Prepare to attack. Aggressively.
-----======================-----
.  .    --        .                                      .-. - . .
.------.---._ -.  . . . .                             . ._.-''._--
.---               \'.'. .'                               ' '/   ' ' /.
\       ___            |.'                               './       /''
.' /    . -      -.      .'  '                                /   /   ' '
.'    .           '.__.'                                 .' /   /|  '
. ./   .'      ______   .--.   --- -----  -------.  .--.    .'/   / |  |
|   (       / ____ \  | .  . | | ---. | '-----. ) | . \   '/   /  |   |___
.\   \      ||____||  | |\  '| |    | | | ____  \ | --  \ /   /--'    ___/
' \  .\     \______/  |_|  \__.'    |_| |_|   |_| |_|  \_\     _..   /
..(   \_                                                '/   .'.''|  /
-__  ''-._            _                                        |  |
'-__    ''-.'..'''.''.                                      | |
--.-._--''. .                                           |/
|
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Contra 4 - Nintendo DS
Version 1.1 (20/01/2007)
Version History:
1.1: A lot of new user submissions (mostly bosses). (20/01/2007)
1.0: All appendecies complete, and all challenges complete. The guide is now
finsihed. (12/12/2007)
0.9: Arcade mode complete, challenge mode pretty robust and the first user
submission. (10/12/2007)
0.3: First three stages, and the skeleton of the guide - (06/12/2007)
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Legality:
This Guide is Copyright, 2007, Matthew McIntyre
This guide may not be used on a website or in any public forum
where it is protected by copyright without the consent of the author.
To contact me: entropiclobo(at)yahoo(dot)ca or chaos(dot)wolf(at)gmail(dot)com
-I'm very open to feedback as long as you're decent.
Websites with permission to use this Guide:
www.GameFAQS.com
www.neoseeker.com
faqs.IGN.com
www.1up.com
www.honestgamer.com
www.gamesradar.com
www.cheatplanet.com
http://www.cheathappens.com
Game by Wayforward/Konami
******************************************************************************
*                            Table of Contents                               *
******************************************************************************
*To jump to a section, hold the Control Key and press F, then type in the
section number as it appears (ie type CF1)
CF1: Intro
CF2: Gameplay
CF3: Items
CF4: Arcade Mode
CF4.1: Stage 1: Jungle
CF4.2: Stage 2: Laboratory
CF4.3: Stage 3: Base
CF4.4: Stage 4: Harbor
CF4.5: Stage 5: Ocean
CF4.6: Stage 6: Factory
CF4.7: Stage 7: City
CF4.8: Stage 8: Alien Hive
CF4.9: Stage 9: Harvest Yard
CF5: Challenge Mode
CF6: Bosses
CF7: Enemies
CF8: Extras and Secrets
CF9: Credits
Contra 4 is rated "B" for "Badass," and is only one of the few instances I will
use that word. It contains scenes of rippling muscles and dirty alien scum.
Player discretion is advised.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|                                CF1: Intro                                  |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"So, they sent in four lethal badasses to do what they do best."
Contra's the kind of series that isn't shy about what it is - balls to the
walls action with a steep difficulty curve. It knows who its fans are and what
its audience is. It's diverged more than once, but it's invariably returned to
the fold. Now, I love when developers have the stones to change how a game
plays. But when it's undeniably Contra? I can live with a more classic
throwback for this series especially when it's turned 20.
Where are the stones here then? Releasing a game like this on a console that
thrives on non-game shovelware is not necessarily a ballsy move but to keep it
true to the series and even be tongue and cheek in regards to its own
difficulty shows that Wayforward knew who the audience for this series was and
weren't going to dick around to make it more "accessible."
That said, COntra 4 _is_ COntra and that means while things seem out of hand
or even intimidating at first they become much clearer and easier the more you
play. This is what I love about this series - it's difficult without being
unfair. If you die, it's more than likely your fault - so you really can
master it and you really do feel like you've acheived your victory.
