Contra: Operation Galuga is Developer Fan-Fiction (Review)

[@OmKol]

Adding two cents into this - Extreme Mode is one of the worst additional modes I've ever played. It has more enemies which is okay but also it increases bosses HP so much so you have to see same cycles of attacks 10-20 times depending on which weapon you have! It makes a long clear even longer and it feels boring and lame. Also since it's locked and you have to grind a lot for this mode it makes this mode especially disappointing.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Poor omkol suffering to report back from the front lines of this game ha

[@Yzozer]

Грайнд чтобы открыть новый режим грайнда - гениально. Мне кажется, что эта Контра действительно изначально планировалась для мобилок. Это объясняет и унылые дизайн с музыкой, и "магазин" с завышенными ценами.

[@1000MEGASHOCK]

Maybe the high HP was them trying to force you to use the weapon swapping trick? On the other difficulties it just seems like an exploit that isn't accounted for in the design. It's baffling that a developer would repurpose an unintended exploit from a previous game as an intended mechanic without attempting to balance it, but maybe that's WayForward's style. Mechanics for the sake of references. 😂

[@Beuzer0]

We need a port of Hard Corps Uprising.

[@TexasHollowEarth]

Yeah and Shattered Soldier. Both of those are badass.

[@garlicbread1107]

Its shocking they haven't done that, then again this is the same Konami that didn't include Castlevania Rebirth and Contra Rebirth in their respective collections

[@EdgardR.]

​@@garlicbread1107konami owns it?

[@garlicbread1107]

@@EdgardR. Castlevania and Contra Rebirth? yeah they own it hell they're even selling the music of those games. Or are you talking about Contra Hard Corps Uprising? Because its likely they own it

[@EdgardR.]

​@@garlicbread1107Hard Corps Uprising is Contra? Didn't know that

[@MotWhinnana]

There's an idea that I've been kicking around in my head lately that there's a trend with people in AA and AAA game development not actually liking playing games in the traditional sense. It's not fully thought out yet, but the gist of what I mean is that they look back at games in the past and don't like them, see issues they want to change, etc. and there's a disconnect between "classic" game design and what these people "newer" to games want out of games. That disconnect just leads to poorly thought out "solutions" to things that were already refined by developers in the past. Now I know that in the arcade days there were lots of great developers who admitted to not liking games, never being into them, or even never playing them until joining a company like Taito or Namco, so I'm not saying "not liking games" is a bad thing, but the position of "not being into games" didn't mean they chose to fundamentally change how certain styles of game were played, it just meant that they tried to think about designing the game for people who did enjoy that style of game. Here there is an attempt at that for speedrunning I guess, but that's just as niche as designing games for superplayers. The core concept of the game design starts from an incorrect assumption about who the player is in the first place because the developer isn't, again, a game player in the "traditional" sense. it's not about being a good or bad player, but someone who just enjoys actively playing a certain style of game, and I don't think most people put in charge of designing newer games in classic arcade and 16-bit genres really care that much for the genres as they are. That's sort of why indie devs that are fans of certain specific games can make more enjoyable games, even if they're highly flawed design wise, because they're still trying to approach development as someone who "likes playing games."

[@n2oshotandironman]

I think you're hitting the nail right on the head there.

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Tl;dr

[@mrhobs]

@HighLanderPonyYT Ts;dr

[@crawlingamongthestars3736]

@HighLanderPonyYT Learn to read.

[@wolvertox311]

@@HighLanderPonyYTbarely literate spotted

[@MrFuggleGuggle]

WayForward lost most of their design and art talent to Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight) years ago.

[@geminijinxies7258]

The switch to the Unity engine haven't helped either. Especially on the Nintendo Switch where their latest games haven't been running great.

[@viewtifuljoe99]

So here's a fun tidbit I just came across. The director of this game was interviewed on this week's Kit & Krysta podcast, and the first reference he mentions for inspiration is Elden Ring and Dark Souls.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Hi viewtiful! So that reference is both funny and makes no sense lol. I m not even sure how this game could be compared to dark souls.

[@viewtifuljoe99]

@TheElectricUnderground Yeah it was an immediate head turner hearing that! It had to do with the way they added the perk system and how they designed the difficulty with the casual players in mind but still, I don't think he mentioned any other run n guns or arcade games besides the contra series.

[@josh7559]

Very disappointing how the same developer behind Contra 4 could go on to make something this underwhelming. That game made pretty smart use of the vertical space created by having a second screen with its enemy placement, even if you could cheese some of them with the same homing weapon that's in Operation Galuga

[@jsr734]

That is precisely what i hated about Contra 4, the vertical oriented stages with fisically segmented screens. I don´t know if it only happens to me, but for me, its very difficult to put my attention to some bullets being shot to me in the lower screen and at the same time having to track a bullet that comes in hiding while travelling towards you from the upper screen. Is a shame because graphically the game looks good. May be in my next life, when i´m reincarnated into a chameleon i can finally enjoy Contra 4 on the Nintendo DS.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, but one thing to keep in mind that contra 4 was made in 2007, so even though the company name of Wayforward is the same, it is highly unlikely that the dev team between the two games is the same. I'd love to hear what the contra 4 devs think about operation contra ha.

[@perlichtman1562]

@@TheElectricUndergroundI mean there’s a number of people that worked on both, especially in the higher level positions. Voldi Way (“Tyrannical Overlord” for both), Matt Bozon (Creative Director on one and Director on the other), Chris Watson (Producer on one and Executive Producer on the other) and Robert Koshak (Technical Director on one and Lead Programmer on the other) for example all had senior positions on both. There’s significantly more overlap at the top on the direction, production, design and programming fronts than on the visual and music side, so the gameplay choices can’t be chalked up to staffing changes alone. But in terms of it not looking or sounding similar? Yeah, the staffing (along with the choice to go with a polygonal as opposed to pixel art style) definitely has more to do with that side.

[@moon_orbit]

I didn't like Contra 4 so much tbh. I actually did hate the split screen. Deaths feel cheap because I couldn't follow a random bullet or enemy from the other screen.

[@Olagfigh]

@@TheElectricUnderground You even didn't do any research. KZbinrs these days... Here is what Contra 4 director and co-producer Tomm Hulett thinks about their next Contra: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epvNZpiHZ7iAaLs&ab_channel=MekelKasanova Tomm Hulett and Matt Bozon were both directors for Operation Galuga and for Contra 4. Terrible, man. Just find some normal job, you are bad in reviews.

