Contra: Operation Galuga

I came into Operation Galuga with the same low expectations anyone should have after Contra: Rogue Corps left a crater in the franchise's reputation. The first few stages genuinely surprised me. The movement feels snappy on PC - dash, double jump, and the returning slide from Hard Corps all click together, and the eight-direction aiming gives you the kind of control that arcade-trained muscle memory craves. This is a shooter where positioning actually matters, and in those early stages WayForward clearly remembers what made the original formula work. The weapon system is the headline mechanical addition and it mostly delivers. Classics like the Spread Gun, Laser, Flamethrower, and Homing Missiles are all back, and collecting a second of the same weapon stacks it into a noticeably more destructive form - a level-two Laser bounces between targets, a doubled Spread Gun practically walls off the screen. The Overload mechanic layers on top: burn your current pickup to trigger a temporary effect like a drone barrage, a full damage shield, or a time-slow, which keeps the decision space interesting when weapons are dropping constantly. There's also a Perk Shop between stages where you spend earned credits on starting bonuses and stat tweaks, and - worth flagging up front - there are no microtransactions attached to it, despite an early prompt that looks suspicious. Here's where the patience runs thin, though. Story Mode clocks in at roughly two hours if you are not dying constantly across its eight stages, and some of those later stages overstay their welcome badly. Pacing drags when a stage pivots to a gimmick section - crystal reflections, scenery-obscured enemies - and lingers too long without variety. The 2.5D art style is the other sore point: character models and early environments look rough and underdefined, and the soundtrack outside of an excellent title theme is notably generic for a series that built its identity on memorable chiptune energy. Unlockable OSTs from classic Konami games can be swapped in for Arcade Mode runs, which is a nice bone to throw, but they are locked out of Story Mode. The content outside the main campaign is what saves the value calculation a little. Arcade Mode opens up four-player local co-op and strips out the cutscenes for a clean run. Challenge Mode adds short, punishing skill-check stages that will demand you actually master the movement tech and weapon timing. Multiple playable characters - including Lance Bean, plus additional unlockables like a warrior named Ariana and a mech-suited veteran - each carry distinct abilities and dialogue lines that incentivize replays. Difficulty settings run the full range from health-bar-equipped easy to classic one-hit-kill, so the game is genuinely accessible without gutting the challenge ceiling. The loudest complaint from the community and one I share: there is no online co-op. Local-only in 2024 for a game priced at a full premium tag is a hard sell when you want to run it with a friend across town. On PC specifically the input response is clean - none of the delay issues reported on Switch, where Unity Engine struggles more - so if you are playing here the core feel is as good as it gets. Steam users are sitting at 88% positive which tracks: fans of the genre who know what they are signing up for tend to leave satisfied. This is not the series comeback that wipes away years of mediocre entries. It is a competent, often fun, occasionally frustrating reimagining that nails the core movement and weapon sandbox but fumbles the level design in the back half and undersells itself with a short main game and an ugly visual presentation. Arcade Mode with a couch co-op partner is where it lives best.

Fred · Scout Team

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