And that's all there is to it folks, you can put this one down if you keep at
it. And it's the kind of game that just brings you back for more, frothing
all the wgile. I'm going to be giving tips and strategies on getting through
this game, but there's really a lot on your shoulders already. It always
seems like I sell the guides short whenever I do a shooter because I always
say that your practice and ability are called into question. But that's just
it, they are. And if you just keep at this isn't going to be an issue.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|                               CF2: Gameplay                                |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CF2.1: Basics
CF2.2: Advanced tactics
CF2.3: Modes
***CF2.1: Basics***
Contra 4 takes place over a number of side-scrolling levels. You have one hit
point under most circumstances. It is a run n' gun so the screen will often
be filled with bullets or enemies, or both. It's your task to cream these foes
before they get a chance to attack or dodge and weave around the bullets.
Bravery is often rewarded, but at the same time if you take things slowly it
can pay off as well. Perhaps only scrolling a single major threat onscreen at
a time and then walloping it before you continue could pay off?
Action takes place over both screens so try to watch both at once. THis is
very disorienting at first but a worthwhile exercise.
Start: Pause
A: Discard Weapon
B: Jump
X: Grapple Hook
Y: Shoot
Your grapple hook allows you to grapple up to certain structures, usally on
the top screen and usually rails that your character can grab onto. This hook
travels all the way to the top of the top screen.
Discard throws your power-up out. It doesn't totally get rid of it, just
tosses it forward in case you do it by accident - and you probably will more
than once when you just start out.
Your standard gun is fairly weak though most enemies will fall to it in just
a few shots. You will want to upgrade it, however. The biggest advantage in
Contra's main levels is being able to strike multiple enemies at once, be this
through explosions, able to pass through multiple enemies, or covering a wide
area.
L: Switch Weapon
You can keep two weapons at once, your active weapon and your reserve.
Pressing L switches the weapons. Your reserve is kept even if you die, but
not if you continue - extremely useful to keep a crowd control weapon or boss
slayer weapon.
R: Stand Still
This lets you... stand still. What's that? Not useful? Actually, it's very
useful. Contra often had you jumping in place to aim straight down... no more.
You can hold R, aim down and take those suckers out. Very useful.
Left/Right: Moves your character
Up, Up and Left, Up and Right, left and down, right and down: Move while
aiming the direction you are pressing.
Down: Lay on the ground. You can fire while you lay down.
Third-Person Bases:
Controls are a little different in here. You can lay down, jump and move back
and forth. Enemies are in the background and you fight your way through a
number of rooms to the boss.
The weapons have pretty much the same function in here. When you clear a room
press UP to proceed to the next room.
***CF2.2: Advanced Tactics***
*Air Pause:
---------
This one may save your life if you know to use it, though you won't be using
it too often. Pressing the X button fires your grapple hook but also makes you
pause for a brief second and so you are either a good target or you pause
above a potential threat letting it pass by.
This is -not- something you are going to be using a whole lot, but when you
do get some success with it you'll be glad you thought of it.
*Hot Swapping:
------------
It's a basic, really, but your reserve weapon is kept even if you die - only
continues will make it disappear. You want to switch to the reserve for when
you are firing at some enemy and you need to down him fast. When on the move,
switch back to your other weapon or when you are about to be hit. If you're
dodging a boss, you may want to only switch to your anti-boss weapon when you
get the opportunity.
*Rail Dodge:
----------
Not one to be taken lightly, a daredevil move. To dodge a shot while hanging
and jumping is not an issue, press down and B to drop down off the rail then
grapple back up there before you die.
*Regarding Tossing Upgrades:
--------------------------
The A button is useful for when you get two weapons of the same variety only
one is your core weapon and one is your reserve. Now, this may be fine
depending on whether or not you want to USE this weapon yet keep one in
reserve as well. But if you toss the weapon, you can switch and get your
upgrade.