[@doudoune8035]

Just a quick note about the credits of games in general. It is hugely misleading. I worked on an idie game where we were about 10 people working on the game, but the credits feels like we were a couple thousands. It is because we had to credit every person of every sub-group of every branch of every company who remotely had something to do with stuff like marketing, localisation, producers and whatnot. But really, we were mostly 2 main guys, then 4 other important members later on in the production, and maybe 10 total for the final crunch.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Something like that must be going on ha, because it's crazy how many people are in the credits ha. Yeah I can see that happening here, but ironically by bloating the credits wayforward makes the game look worse, not better ha. I do suspect that a good deal of people did work on the game in some kind of tangential fashion though, but I can see that the actual legwork of the design just came down to a few people feeling a lot of pressure.

[@ShinDMitsuki]

Are you part of Berzerk Studio with Laach? If so yeah I saw some of the games being made on Twitch before!

[@matheuskiskissian]

I thought you were being harsh on a 10 dollar game, then I looked it up and it's 35 dollars... damn...

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I know right! It does look like a cheap mobile game. Then you see the staff size and price tag ... it's wild.

[@Squalid]

This isn't just a review, this is a game design class!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thank you very much my dude!!! :-) Yes, I like to use reviews as an opportunity to discuss game design more in depth in a real tangible context, rather than just abstractly.

[@GaryHodgesDVSM]

Really happy to see all the Shattered Soldier mentions - everyone wrote it off as just another shitty 3D Contra and I strongly feel it's one of the series' best games - maybe even top 3.

[@zajicapp]

I loved Shattered Soldier and 100% completed. My 2nd favorite Contra behind Hard Corps

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Oh yes Shattered Soldier goes so hard, I love that game. I was playing it for some footage and to check some stuff for the review, and ended up playing it way more than I needed to, just for the joy of it. I'm def gonna play the game some more and maybe do like a contra series vid or something.

[@SeekerLight73]

TOTALLY AGREE

[@GaryHodgesDVSM]

Would love to see that@@TheElectricUnderground !

[@johnnyappleseed8127]

@John-PaulHunt-wy7lfIt looks better than shattered soldier and Uprising looked like a Japanese anime. It didn’t look like a Contra game. They are both good games but shattered soldier it felt like you fought more bosses than anything, I like Neo better than shattered soldier. In Neo Contra the story was way out there. Remember the talking dog? I feel like it’s a civil war here with Contra fans. The game is good but of course others have their opinions but then you have others who have hive minds so whoever they are invested in they just automatically share the same opinion as what someone else says without even playing the game or playing the game with their mind already made up to dislike the game. The average scores for this game has been mostly 7 or 8’s depending on the critic. It’s a positive rating on Steam as well.

[@rensten4893]

That's the second ding on Wayforward as a company. They dropped the ball on making Advance Wars Remake for Nintendo. Same issues too. The assets were generic for a game all known for personality, they have no record of game in a tactical strategy setting and while the character models they created look good, the game bombed with fans since the online is a joke and the creator is way too small. Looks like they took on too many projects and stretched themselves thin.

[@otterdonnelly9959]

The second? WayForward has been a mixed bag since they existed. For every Shantae, Bloodstained or River City Girls or Ducktales Remastered are 5 subpar games

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Everything they made on the vita was really bad too

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@fillerbunnyninjashark271They made PS Vita games?

[@TrixTrix228]

@@Nathan-rb3qp Silent Hills fans keep ignoring it but Wayforward were the ones responsible for Book of Memories

[@ralfvanbogaert3451]

Double Dragon Neon is also quite bad. It's production values are good but the gameplay is terrible.

[@TheSamuraiGoomba]

One of the main ways Metal Slug games punish stepping is with the ammo system. So yeah, you can step those games and many people do, but you'll be doing that with a pistol and probably external autofire. Imagine if the HMG or Enemy Chaser had infinite ammo. And the older Contra games punish stepping with relentless enemy spawns in front and rear. So you can step in Super C level 1, but you better be ready for the waves of enemies rushing at you from all directions. The idea is to push you forward by letting you realize that staying still isn't getting you anywhere, because the enemies aren't stopping.

[@MURD3RWAVE]

Mark. Developer fan fiction is pretty damn clever. That can explain so many series revivals that fall face first and come and go with a wimper. I felt this way playing that newer TMNT and Double Dragon Gaiden. They feel hollow and misunderstood by the devs. The games look and play boring and yet they missed the little things that make the old school versions classics.

[@magicjohnson3121]

First I thought when I saw the trailer for Double Dragon Gaiden: “This isn’t Double Dragon”.

[@jknifgijdfui]

@@magicjohnson3121 actually ur right its basically a secret sequel to the devs previous game streets of red devils dare deluxe ngl when you dont think of it as a double dragon and treat it as its own thing its actually pretty fun

[@magicjohnson3121]

@jknifgijdfui I think Mark describes that as “IP theft”. Too bad for us who actually wanted a Double Dragon game.

[@capemron6330]

I really liked the recent Double Dragon game, the combat is fantastic and the remixed music of classic tracks are *amazing.* You can do some ridiculous stuff with the comat system in that game. I don't like the chibi artstyle though, and I don't like the way Neon looked either - I liked the raw, kind of dirty/gritty look of the older games.

[@jknifgijdfui]

@@magicjohnson3121 womp womp

[@mazuiface]

Your reviews are always a treat. Hearing you righteously tear into this game had me cracking the f up. Developer fanfiction oh my how accurate of a term. Your channel is great! The first thing I thought when seeing your videos on difficulty in games and arcade design was along the lines of "this is what I have been telling people for a decade!"

[@perlichtman1562]

I agree with you that bringing in a cast of 13 voice actors, including heavyweights like Steve Blum and Kira Buckland, for this game makes no sense. It doesn’t make sense to have this much dialog and that many of these types of cutscenes for a game like this where they interrupt the flow and neither the story nor the dialogue warrant voice actors of this caliber. It was definitely overkill.

[@CPS42069]

Instead I like how they handled voice acting in Neo Contra, they knew the lines and delivery are cheesy asf but Neo also a throwback to the over the top 80s stuff so it's fitting.

[@perlichtman1562]

@@CPS42069Yeah, that game really leaned into the silliness a lot more with the talking dog etc. so I thought the voice actors had a lot more to work with there. :) Steve Blum included. It was nice that he got to come back but the material in the new game just didn’t warrant it.

[@magicjohnson3121]

If you played Contra 4 made by Wayforward you would know they don’t have an original bone in their body. Though at least it was difficult.

[@seanmcbay]

And it looked better than this.

[@MaverickHunter17]

Contra 4 may not be very original, but it was also very well made and avoided a lot of the problems present in OG so it's even more shocking how hard they dropped the ball with this one

[@Xoulrath_]

The game has difficulty settings.

