Thus, Bill Rizer is partnered with Genbei "Jaguar" Yagyu, a samurai, and the two are sent to Earth to deal with the Neo Contra threat. Carrying out this new threat are four renegade Contras (elite warriors), who are called the Four Elite, united under the command of mysterious Master Contra. This government quickly showed its true colors, as it has other plans than bringing back normal civilization. From this underworld society rises a new order called "Neo Contra". 4444 when the Earth has been transformed into a prison planet, home to criminals and political rebels. Unlike the timed missions in the original Contra where the player loses one life once the time limit drops to zero, the entire game is over once the player is unable to complete the last part of the sixth stage within said time limit. Neo Contra also marks the return of the time limit from some versions of the original Contra games, with the last third of the sixth stage granting the player such to complete the mission. Normal mode offers players 5 lives and 7 continues to complete the seven missions of the game. There is a difficulty setting in the options menu, and playing on Easy difficulty grants players 30 lives to beat the first four missions, but on this difficulty it is impossible to view the game's ending. The fifth stage can only be selected by clearing the first four stages, while the sixth and seventh stages are only available if players maintain an above average grade overall. Like Shattered Soldier, the four initial stages can played in any order and be replayed anytime for higher grading. There are a total of seven stages in the game. The Type F configuration features the GV Laser and Ripple Laser, both weapons from Gradius V. The player can choose from one of the three initially available weapon sets (one which includes the famous Spread Shot from the earlier Contra games, which was missing in Shattered Soldier), with three additional sets that are time-release. The player has two types of firearms used against ground-level targets, one with regular ammo and the other with flammable rounds, and a third weapon used to lock-on airborne targets. The game uses a modified version of the three-weapon configuration from Shattered Soldier. The hit-ratio system that was introduced in Shattered Soldier has been kept in this title. Dash gives the player a quick burst of speed to evade hostiles, while spin gives the player an instance of invulnerability. Instead, two new defensive moves are added that allow the player to effectively evade in the new dimensions: dash and spin. Most of the game is played in an isometric perspective, but portions are side-scrolling or overhead-behind. Additionally, this title eradicates the boss-oriented gameplay of Hard Corps and the previous 32-bit titles, and seeks a balance more reminiscent of the 8-bit and SNES Contra games long free-form shooting sections, interspliced with boss encounters.Īdditionally, gameplay varies depending upon the level and camera angle presented (the camera cannot be user-controlled). However, unlike the titles developed under Appaloosa Interactive, players only need to aim in the third dimension upon rare occasions. Neo Contra once again brings the games back into three dimensions.