When Contra Rogue Corps was first shown off, reactions were not exactly warm. The game was viewed as a betrayal of Contra, having little in common with what fans liked. There were new characters that seemed bizarre, the perspective was different, and weapons now had an overheating mechanic.
Like many, I was turned off by what I saw and avoided the game like the plague. I had the Contra Anniversary Collection after all, which was all the Contra I needed. I wrote off Rogue Corps as a failed entry and something that would set Contra back for years and then moved on.
A few months ago, however, things changed when the game went on sale on the Switch eShop for only a few dollars. I was still iffy on the idea of playing, but the game was cheap and so I purchased it. What I encountered next made me slightly upset, not at the content of the game, but at myself for not having given it a chance sooner.
As I played Contra Rogue Corps, I found myself actually enjoying the game immensely. It was definitely not a traditional contra game, but the twin-stick action was fun in its own right. There were plenty of nods to the classic games in Rogue Corps, and the little touches like firing on doors in corridors did take me back to the classic days a bit. The overheating mechanic was admittedly annoying, but it soon became clear that it was put in to encourage players to switch up tactics, use the sub-weapon weapons and not just stick to one method.
When played as a non-traditional Contra game, Rogue Corps was actually very fun, and I daresay better than some of the entries in the series past. The music was great in the game, but the inclusion of light RPG mechanics, such as levelling up characters’ stats and levelling up weapons really did add a lot to the experience, especially when things like overheating can be mitigated through customization and levelling upgrades. When time is spent adjusting to the game, the experience was surprisingly fun, and I found myself wanting even more.
I believe that if the game was not labelled as a Contra game, it would have been received more warmly. Because the game is so different, it was rejected by long-time fans, but I urge everyone to give it a second chance. This is a game that will surprise you if you really spend the time on it.