[@bluebirdconundrum]

@@MaverickHunter17Contra 4 was made a long time ago. I suspect that many of the people who worked on that game are no longer at WayForward.

[@MaverickHunter17]

@@bluebirdconundrum Yeah that's probably the reason for the drop in quality, I might do a side by side check of the credits just to see if anyone from the C4 era remains

[@darrellsmith9727]

Damn. Wayforward usually does good with these type graphics. That's disappointing. Too bad they didn't call up Arc System Works for a Hard corps Uprising 2. 😒

[@tournaline3448]

Right? Uprising was well-received, both by the mainstream press and hardcore gamers. It even looks like WayForward copied a few of the mechanics from Uprising here too (Double jump / air dash).

[@ultraspinalki11]

​@@tournaline3448But clearly, Uprising wasn't a financial success cause we never got a sequel for it.

[@WWammyy]

@@ultraspinalki11 Well marketing behind it was terrible Contra is a huge name in video games and yet they didn't add the contra name to one of the best games in the franchise.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah the graphics part surprises me the most. Western devs usually do struggle with gameplay stuff for "classic" or arcade style genres, but usually they at least have decent visuals ha.

[@darrellsmith9727]

@@ultraspinalki11 I think it would have done better if the actually put the name Contra in front of Uprising. People who didn't play it had no idea it was even a Contra game. Big oopsie.

[@HeatIIEXTEND]

Contra: Hard Pass sounds legit

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Lol XD

[@lwbga666]

Contra and Shinobi are my first arcade cabinet memories in the 80s at a pizza shop my parents took me to. Grew up on Contra. But I will never bother with this game since Limited Run has their hand in it.

[@lwbga666]

Play Super Cyborg or Blazing Chrome. Both top tier new contra games.

[@n2oshotandironman]

Blazing Chrome is a blast​@@lwbga666

[@mistcore]

What's the game shown at 0:28 after God Hand? EDIT: Found the title, it's Spikeout: Battle Street for OG Xbox.

[@VenomSnakeMGS]

Looks like Spikeout to me. Maybe the original Xbox version? Not sure.

[@Director_Bison]

@@VenomSnakeMGS yeah that's the Xbox version, You can actually play the Arcade version now in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Great sloothing! Yes, it is spikeout another unfortunate victim to IGN slamming an awesome game and franchise. I'm gonna do a vid about the game in the near future I hope.

[@MeowTheMouse]

Contra: OG is basically a spidersaurs sequel with a Contra skin. The only WF game that's worth mentioning is Shantae and the pirate's curse.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah I think wayforward must be much more familiar with making platformers, because you can tell even in this game that they didn't know what to do with the shooter elements, but were more comfortable with platforming mechanics like double jumps.

[@TonyTonyRedgrave]

Contra 4 is aight.

[@MeowTheMouse]

@TheElectricUnderground I'm not even sure about that, Shantae and the 7 sirens is so unbelievably atrocious, it's one of the worst games I've ever played, and it's a shame too, as the art and animations are top notch. I didn't try try their beat them ups, but visually, they "look" fantastic. I really appreciate your channel, I'm glad I came across it, I think you might become my favorite gaming channel, no bs hype or complaining for the sake of complaining, straight, constructive, honest and you know what you're talking about, so thank you for putting your passion into making these videos.

[@MeowTheMouse]

@@TonyTonyRedgrave It was, but it was pretty much forgettable imo.

[@MeltyKid]

Really appreciate the Shattered Soldier callouts. Wish they'd just ported that game instead of this.

[@InitialDL84]

Forreal. One of my favorite Contra games next to Contra Hard Corps

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes shattered Soldier needs more love, it's such an awesome game. I love how it has a ranking scoring system too, man the ps2 era is still so under appreciated. Because it was the last era where the devs were trying to integrate arcade design and console design together. After that they just abandoned stuff like scoring pretty much.

[@n2oshotandironman]

This is heartbreaking. Not that my expectations were super high, but I was hoping to at least get something solid.

[@despeinado340]

Between this and Rogue Corps, Contra can’t catch a break

[@n2oshotandironman]

Rogue Corps at least presented itself as shovelware jank lol I never had any hopes for that one. Though, looking at the Galuga trailers... I shoulda known.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It really is. Because even if the game itself isn't very good, I think the opportunity cost for what could have been in a series revival really stings. That's why as times it would be better to get no sequel at all than a really bad one. Because at least if there were no operation galuga, that potential for a more legit follow up would be more likely.

[@n2oshotandironman]

@@TheElectricUnderground Well, knowing Konami, a legit followup is still more likely than a new IP lol

[@emperorIng360]

Every time I see WayForward it just raises a red flag in my eyes. Usually they can be seen as making "pretty games that are boring" but when they lose even the art....

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah if they could have least done the graphics well ign and so forth would have overlooked the gameplay problems

[@ShinSHOGO]

It’s crazy how the last good Contra game was Hard Corps UPRISING, back on the PLAYSTATION 3/XBOX 360. 😂

[@ShinSHOGO]

Damn, Azure Reflections shade at 14:00 I like to think that was a good one, too. But I guess it would need a proper, shmup-expert level review to see what’s good/bad about it. Cause all the other reviews for it are surface level at best.

[@agenerichuman]

This one makes me sad because I've been waiting for a good modern Contra game. Shattered Soldier is criminally underrated. Very cool you mentioned it.

[@TransCanadaPhil]

have you tried Blazing Chrome?

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes it feels insanely overdue to be honest. And then we get this game ... let us pray gradius escapes this fate.

[@AjenjoFierro]

It does look a lot like the actual mobile game Contra Returns

[@tjbattle7920]

Nah dont do that.. Contra Returns looks way better.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes it does, I legit thought it was a mobile game at first.

[@despeinado340]

Honestly, I shudder whenever I see WayForward on the cover of any recent game

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I can see why ha. Let us hope Gradius is spared their wrath.

[@nemoguy]

I legit thought this was another version of that chinese contra game at first

[@jahmirwhite7807]

Oh, you mean Contra Returns? Yeah, that mobile game is still up and running, unfortunately.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

It looks like that for sure ha.

[@Gyrokun]

@@jahmirwhite7807 I think he was reffering to Contra Evolution (which was another remake of Contra 1 just like this), but yeah, that too

[@perlichtman1562]

I mean 16:9 worked great in Hard Corps: Uprising so there was already had a template for doing it well and it’s a shame that Galuga didn’t learn from that. Enemy placement/spawning was already working well in Uprising and I replayed it as many times as the 16-bit ones.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes 16:9 aspect ratio can work effectively, but it's more that the developers need to be mindful of the additional play area and utilize it well with the core level design.