*Lay Down:
--------
As Andy pointed out to me, and I regret I didn't think to try it from the first
Contra is that you can lay down in the bases. Very useful to dodge bullets.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|                                CF3: Items                                  |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Items are the cornerstone to your victory at times. They make life a lot
easier and aliens scream for mercy.
What weapon you like is totally up to you. Some are very useful all the time
while others have more periodic use. Make use of your ability to hold both
at once.
*Barrier:
-------
the barrier protects you from shots for a short time. Take the opportunity
to tear it up and defeat either difficultly placed enemies or make progress
ont he level. They are often places in such a way that you can make
immediate
*Crush:
-----
Powerful missiles that lack range, they are a decent anti-boss weapon. When
you upgrade the Crush, it gets a longer range. this benefits it more than
you would think. Being able to launch these suckers across the screen means
those alien bastards will running for the hills.
You'll want to tap the button to get the most out of crush.
*Flame:
-----
The Flame gun is a decently powerful weapon that is terrific as an upgraded
gun but not so much when you get one without the upgrades. It's initial
mode is one that fires swirling balls of fire forward. These pack a decent
punch but lack speed and penetrating ability. When you upgrade it, it
launches a fireball that explodes on contact, the explosion is able to hurt
enemies.
It's a pretty great payoff, really, and definitely something to consider. You
will want to tap the button to get the highest rate of fire out of Flame.
*Homing:
------
These missiles aren't the most powerful thing on the block but they track
enemies. It goes in arcs toward the enemy, and due to its turning axis it
can fly around an enemy rather than into it. The homing is great on a fair
few bosses, however, and it's worth keeping a fully upgraded homing on hand
for that reason.
Upgraded Homing missiles fire three at once. This is much more useful.
However, remember that running with Homing won't guarantee that anything in
front of you will be toasted, so I'd say use homing with discretion.
You will still want to aim your shots and you will want to tap the button
to get the most out of this.
*Laser:
-----
The laser's best feature is its ability to pierce an enemy and go on to the
next. It's also fairly strong so you'll be able to pull off a few shots in
short order. The laser gets thicker and faster when its upgraded. While not
as fast as the machine gun, it's what you want if you want to blast through
multiple enemies at once.
Holding down the button when its upgrades gets the most out of it, it does
not seem to make a difference when it is at level 1.
*Machine Gun:
-----------
An excellent weapon, the machine gun is a very rapid fire weapon that is
great for quickly dispatching foes requiring more than one shot. It also
provides a constant stream of bullets so that enemies will be caught in the
stream if they cross it. Upgrading it adds a second stream, and they are
thicker. This lets you hit ground based targets without ducking down, very
useful.
Holding down the button will get the fastest stream.
*Rapid:
-----
Your default weapon, rapid is a weak gun with a moderate rate of fire. It will
take down most enemies fairly quickly in spite of this, though its size and
rate of fire leave much to be desired. It's a lack of power, coverage, and
speed that means you will take anything but this.
To fire it more rapidly, tap the button.
*Smart Bomb:
----------
A blank eagle symbol, it destroys all enemies onscreen. Useful, but don't
kill yourself trying to grab it.
*Spread Shot:
-----------
Red Falcon just wet his undies, the spread gun is a great weapon to have on
hand. The intial spread gun is a three-way shot, and the upgraded is a 5-way
shot. The only real drawback is a slight lack of power when compared to some
of the other weapons though it does have a fair bit of power. Rapidly tapping
the button to get the most out the spread gun will take down many threats
with relative ease.
This is great for thrasing suckers on the oppsoite screen.
--Challenge Mode Only:
*Classic Laser:
-------------
Fires a line laser out from the gun. This is not terribly powerful, though
it does have the ability to hit more than once. Only one laser may exist at
once, as such pulsing the button will have it stay just in front of you.
Only for challenge modes, take a minute to learn its finer points before
you go ahead through the challenge.
