! I'm actually planning on getting a video of this game up there. Do you have any plans to alter the footstep FX? If you do, then I'll wait for that build (if not I can just cover this one).
Also I still can't figure out the Konami code thing! What buttons are you using for B and A? And are you using the arrow keys to input up, down, left and right, or are you using WASD? I'm intrigued about the easter egg mode now! :)
Really? Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
The adjustment of the footsteps FX is already planned. It may take a long time though. I've received a lot of good suggestions, and after addressing them all, I'll release the next version along with the second level.
For cheat codes, they need to be converted to the actual game function keys (WWSSADAD JUMP SHOOT).
The Easter egg is a signature action of Contra, but it's "odd" in a third-person shooter:)
Haha! That was wonderfully ridiculous! Awesome work! :)
Thanks so much!