Contra is the arcade game Konami released in 1987, a side-scrolling run and gun in which one or two players, as Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, advance shooting at waves of soldiers and alien creatures until reaching an extraterrestrial enemy behind the invasion. Its level design, weapons, and bosses became a template for the entire genre that followed. Few arcade games sum up the golden era of 80s action so well: constant pace, essential co-op, and a high difficulty that was part of the challenge at the time and part of the legend today. Its legacy extends far beyond the arcade, going on to become one of Konami's longest-running franchises.
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