[@perlichtman1562]

@@TheElectricUndergroundI agree 100%.

[@perlichtman1562]

34:00 Kudos for the Hard Corps: Uprising shoutout. It’s backwards compatible on the Xbox One/Series or you can play it on your 360/PS3 so I really hope you play it soon. It’s one of my favorite Contra games alongside Hard Corps, 3 and 4. The soundtrack isn’t generic at all - it’s got Daisuke’s fingerprints all over it (just like the Guilty Gear series) and offers both a solid arcade mode and a different mode with unlockable skills for those that prefer that style. The presentation is great in that you don’t have to sit through a bunch of unnecessary dialogue screens and what is there (like the opening anime sequence for the attract mode) are very well produced. Another thing that you might appreciate (though it bugged me at first) is that in order to be able to progress the skill trees in that mode, you have to be able to beat the first level (which definitely takes a few tries for a beginner as I can tell you from personal experience) so you can’t start grinding experience until you progress to a certain skill level. I’d be curious if the game is as much fun to a more skilled player like yourself as it is to a more novice-intermediate one like me. :)

[@TonyTonyRedgrave]

It's a great game. Wish they'd give us a quick port of it at least, so I wouldn't have to load up RPCS3 or dust off the ps3 for it.

[@perlichtman1562]

@@TonyTonyRedgrave Yeah on the Sony side I’d still need to use my PS3 but on the plus side it not only runs on Xbox 360 but also Xbox One and Series X/S. I bought it on my 360 but usually play it on my Series X these days.

[@AlTheHoly]

Thank you for putting into words what I've been struggling explain myself. I was fully aware of all thing things I was doing throughout this game and wondering how it all felt so wrong. Keep up the awesome work, sir!

[@TheElectricUnderground]

That's great to hear Holy! One of the big goals of my review is to try articulate these more structural issues in game design in a way that is clear and makes sense, which can be pretty tricky at times I must say.

[@dr_ubo]

WayForward feels like a shell company now (since post covid really), this game seems closer to Contra Evolved and Contra Returns for mobile (look them up, tencent funded). I have yet to play the game so I can't really comment on it, but I'm just pointing out some stuff that seems to make sense looking at the mechanics from both and even visual style and story quirks.

[@jahmirwhite7807]

You mean Contra Evolution? I believe that came out way before Returns was announced, iirc.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

yes I get the same feeling UBO. Which is not that uncommon these days sadly. A lot of these companies roll through staff and developers from title to title now, rather than having that core team that is consistent and good.

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

How do you keep getting trapped in a CRT? :(

[@n2oshotandironman]

It's nice in there. No added display lag.

[@lazorsbear7068]

Lol, he played Elden Ring in a CRT at 480p and complained the graphics looked like shit. Boghog and Aktane were like "wtf dude?"

[@AoiHeartStranger]

​@@lazorsbear7068I don't think he complained about graphics there

[@TheElectricUnderground]

@@lazorsbear7068You get that I was kidding right? The dangers of using irony on the internet. I was talking about how poorly optimized the PC version was at launch, where even if I dropped it to 480p I could not get good performance.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Fun fact there are just random crts playing Electric Underground videos out in nature, I'm merely documenting their existence.

[@Kira-ji2ft]

Hey I just want to thank you for making reviews like these. Going through and dissecting the fundamentals of gameplay seems to be a lost art these days. I don't think anyone else would have discussed how the aspect ratio changes everything. But it does.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Thank you very much for the kind comment Kira! I do hope that what I am talking about is interesting not only for the game in question, but also just in terms of game design overall. It's more tangible and interesting when I have concrete examples though ha, which is why I think it's great to bring up during reviews.

[@gavi888]

Wayforward? Checks out.

[@alfredocanas6802]

more like Waybackwards TBH.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah, I remember them having some promising releases in the past, as least from what I heard, but this one did not turn out well ha.

[@DmitryChmelyov]

But they made Contra 4, which was a masterpiece!

[@garrettwilkes1674]

​@@DmitryChmelyovmany of the Contra 4 devs left WayForward in 2013 to make Yacht Club Games and Shovel Knight.

[@newtypepunk9967]

That explains a lot because I was thinking how could the same devs make this and Contra 4, this game looked so ugly I just passed it off as trash, and I was right.@@garrettwilkes1674

[@perlichtman1562]

WayForward definitely normally do a lot better than this is typically a company to take seriously but they aren’t as big as you said. Most estimates place WayForward staff at closer to 50 people than hundreds. There have been a couple outlier estimates that show it in the 150-160 range but the majority of job search engines (Indeed, Zippia, etc.) show them in the 11-55 employee range with most posting in the 35 to 50 employees range. If we look at their credits for other games, like River City Girls 2, we usually see around 50 people + music staff and other outside contractors/QA. If we look at the credits for this game, a lot of the names aren’t coming from the WayForward development staff.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yeah it would be interesting to know how many people *actually* worked on this game, I can imagine just a few guys taking on the entire workload. But in the credits wayforward are citing what looks like more than a hundred people, so they aren't doing themselves any favors in that sense by making the staff look more bloated than it probably is.

[@mistermamamia]

I really don't understand what happened with the art. Wayforward has some decent looking 3d games, but have a lot of stellar 2d games. Is konami so stubborn to not let them do a pixel art game? I doubt contra fans would complain, I know I wouldn't if my brand new run and gun game had some pretty good sprite art. It's just so weird that it looks as bad as it does. It looks almost as bad as rogue corps. even, and that was from a different developer entirely. It makes me think they were instructed by konami themselves to make it look this way, but even if that wasn't the case there's no excuse for how poor this execution was.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes I'd love to know exactly what ended up happening with the visuals of this game, because i'm sure the story itself is fascinating. Unfortunately because of NDA's we'll probably have to wait 4 more years to find out.

[@maximilian3544]

Wayforward are the Funko Pop of western game devs. They constantly warm up nostalgic franchises made by japanese creators, appropriate them in the most annoying way, then water them down with mediocre slop gameplay and shit-ass bootleg art direction.

[@magicjohnson3121]

Damn savage 😂😂😂

[@hooksnfangs6006]

Man I hate it when I predict all the issues that you tend to point out in these "retro revivals". I could dimiss the graphics, but looking at screenshots, footage, and knowing Wayforward was behind it I skipped on the demo. Wayforward games are typically just nice looking games with little sustenence to keep me playing. Only decent game they made IMO was Contra 4 so it's a bigger hit on Wayforward that they screwed up so bad.