*Prototype Weapon:
----------------
This is a 5-missile homing attack. Take your time when using this and it will
really wreck the enemies. It has the same drawbacks as the normal homing, but
the extra missiles really do make a world of difference.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|                             CF4: Arcade Mode                               |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Let's Attack Aggressively!"
Arcade Mode is played over 9 stages (7 in Easy). Storm your way through the
stages and take out the boss enemy at the end of each one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CF4.1: Stage 1: Jungle
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first level, you can feel the sweat drip as the chopper lowers you into the
jungle. Well then, let run to the right. After the first little hill, stop and
get the machine gun out of the blimp that passes by.
From the hill jump right while firing, you'll hit a dirk on the top of the next
plateau. Jump to where he was and keep both ends of the platform onscreen so no
fodder soldiers run up next to you. Aim down and shoot the hell out of the dirk
laid out across the ground before moving on.
Again jump and fire to take out a dirk as you continue right. At a bridge now,
if you want a flame gun you will have to go up. If you take the water route,
then you can avoid damage altogether by laying down in the water. This is
useful to remember for Challenge Mode later.
At the end of the bridge there is a turret and an upgrade box. Take out the
turret then shoot out the upgrade for the spread shot. Now, you may want to
switch back to your other weapon for now. Run right while aiming diagonally up
and right while firing to hit the next dirk. Jump up to the platform he was
standing on and continue right. When you see a turret raise out of the ground,
aim down and right and fire to destroy it. Continue right, use the grappling
hook and jump off onto the ledge.
Aim down and right as you run across the bridge so as to kill the dude jumping
up onto it. If you don't, he'll blow up the bridge - but that's a non-issue for
now. The blimp that arrives contains another (M) so you can have a maxed out
machine gun at this point if you kept the first one. Kill the Dirk near the
ledge and then grappling hook up to the rail near the top of the screen. There
is a dude laying down near here. If you move back and use the spread gun, he
will go down fast. If you can't hit him from the rail, get down there and jump
when he fires, take a shot, jump, take a shot and jump. Etc etc.
Running across the bridge here, make a choice. If you have the spread shot then
the top route is a decent choice. If you don't, the bottom may be more suitable
for you. Right at the start there is a (C) in an upgrade box for Crush missiles
so pick it up if you want... not the best choice HERE though as they have short
range until upgraded.
-Above-
As you run across the bridge aim down and shoot the guy who wants to blow it up
so as we can stay at the top. The same goes for the second bridge. There's a
power-up over the second bridge that will destroy all enemies.
There are a few dirks along the way but you must also destroy the dudes on the
lower path. Avoid their shots and return fire with the spread shot. Near the
end of the run there is a ground turret, so watch out.
Near the end of the run below there is a spread shot upgrade, so you can get
yours to level 2 if you take out some of the foes down below then jump down to
snag it.
-Below-
Trudge through the water and duck if you need to. Take aim at the Dirks and
grenade tossers and duck to avoid their fire into the water. After the second
bridge, watch out for dudes jumping down from above.
You can get a spread shot power-up near the end of this path.
-Back on Path-
Run up the hill firing. You can stop under these guy and shoot up if you so
wish, or just keep on charging to the right. When the ground evens out again
there will be a Dirk laying on the ground. Take him out then continue along.
Aim up and right and take out the dude on the hill to the right before he even
gets a chance to react.
Now, running right you will come to a gap. There is a Laser in a blimb coming
along on the top screen, so snag that if you will. As you continue right you
will come to another dirk, kill him. To the right there is an upgrade box,
grapple rail, and wall turret. Run over to above the wall turret and shoot down
to destroy it. Now, run over to above the upgrade. It is a Homing shot. To get
it, shoot down to activate it then press jump and down to jump down through the
cliff to get it. Now, immediately use your grapple hook to get all the way up
to that rail and to avoid death in a bottomless pit.
You may as well take the bottom route right, destroying the grenade throwers as
they appear. You could go up, but you'd be jumping down immediately. There is a
machine at the top of the screen that will antagonize you and while you can
ride it after destroying it, you will likely need to be on the ground to
properly fight it.
