Classic Games

Contra

30 lives to save the world

Konami's run-and-gun classic defined cooperative action and immortalised the Konami Code.

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Overview

Contra was designed to eat quarters. The arcade original killed players with ruthless efficiency—one hit and you’re dead. The NES version brought that intensity home, but also brought salvation: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA. The Konami Code granted 30 lives, transforming impossible into achievable. Generations of players owe their memories of beating Contra to those ten button presses.

Fast facts

  • Developer: Konami.
  • Release: February 1987 (arcade), February 1988 (NES).
  • Platform: Arcade, NES; European versions titled Gryzor or Probotector.
  • Players: 1-2 simultaneous—designed for cooperation.
  • The Code: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA at the title screen grants 30 lives.
  • One-hit kills: every bullet, every enemy contact means death.

The action

Contra played fast and furious:

  • Eight-way shooting: aim in any direction while moving.
  • Power-ups: spread gun, laser, fireball—transforming your effectiveness.
  • Lose weapon on death: dying reverted to the basic rifle.
  • Co-op: two players meant twice the firepower and half the screen space.

The variety

Each stage offered distinct challenges:

  • Side-scrolling stages: classic run-and-gun through jungle and snow.
  • Base stages: pseudo-3D perspective, advancing through corridors.
  • Boss battles: massive screen-filling enemies requiring pattern recognition.

The variety prevented monotony—just as one style grew familiar, the game changed.

The Code

Programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto originally added the code to test Gradius—it made his job easier. When Contra shipped with the same cheat, granting 30 lives instead of 3, players discovered it through magazines and playgrounds. The sequence became gaming’s most famous secret.

European versions

European releases had to deal with German censorship:

  • Probotector: human characters replaced with robots.
  • Same gameplay: mechanics unchanged despite cosmetic differences.
  • Collector interest: robot versions now sought by collectors.

Legacy

Contra established cooperative gaming as a mainstream experience. The difficulty taught patience and pattern recognition. The Code taught that secrets exist, that games have hidden layers. And the memory of finally beating it—with or without 30 lives—stays with everyone who did it.

See also