[@NIMPAK1]

I never thought I'd be a presentation type of person, especially since the people who usually talk about that sort of thing are either tech nerds or only care about for immersion or for selling a game. But for a game this style feedback is super important and visuals are a major part of feedback. Heck, I feel like just having a decent shader and particle affects would've went a long way and you can make a gorgeous looking game without having to spend a Triple-A level budget.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes I think that in the case of even very gameplay oriented games, visual appeal is core and vital because the visual feedback of the game itself is part of its reward system. Think of Crimzon Clover where the hypers and golden stars are so damn satisfying to do, it's because of how powerful the visual feedback is.

[@GELTONZ]

So one thing that REALLY annoyed me that you couldn't comment on was optimization. I was gonna let the graphics slide because it's on Switch (though you should've just gone 2D then). But not only does it run poorly on Switch, the PS4 version is stuck at 30 FPS. You gotta play on PS5 to get 60 FPS...WHY?! This looks like an XBLA game! The Switch is powerful enough to run Resident Evil 5 pretty darn well! Why doesn't this game run better?! WayForward. Guys. Just...stop with the 3D. It ain't working out.

[@vermanubismusic]

I think the main point about developer fanfiction is well-made and particularly true. I don't remember who pointed this out, but the Metroid II remake is benign, but telling, example of developers "missing the point" so to speak, with the original ending being a long, pensive walk in silence to the gunship, and the remake being a loud action sequence that flouts the purpose of the original. To me, the entire game - music, art, gameplay - seemed transactional: as many mercenaries were hired as needed to push it out the door. At best, people wanted to care about it, but had neither the time nor the resources to. Worst case, it was just a gig for everyone involved.

[@EdgardR.]

MercurySteam must fall

[@Magaskus]

I fully agree with you. I love the original metroid 2 on the GB because it was more of an weird but very effective horror game that had build up and goes deeper into more sinister territory . At the beginning it was more upbeat with the soundtrack till you reach the first chozo ruins and the Soundtrack sounds itsself ominous and more cathartic over time which gave this feeling of unease . And those weird sounds just somehow made the world of it so alienating and lost . The fan-game was awesome with much content and polish but sadly only a fan-game . But the Remake was utter blandness in the worst way possible . I hate when the vision is changed in a remake just to appease the masses .

[@jcdenton6427]

You talking about Samus Returns right? What do you think about AM2R? I haven't played original Metroid 2 but AM2R was amazing

[@vermanubismusic]

@@EdgardR. Lol, I admit I'm not a huge MS fan. While I appreciate what seemed to be good-spirited efforts, between their Castlevania and the Metroid games, it feels like missing the point is the point. Good overall game makers imo, but they run too far afield with what seems like everything. The pretentiousness of their Castlevania games was just a lot lol. Maybe a case study in taking oneself too seriously.

[@vermanubismusic]

@@Magaskus I feel the same way about the og Metroid II. "Alienating and lost" is definitely the summary, imo, of why it was special. I thought AM2R did a much better job at capturing the essence of the original

[@SeveredLegs]

We're to the point where modern designers and artists literally don't understand what made old games cool/good. Too many generations removed.

[@WWammyy]

I am wondering if Wayforward is even the same company that made all that wonderful pixel art found in it's early games like Shantae.

[@vincenzomottola7778]

It probably isn't. Most veterans have already moved onto other companies, like Yacht Club Games. Shantae Advance might be a great game, since it's using assets, design philosophies, code and such from 2002-04, and has Matt Bozon and Mike Stragey's involvement

[@perlichtman1562]

@@vincenzomottola7778Matt Bozon has worked on some great games but he was the Creative Director for Operation Galuga, too. He’s one of the returning names from Contra 4 alongside Chris Watson, Robert Koshak, Voldi Way, etc.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

They probably are not the same company in that sense. I get the staff that worked on this game are very inexperienced, so even if the logo is the same, it might not be the same developers in a real sense.

[@mon11nom]

I was worried when I saw a developer interview a while back and they spent more time talking about the story than the gameplay. I like that you provide some alternative games to try out.

[@tehValorin]

And the story isn't even good, it feels like a not very good old cartoon series. Evil empire conquers everyone, but a good race they destroyed put an artifact on Earth, it protects us with a gravity shield and doesn't let bad guys open a wormhole near Earth (why don't they open a wormhole a bit further from Earth and fly towards it in normal space?) And it gives some of Earthians a Contra gene. Yes, Bill and Lance are so cool not because they are trained soldiers, it's because they have some gene. Now I know why Belmont bloodline is so good at slaying vampires, they have Castlevania gene. And the worst and most old-bad-cartoon part is that the bad guy got into that temple following good guys. Closing doors? What is that?

[@TonyTonyRedgrave]

story is so unimportant to contra that m2 made a complete joke out of it with the brief, intentionally incomprehensible cutscenes of Contra Rebirth...it's really ridiculous to make that a focus of the game, even Arcsys got the idea.

[@SamuraiSam]

I definitely want to hear you review/talk about Shattered Soldier!

[@vrturboprincessrescuercubed]

WayForward isn't exactly known for making the most balanced games. The first Shantae game, the GBC one (also on Switch), starts out pretty well-designed, but completely falls apart once you get to Oasis Town, as well as its complimentary dungeon where you get the Golem Stone. You go from actually having to strategize and struggle in the first part of the game to having unlimited access to a gambling minigame (which is in the town, right next to a save point, and easy to game from save scumming for quick money) as well as the temple having an easily obtainable 1-Up early on that you can easily go in and out of it to collect over and over again as it respawns (and you can essentially tank 1-Ups as losing them has very little consequence, even boss fights keep the damage you've done after you die to them). Should you happen to run the risk of running out of both items (bought with gems) and 1-Ups from the dungeon, you can always return at any point in the game. This jettisons all challenge from the game, and you've only gotten a single stone by this point- out of four. And there's also the final level with the Tinkertank after that (spoilers BTW). I haven't played the sequels, but I can only hope they've fixed serious problems like this.

[@vincenzomottola7778]

I think what made Shantae GBC difficult is screen crunch. The sprites are too big for the GBC's 160x128p screen resolution, which can make it hard to anticipate incoming hazards

[@vrturboprincessrescuercubed]

@@vincenzomottola7778 That's more than made up for by the aforementioned fountains of gems and lives after beating the first dungeon. It's an easy game. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe also had an exploit where you can collect an extra life, save and quit, and exit the level. GBC games were child-proofed and pretty broken, which more than makes up for their screen-crunch issues. Doesn't make it a bad system (as I have nostalgia for it), but GBC games have serious issues. Unlike it's 8-bit console brethren the NES, there's little to no attempt to balance it out somewhat by challenging the player.