So when the machine arrives, it will periodically stop and launch a fireball
downa t you. Simply get out of the way when it stops. Fire up at it, homing
shot helps but switch if you're going to get hit. Eventually, it will stop
moving altogether and a hatch will open.
Now, if you wanted to ride it, you will have to NOT pass the second rail to the
right of the start as it is high enough to let you leap into the machine. The
fireballs destroy the greyish ground though, so be careful. Once you are in the
machine, you can shoot as you always did - except it launches a large fireball
downwards. If you jump, you will exit the machine.
If you just run right, the best place to fight it is where there are two
grapple rails running side by side. Near the end of these rails is a Dirk,
however, so be ready for him. Either way, you should destroy the rail machine
as it usually grants an extra life.
As you run right there will be two blimps - one for a flame gun and one for
laser. You may be able to fully upgrade one of them now if that was your
intention. The boss is to the right.
***BOSS***
A classic wall? Jump to the top of the hill right from the start and cream the
Dirk who is standing at the top of the wall. Stay to the left side of the hill
so as the two mid-wall turrets do not strike you. Stay above the core as it
will launch a laser forward. Now, you can aim down at this sucker from the hill
anyways but itcharges a bit before launching the laser so if you want a more
direct confrontation, you'll know what to expect. Defeat everything else first
though.
But that's not all folks. Stay toward the left of the top platform and aim up
and to the right as the wall raises to fill both screens. A few Dirks will be
at the top now. If you cannot get the angle right to hit them, wait until the
top core has fired its laser and then grapple the helicopter to get a better
shot at the Dirks. But jump down if the top core is about to fire again. This
gives you some breathing room when dealing with the rest of the wall.
After the soldiers are gone, stay at the upper left of that platform and aim
at the guns. After that, you can take out the cores. This is easy if you have
the homing gun. Otherwise, aim down at the bottom core and destroy it before
you worry about the top core. Use the helicopter to reach the top core if you
can't angle up at it. Just drop down when you see it charging. This battle will
be over soon.
User input:
==========
-User strat 1:
Sean Rhodes submits a safe method for taking on this wall. To perform this
strategy you're going to need to collect a fully upgraded spread shot in the
level and get to the boss without using a continue. Should be a simple task.
"When you've got the Spread Gun, just stand on the far left. Begin the battle
by holding R and diagonally. Then simply stand on the far left and shoot at
the wall. The Spread Gun makes it so that you'll hit the guns at the top of
the wall and the red eye at the same time.  Duck when necessary.
When the wall rises, first hold R and shoot diagonally. Your shots should hit
all the men up top but one of them. If you feel you must take him out, do so,
but unless you move from the far left of the screen he can't actually hit you.
If you MUST hit him because you want to kill everything, just move forward
slightly and fire diagonally. Now take out the bottom half the same way you
did before.  Ducking when necessary. Only the red heart at the top should be
left after this (unless you didn't kill the other guy). Everything should be
perfectly clear. You can shoot diagonally from the far left and at least one
shot should hit. If not, just stand in the middle of the bottom screen and
shoot up until it dies. This tactic isn't the fastest for defeating the boss,
but it's the safest and if you're good, won't cost you any lives."
Thanks Sean. The Spread Shot's probably something a lot of you have been
collecting anyways, so give it a whirl.
-User Strat 2:
David Rcikard sends a method to expediate the level 1 boss - people really seem
to have it out for our chum... It requires the level 2 Machine Gun, which you
are likely to covet on higher difficulties anyways...
"For the level 1 boss, you can beat this very quickly and with no danger to
yourself if you have the level 2 machine gun. Simply fire at the red core at
the start, and it will die in seconds. Then as the eye underneath opens up and
begins to rise, use the platform to keep the machine gun firing at it. It
should blow up before it goes out of reach. Then you can waste the bottom core
before anything can get a shot off at you."
