Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX

Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX brought the spirit of the legendary run-and-gun series to the Game Boy Advance, combining it with content inspired by Contra III: The Alien Wars from the Super Nintendo. The player once again takes on the role of a commando fighting an alien invasion, and the game combines classic side-scrolling platforming with the bird's-eye-view sequences that made the series famous back on 16-bit consoles, supplementing them with new, exclusive sections created specifically for the handheld release.

Gameplay is based on constant forward movement, collecting various types of weapons with different properties, and memorizing enemy and boss patterns - bosses that often fill the entire screen and require precise dodging between volleys of projectiles. The player can choose from two main characters, each with different movement and a different special ability, adding a bit of variety to replaying the same levels. The GBA version adds new levels and slightly adjusts the difficulty compared to the originals, but stays true to the principle that a single slip-up can mean instant death, forcing the player to proceed by trial and error until they memorize the exact placement of hazards. The graphics rely on bold colors, detailed backgrounds, and smooth explosion animations, while the music continues the energetic, synth-driven motifs typical of the whole series, underscoring the sense of permanent danger and the drive typical of the whole genre.

Critics and fans of the series praised above all the fact that, despite the limitations of the smaller screen and weaker hardware, it managed to preserve the pace and tension for which Contra was famous on the big consoles, while also offering enough new content for those who knew the previous entries. Today the game works as an interesting handheld detour for players who want to experience the iconic series on the go, although its difficulty and austere design place it more among titles for experienced action-platformer players and lovers of the old-school run-and-gun genre.

Why play it: For experienced action-platformer players and lovers of the old-school run-and-gun genre, this is an interesting handheld detour that, despite the smaller screen, preserved the pace and tension of the iconic series.