[@wabbyleg]

Man you were so harsh on the game that you had me cracking up lol

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I didn't mean to be harsh but I kinda couldnt restrain myself at times

[@fightaman7]

Awesome review, thanks for clearing up any possible confusion over this potentially being a hidden gem

[@Phisherman10]

Thing is, WayForward made my favorite Contra, Contra 4. So it’s wild to see this amateur hour product.

[@JayTheBarber603]

Jeeeesus thank God I watched this. I was convinced once you showed the story, holy cow why? Definitely was happy to hear some love for Shattered Soldier. I played the hell out of that back in the day.

[@Ghenry]

Great video! I had a feeling you understood the greatness of Contra enough to not be so easily impressed by Galuga. I decided not to buy this after beating the demo without dying on hard with 1-hit kill enabled, and no perks used on my third attempt. Even for a first stage, it was pathetically easy and convinced me this wasn't for me. It was made for babies that could only beat Metal Slug if they had infinite continues. And Shattered Soldier is my favorite too! That game really does not get the credit it deserves. It is everything Galuga wishes it could be. Wayforward does not understand what makes a Contra game (they never did, Contra 4 has basically the same problems with level design).

[@niche2k4]

Great review for a bad game. I like your reviews and what im liking too is that you speech so clear that even non native english speaker can understand you very good. I played a lot Super Probotector on my SNES and Contra Hards Corps on the Sega Megadrive ( yes im coming from EU :) ) in my childhood.

[@truxardus4331]

Well, you've convinced me to pick up Shattered Soldier. Been on a PS2 kick lately anyway. I knew it existed, but seeing screenshots made me just kind of instinctively dismiss it because it looked very drab there. Because yeah, graphics do matter. The reason you hear the "graphics don't matter" is because you still to this day have people using "good graphics" and whatever tech buzzword is currently hot as synonymous, when of course it literally just means the game is visually pleasing.

[@denimchicken104]

It’s drab, but cohesive, so it still works. The thing about SS that bugs me is the sound design. 90% of the game is just a smattering of noise. It fails to differentiate all the sounds and music going on at the same time. It’s exhausting.

[@Amra..]

Graphics play into gameplay more than people realize

[@MrDirkles]

@@Amra.. i'd say the sound has more importance than graphics. For example, look at the 1981 classic, Defender.

[@BillB808]

The R Type Final 2 of the run & gun genre...

[@n2oshotandironman]

Lmao

[@Squalid]

Is R Type Final 2 that bad? I never really buy that game cause of all the dlcs but I always wanted to try it.

[@superhadouken]

I was thinking the same. Art looks the same. Generic bullshit. Same effects materials, generic design. And boring gameplay

[@Weedwof]

Final 2 is at least challenging, some levels are good/creative. This one is dead behind the eyes.

[@Sorrowful000]

Your comparison is valid when it comes to ugly graphics and uninspired art design, but in terms of game design they're night and day.

[@davivman6009]

Just picked up Hard Corps Uprising on the PS3 based on your video! Totally missed that one.

[@perlichtman1562]

You’re in for a treat. :) I missed it for many years after release and really enjoyed it a ton once I found it.

[@UshiMushi]

I don't think you even tore this hard into Bayonetta or RE4 Remake haha. But very informative, was very curious on how this game was outside of appearance. So thanks for spending $40 to spare others 8)

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes please save your money in this game s case ha

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

After watching this video, it gave me some motivation to try "Iron Meat" demo. It feels fun, its a killer that wants you dead and full of noob traps, just like a real Contra game

[@yatheo2969]

As a Contra and Metal Slug fan these are dark days.

[@playbossthebest936]

At least metal slug hasn't had genuine blunders yet, not mainline anyway. The last metal slug game, 7/XX, is a solid enough send-off for the time being, and metal slug tactics looks quite good for a spin-off (even if they've been suspiciously quiet about it...)

[@PollyPlushie]

God I have been waiting for literally anyone I talk to to levy complaints against this game, especially ones that so closely mirror my own. I feel like a lot of people are just "fine" with this game because it's what they remember Contra to be, but this game just doesn't cut it.

[@boghogSTG]

LMAO that Redpulse reference 🥲 true though

[@mrpissed]

@John-PaulHunt-wy7lf Contra Mother Brain has a name?!?!? lol

[@chasepalumbo2929]

Mechanical Star Astra when??😩

[@boghogSTG]

@@chasepalumbo2929 MSA reminder jump scare! After I get my mech game done & Charlene finishes Bullet Sorceress, I'm letting her cook cuz that game's looking awesome

[@chasepalumbo2929]

@@boghogSTGomg that’s amazing to hear. Thanks for the reply!! Another vintage boghog w

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Ha I did mean the reference in a kind manner, I hope that comes across in the vid. Because redpulse is a scrappy but cool game on itch.io with visuals that are under developed, but it also makes sense for a new solo dev, which you were at the time. I mean I'm in that boat myself with HOB of course. I would love to see a redpulse visual update though, with your improved graphical skills :-)

[@julianseph842gamez5]

Well, it does have the 1-hit death settings to make the game a little more challenging aside from the difficulty modes.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

You would think that, but I explain in my review why that is not the case. The lack of difficulty balance goes deeper than just taking hits.

[@nattila7713]

​​​@@TheElectricUnderground you are way too pro :) I struggle in the demo, also could never play through any contra yet :) perhaps for me it will be fine... it looks cheap but at least there is a physical version which I appreciate and support.

[@johnnyappleseed8127]

@@nattila7713It’s a great Contra games. Go watch other reviews from fans and you will see. It also has a positive rating on Steam. Most who have this game is having a blast. Graphics are that bad at all. It’s not great either but it gets the job done. It’s far from boring and it’s not easy. You have hard mode along with one hit kill mode. You can also unlock two additional higher difficulties. Unlock characters, soundtracks and more perks. The only real problem with this is that it doesn’t have online co-op. It’s an 8/10. If you liked Contra 1-4 then you will love this one. Do yourself a favor and watch other reviews and try it out for yourself.

[@n2oshotandironman]

​@@nattila7713Get gud

[@Olagfigh]

@@johnnyappleseed8127 " If you liked Contra 1-4 then you will love this one." Yep, exactly, that's me. Graphics are fine, I like it. Waterfall looks awesome in this art direction, alien lair has a depth and creepy design. Saying that low poly, dark and blury Shattered Soldier looks better is just laughable. "The only real problem with this is that it doesn’t have online co-op." Agree. I wish they add it someday. This and some randomizer for stages to keep the game fresh.

[@patrickholt8782]

Contra looks deceptively easy to make. Once you have to build one you realize all the fine tuning you have to do.