-User Strat 3:
efire_ is all about killing bosses before they even materialze, so this one is
quite like the above strategy.
"All of your strategies on Level 1's tower boss involve the lengthy shooting of
each individual part of the tower. If you know what to do, this is pointless
and time-wasting. Here what everyone should do:"
Ha ha, guilty as charged brother. But don't forget that I did have to write
this with everyone in mind.
"This strategy makes the first boss into a complete joke. First, you need a
Level 2 weapon, preferrably M2 or C2. S2 works as well, but requires a bit
more skill. Anyways, as you run into the screen where the tower boss is
located, begin firing straight ahead like mad. Don't even bother to dodge the
sniper's bullet; if you did it right, the first core is quickly destroyed.
Keep firing. As the second core appears, continue firing like mad, jumping up
each platform as the core rises. If you need to, hold the R button and aim
diagonally up to finish off the top core. This core should die before it
reaches the top screen. Finally, jump down to the far left corner of the
screen and pummel the bottom core. It should blow up before the sniper shots
reach you from the top. Easy stuff."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CF4.2: Stage 2: Laboratory
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to the right is a blimp holding a crush missile. This takes out the meat
puppets rather handily, so if you don't have an upgraded weapon you might
consider them.
For this part, I'll say it once - take your time. Aliens will be crawling
around in those tunnels to the upper screen and pop out at you. Take your time,
grapple the ceiling, and wait until it is clear before moving on. Scroll the
screen slowly in this part so that you only have one meat puppet on screen at
once. They explode after a bit if you can't destroy them and so youw ant the
extra room for evasion. Also, if there is an alien right on the wall, then it
can crawl through the wall itself... don't let it trick you.
The first of which appears right at the first pit. Scroll it onscreen, then
back off. Then there will be meat puppets. Aim down diagonally at them. If you
can't take them out then you will have to back off and see if you can't avoid
their explosion. When you reveal the destroy all enemies power-up, get a meat
puppet or two onscreen before you snag it.
As I said, it just takes patience to get through this part. If you run too fast
with poor weapons or plaina nd simple unfamiliarity then you will get killed
here as it can get VERY thick with enemies.
Either way, when you leave the lab you will be at a waterfall. Keep shooting as
you run right and you will kill a Dirk. Check the top screen and you will see
a dude throwing grenades. Aim up and fry him in the cookies. Jump on the right
wall and climb it up. If you can take out that wall turret from here?
Fantastic, so it. Otherwise, ride the platform left, climb the left wall and
take it out from right below.
There will be rocks falling at this point. They fall from those black holes, so
watch out. The upgrade box has a machine gun in it, if you need it. Otherwise,
let's head up. Fromt he scrap of the wall turret, let the big rock bounce
offscreen. Climb the right wall and let the rock bounce off the moving platform
and then jump onto it and to the left before it re-emerges. When it falls past
the two platforms immediately below the hole, jump up both of these and up to
the right. There is a homing shot in this upgrade box, excellent if you kept
the homing gun from level 1.
Let the rocks again fall past and jump onto the platform moving left and right.
The upgrade box over here has a flame gun in it. Destroy some of the fodder
soldiers before moving up. Head right and jump onto the rope. Hold up to climb
it to the top. Jump onto the moving platform ASAP however, as rocks will be
falling from above.
The upgrade box here contains a barrier. Grab it then climb the rope. Get the
spread gun as its blimb comes down and while still in a barrier, aim up and
destroy the Dirks waiting above. Then make your way up to this platform, you
will have to kill a few soldiers before you jump up.
Jump on the rope here, then jump onto the rope to its right. The Mr. Scuba here
weill fire once you pass him. Jump to the righthand wall and climb up and you
will avoid his grenades. Aim up at the Dirk on the top screen. Wait for the
rocks to pass before making your enxt move.
Climb the lefthand wall and aim up. Kill the grenade dude once you're at the
top then aim up and to the right to take out the Dirk. The upgrade box around
here provides crush missiles. If you kept them from the start of the lab, then
by all means take them.