[@kdsm6424]

I honestly believe that this game was supposed to be a mobile game till they changed their minds last second it is incredibly evident with how obnoxiously large the buttons are on the menus as if it were supposed to be pressed by thumbs and especially the character portraits

[@riggel8804]

Outzone has a cool mechanic where tou have to keep moving forward and collecting fuel or you die. Something like that would help this game.

[@tournaline3448]

The pain of seeing Japanese studios outsourcing their classics to talentless developers. Mark - Have you played Arc System’s Hard Corps: Uprising? WayForward appear to have decided to (poorly) copy it here. Most of the ideas and mechanics are from that game. Konami should’ve just asked Arc Systems to make another Contra if this is what they wanted. Perhaps it was cheaper to go with WayForward.

[@jahmirwhite7807]

Another reason why I don't trust Konami with Contra anymore. Also, I probably don't trust WayForward with the Contra franchise anymore if this is the direction that they wanted the series to go. Especially after they made Contra 4 back in 2007.

[@ZarkAttack]

I appreciate how much you dig into gameplay and really unpack what works and doesn't. I had no plans of buying this game, but I always enjoy hearing others' thoughts on game design in general.

[@Gryzor88]

Plot-twist: The PC version looks gorgeous in Nvidia 3D Vision🤩 But spamming Contra with cutscenes to break gameplay flow is the design decision of a lunatic 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bulb9970]

11:00 Maybe you could do a separate video about this “Only gameplay matters” mentality. I’ve seen this repeated a lot over the years.

[@n2oshotandironman]

He's covered it at least once before in a previous video. It was one piece of a larger theme though. I think it could support a whole deep dive.

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

"Only gameplay matters" is bogus and ppl who think that have no idea about the purpose or importance of art/graphics.

[@cornpoop]

"Only gameplay matter" excuse probably could work on indie developer with very limited resources, but not for middle size developer like Wayfoward with support from Konami At least they could make a serviceably but unique looking art and graphics with the budget instead of making crappy "stories", seriously even the dialogues sound like badly translated anime

[@AoiHeartStranger]

People don't have any aesthetic awareness and therefore don't understand how drawings affect their perception of things.

[@AoiHeartStranger]

Akiman of Capcom talked about that in the one of the interviews that shmuplations translated

[@auellaitaela8035]

Putting up Metroid Dread when you started talking about Developer Fan Fiction was just chef's kiss (you even have a zoom-in on that forced parry mechanic when talking about bringing in random tropes, perfect editing, like you're making two game analysis vids at once). Gobsmacks me that most of the metroidvania and even metroid community adored the game because it's like the slick presentation and fast movement blinded them to the fact that it absolutely missed the entire point of both the series and the genre and was absolutely dev fan fiction.

[@kagemara277]

I don’t think Metroid Dread deserves this backlash. It lacked something compared to best Metroid Games, but it was incredibly polished game that should never even be associated with a fail like this.

[@magicjohnson3121]

Yeah the parry is the elephant in the room of bad game design but everyone managed to turn a blind eye to it.

[@TonyTonyRedgrave]

I liked it more than Fusion and Zero Mission, not perfect but I really think you're making a mountain out of a molehill with regards to the game's flaws. Frankly the parry didn't hurt anything considering how trivially easy non boss combat was in Super/Fusion/ZM, I really don't get the complaint.

[@magicjohnson3121]

@TonyTonyRedgrave Makes every encounter feel the same. It removes variety.

[@unLuckyFetus]

K O N T R A : Operation Joever Dev: Temu Publisher : Wish Contra SH : Uprising are super dope though. GS man, cool vide0

[@thirdsupernova]

I've only played Neo Contra it was pretty cool. And the music was awesome

[@akumoth8357]

Something's just wrong with how wayforward manages their projects, Advance Wars Reboot Camp also suffered from amateurish bland art + music + voice acting and had a billion delays to add on top of that lol

[@seanmcbay]

To be fair, I don’t think the delay was their fault. Nintendo held it back because the Ukraine war just started when it was originally coming out.

[@WildDogGamerBoy]

​@@seanmcbay Cover up excuse

[@magicjohnson3121]

@seanmcbay Nah the real reason was because the game wasn’t finished

[@PLTOTA]

Oof. gutted to hear this. I was hoping it was misunderstood, but I deeply trust your informed perspectives here Electric Underground. I work in and around games; I sometimes see with modern takes on arcade-informed stuff, developers perhaps feel they should be innovating and embellishing. Sort of innovation for innovation's sake, rather than approaching it from a deep love and understanding of the form, and understanding its about innovating in the nuance that exists within the genre template (ie. give an STG a cool scoring system; don't strip it of the credit and lives structure to 'innovate'). Exceptions to what I'm saying here, of course! I'm far from against innovation. But I wonder... do purse string holders at publishers push for innovation to have USPs for marketing... or maybe it simply comes from the very reasonably notion that coming up with new ideas in game design is a celebrated thing. Innovation in games is a subtle beast to tame, eh!? (And I very much hear you on the nuance of arcade or arcade-informed stuff getting misunderstood and misrepresented in the mainstream/consumer/specialist-gaming press. But I promise I'm trying to fight the good fight with my shmup reviews for Eurogamer :D)

[@MrMrFreddy]

I have to say, I rarely agree with your opinions (I do agree with this one) but I still follow you with interest because you give so much thought and details to support your points. It's hard not to respect and appreciate that (that and the treasure trove of shmup knowledge of the channel, very very interesting and useful for me in the past few months as I'm getting into bullet hells for the first time). So cheers, even if we don't see eye to eye all that much. But regarding the WayForward/Contra subject: what do you think about Contra 4? Haven't played that game since it came out, but I really enjoyed it back then. My memories of that are far better than how Operation Galuga is, so I was wondering what went wrong because (if my memory is correct) they DO know how to make a fun and good looking Contra game.

[@InitialDL84]

I was already skeptical just off the price alone for this game, given the visuals and it basically being a remake of the original Contra, and you just confirmed my skepticism. Glad I bought the Contra collection for $5 during the Steam Spring sale instead, I'll get my Contra fix with Contra 3 and Hard Corps. I still have my PS3 collecting dust in my closet with a digital copy of Hard Corps Rising, so I have that to play as well thank lordt.

[@kaikiske7436]

“LEAVE THIS ISLAND!!” That was classic 😂

[@mrhobs]

Idk, I’m about 28 min in, and… I just don’t think it looks that bad graphically. There’s some nice variety and textures. A decent amount going on with the backgrounds. Yeah, it’s a weird art style, the main characters are generic… but the gameplay issues are really the only thing holding me back. …which is a pretty big thing, heh.

[@Azorpatch]

Kinda wild to see WayForward fumble this hard considering they made Contra 4, what I consider to be the best Contra game

[@MVP_MAGAZINE]

I’m so happy you mentioned hard corps by arc systems,it’s the only one that has built upon what contra was before and innovated!

[@magicjohnson3121]

Air Twister has the same problem with having to grind to get the highest difficulty. It’s so stupid.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, developers really need to stop doing this. It's a bad idea overall because it outright punishes legacy skill for no good reason.

[@djdedan]

I noticed in the trailer there was no missile surfing… needless to say I knew then it wasn’t for me.

[@daysaverproductions]

I’ve been waiting for this. Your Channel is the only review I trust for arcade style gaming or twists on old arcade formulas. Thank you

[@D4n0w4r]

Conta Hard Corps still reigns supreme

[@fightaman7]

Always loved Shattered Soldier, glad to see it getting some praise here

[@marten-o-clock]

I have played many Contra series games so far, I think the main problem that Contra Operation Galuga has is its boss level design. They incorporate a lot of random elements, which greatly diminishes the motivation to achieve a 1cc. and your review is awesome;) love from japan

[@BainesMkII]

From the Speedrun gameplay, it looks like the game wasn't just designed around speedrunning, but that it was designed around *avoiding enemies* instead of engaging with them. It was nothing but jumping and air dashing, while the enemies ran around harmlessly below the player character, and constant forward movement meant the player was almost always ahead of the rare enemy fire.

[@MRrZero]

can someone stop wayforward from ruining these IPs

[@tournaline3448]

Add Dotemu to that list too.

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@tournaline3448I will not tolerate any Dotemu slander.

[@EdgardR.]

Add Forever Entertainment

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

@@EdgardR. What did they do wrong other than canceling the Fear Effect remake?

[@EdgardR.]

@@Nathan-rb3qp The SEGA remakes they've done. I pray they don't get to work on any more SEGA IPs.

[@eelzap]

My first thought when I saw screenshots of this game was that Konami was trying to cash in on early 360-era XBLA nostalgia. It looks like it would cost 800 Microsoft Points.

[@n051de4]

Just give us a rerelease of Hard Corps: Uprising

[@perlichtman1562]

30:28 I’m glad you pointed out how ridiculous it is that they hide the scoring system and don’t have leaderboards. I completely agree that it’s a real missed opportunity. I think every game that aims for arcade style gameplay (or even just the appearance of it) would benefit from online leaderboards. I’m rapidly approaching 100 hours in Capcom Arcade Stadium and I’ve kept coming back to it since December of 2022 in large part because of the online leaderboards. They really make a huge difference.

[@TWKIC]

The section discussing how screen size and enemy placement and spawn points made me realize some interesting used to implement that, such as Shock Troopers having soldiers come from the foreground on parachutes to close in on you to prevent hesitant gameplay.

[@wawztzta8296]

this game is just so visually ugly that i didnt even think about picking it up lol

[@demgutts]

Agreed

[@TransCanadaPhil]

yeah its got that awful flash game “tweening” look, same as all those proposed Intelivision Amico games. I just dont like that aesthetic at all.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Yes, and this is valid ha. For arcade genres especially, great visuals (even if they aren't fancy or high production) are critical.

[@JustFun-ho6qy]

When your art looks like flash tweening despite actually being fully 3d you done fucked up big time.

[@CopiousDoinksLLC]

The visual style was obviously a very deliberate choice - it's just that nobody asked for that choice. I think the big issue is that the people making these games aren't the same ones who played the original games on the NES/SNES. It seems like they're being developed by younger programmers who are trying to look back and figure out what made the series appealing as opposed to older gamers who are making them as a tribute to the fun they had with Contra as kids.

[@gibdo7995]

People really need to just hire Inti Creates when reviving old classics like this.

[@nicholaswhaling7233]

I still wanna see them do a remake of The Guardian Legend like they did with Blaster Master.

[@MF_BLUR]

@@nicholaswhaling7233 that would actually be amazing!

[@SamuraiSam]

I'm curious to know what you think of Blazing Chrome!

[@cyxceven]

I think WayForward has been passing off low-effort content and PRETENDING TO BE INDIE for way, waaaaaaay too long. Years of boting licensed shovelware got them comfortable, and well-known in this space. They get hired to take established franchises, mimic the surface-level gameplay without studying the depth of the source material, add some boring levels, boom -> profit. They've remained in this stunted growth phase for fear of becoming considered "bad AAA devs" by consumers. And I think larger companies (like Konami) continue to hire them because they have a better reputation. I actually first noticed it back when Sigma Star Saga came out. Cool idea for a shmup, but boring euroshmup-like execution carried solely by the pixel art. I wish they would look at Japanese shmups and run & gun game design more closely and learn from them. Instead of churning out the most bland minimum viable product while hiding behind well-known franchises, and faking the whole "indie-darling" bit.

[@evan2902]

I think they're mainly just coasting off the popularity of stuff like Shantae at this point. I mean...this is the same company that charged 30 bucks for what amounted to a no-frills port of an apple arcade game. (Referring to seven sirens)

[@n2oshotandironman]

Wayforward was at least able to coast of catchy music, cute girls, and pretty art for a decade. Now they aren't even using those.

[@TheElectricUnderground]

I think your analysis here is right on the money cyxceven.

[@anaveragegamer359]

yea the quality of shantae have also gone down@@evan2902

[@TonyTonyRedgrave]

Contra 4 was a hell of a lot better than this. Probably more what Konami expected when they went back to them, but that game came out what, 17 years ago? I wouldn't be surprised if Konami's quality control was more stringent at that time too. They obviously don't really give a fuck these days.

[@Benmahalf]

I agree with most of what you say but the key thing is Way Forward is the developer and not Konami. If Konami cared they would develop the game themselves and maybe enlist some of the OG team.

[@mcmcmify]

Nice review Mark. The graphics totally remind me of those mobile games KZbin advertises. BTW, was the GODHAND footage from miekkob? He's cracked at that game. Still waiting on your GODHAND review also 😅

[@-haso]

Mike Matei’s 9 hour hard mode, single hit, no perk run is 😂

[@MUGENAR]

oof😂

[@crawlingamongthestars3736]

Is he screaming like a madman the entire time? Lol.

[@JC-kl3uc]

The levels just drag and drag with very little enemy variety

[@TheElectricUnderground]

Ha playing the game under those conditions sounds like torture to me. Not so much because of the outright difficulty, but more because the game itself is a slog.

[@bulb9970]

Good old 10 incher, never change