Let the rock fall before making your way up. The upgrade box holds a machine
gun. Take care not to stay to the left of the screen so as the grenade doof
doesn't smack you with a grenade.
Mr. Scuba again, but be more worried about the soldiers. Just aim up and fire
if they climb down your rope. Start this act by climbing all the way to the top
of the central rope, then taking the righthand path. Things may change when you
shoot the blimb and reveal the spreadshot though, it is VERY useful in this
level's next segment.
When you make it onto the metal bridge, aim up and take out the suckers above
you. The first blimp is a laser so take it or leave it. The Dirks are less
threatening than the grenade tossers here, but you don't have room to be picky.
Just take care of everyone that appears.
***BOSS***
The boss sequence starts out with some stock enemies, but they are considered
by the game to be part of the fight. So, from the start stand a little ways
away formt he door, face it, and start firing when it opens. These stock troops
will go down fast.
There will then be four red Dirks. Take out two on one side as you run that way
then the other two safely pick off from across the screen. Now, two blue
grenade tossers will appear. Shot at them, and move when they toss and shoot
again. Keep it up and theyw ill soon be dead. Now, there are four black Dirks
appearing now. Run back and forth across the screen firing at them until one or
two drops. Jump to avoid the shots, or pause and move when they shoot. They may
not all shoot in tandem, however, so it's best to learn to move. Either way,
you only need to kill three as the boss kills the fourth.
This dude is straight out of Contra, but he has a major overhaul that is also
totally awesome. Aim at his head to damage him but watch out for the claws.
When he raises an arm, he'll be bringing it down - hard. Run and jump over the
purple shockwave. When it brings both arms together and moves down, run to the
opposite side of the screen and jump to avoid its tail.
It will then begin spewing balls of energy at you. You'll need to run between
the shots only once. Once one passes you, run past its position to avoid the
rest. This whole sequence is a great chance to rack up the damage on it. When
it slams the ground and pulls the platform up, run to its side and aim up.
Shoot the hell out of it from beside it - it spews the energy from the opposite
direction it started in. However, stand as far left as possible and you won't
get killed.
When he drops the platform, he'll move to the extreme of one side. From here,
he shows only one arm onscreen and this one will also be used to attack as he
did at the start, pounding the ground.
When he eventuallty blows up, the platform falls away. He begins to chase you
down the waterfall while spewing energy. Handle this as before, shoot up and
when a ball passes near you, run to the other side. He will soon be permanently
blopped and you can proceed to the next level.
-He's quite a but harder with the energy balls on Hard. you may have to jump
between two midair balls to make it. It's tricky either way.
-User Input:
==========
If you missed _efire's level 1 strategy, this is very much the same. Again, a
level 2 Machine Gun or Crush will do well here.
"Just have either M2 or C2, and continually fire straight up at the alien head,
moving only slightly to dodge the claws. After you start falling, just stand
in the center and fire straight up. Don't even move here; you should kill him
before any of the purple balls can reach you."
Folks, this could be key on hard mode to reduce the headache ;).
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CF4.3: Stage 3: Base
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Another throwback, this is a third-person base. You can fire straight forward,
run left and right, jump and duck. There is a map of the base at the bottom of
the screen. These levels are actually the easiest in the game. And I mean that
in a sense of they aren't too overstuffed with foes.
*Adding this blurb to all bases:
As Andy pointed out to me, and I regret I didn't think to try it from the first
Contra is that you can lay down in the bases. Very useful to dodge bullets.
*Room 1:
Kill the soldiers as they run onscreen. One will drop a machine gun. Take it if
you need it. Destroy the red core to proceed to the next room.
*Room 2:
Destroy the central turret first and foremost. Then, take on the dudes running
in fromt he left and right. One of them drops a Laser, which actually works
wonders on the cores.
As for taking out the cores, you will want to run back and forth firing. You
may want to lay down and take out the bottom cores first as they can be a
little trickier to hit with the soldiers running onscreen.
*Room 3:
The cores aren't open right from the start. Run back and forth shooting the
soldiers that arrive until they do open. One of the dudes drops a flame gun
which is actually quite useful in these levels because it can hit lower or
higher targets (within reason) while standing (as opposed to jumping or laying
down) due to the large size of the shot.
When the cores are revealed, jump up and give em' hell.
*Room 4:
There will be metal cylinders from the bottom. You can jump over them and duck
down to destroy them but in this room they cannot reach the extreme sides of
the room so you cna avoid them altogether if you jump there.
The big targets are the wall turrets though. Destroy one right from the start,
then work on the next one. Once they're gone, just take your time with the
cores when the barrels have passed by.
*Room 5:
Again, the barrels can't reach the extreme sides. However, the soldiers more
than make up for that. Rend the soldiers and you will be able to pick up the
spread shot here which will come in handly.
You need to jump for the cores. Use the spread shot to take out both at once.
*Room 6:
The turrets that rise from the ground will glow white before they fire. Duck
and fire at them, but then run and jump when they go to fire at you. When
they're gone, or at least in much diminished numbers you can start shooting
the cores. The big core will open when all the little ones are gone. Pump it
full of lead and proceed to run on through to the boss.
*Room 7: Boss
There are barrels that roll across the ground here too, but they can reach each
side of the room so be prepared to jump. There are also soldiers in this room,
so shoot them when they appear.
The boss itself doesn't take much of a beating. It's, again, from Contra but
it's fought in the third person perspective this time. Jump and fire when it is
fully formed to damage it. It will also launch shots to either side of the room
which can be destroyed. If you don't destroy them, they move across the floor
so jump over them.
If you were able to hold onto a homing gun, it makes short, short work of this
boss. It really is this simple though, so just avoid the other hazard and jump
and fire at this sucker until he's downed completely.
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CF4.4: Stage 4: Harbor
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Jump down to the platform to the right, then onto the rail. Jump back to the
platform you just left and lay down. The dude shooting from the right will
shoot over to you. Destroy him then move across the rail until you see a Dirk
shooting fromt he top screen. Aim at him and take em' out.
At the next platform you will see another Dirk up there. Shoot the blimp for a
a flame gun if you want it, then jump back onto the previous rail, take out the
sniper, then jump back to the right. Keep to the top rails on the top screen
for now. Destroy the grenade tosser and grab the Homing gun from the blimp if
you want to - it's very useful in this level. Jump to the platform and kill the
sniper. The Mr. Scubas down below are shooting up at you, you can hit them when
they emerge or use the homing gun. Either way, we're avoiding them.
Jump down to the platforms below, then grapple up to the slanted rails at the
top. Move over, kill the Mr. Scuba then scroll the turret dude onscreen. Drop
down to a lower rail then kill him from below. Grapple back up and jump across.
Kill the Dirk up here and open the blimp for the Laser. There's one below you
as well - kill him then move on. As you run up the incline, watch out for the
grenade dudes and lay down when you get to the top - there is a dude in a
turret up here. Blast him and move on.
Ah, this sub should remind you of Operation C. It will shoot large shots from
the righthand side, small shots from the left, and rake the screen with
vertical lasers. Now, spread gun and homing are -super- helpful here and an
unpowered crush won't reach it unless you risk jumping down to the lower
rails.
If you do, you will have to grapple back to the top when it starts raking with
the lasers. Otherwise, just run across the top aiming down at the three turrets
to the right, big one on the left, and the four panels for the lasers. You can
avoid the lasers by running to the extreme side of the screen. The red shots
are big and obvious, but watch out for the small ones. When it spews those, you
DO have to make your way to the left side, and shoot the turret, but track the
shots on the bottom screen. If you can't aim diagonally at the laser panels,
just stand over them and aim down. Get a shot or two in and then run before the
lasers come - you have to shoot when they open after all.
There are proboterrors in the next area, and the option to go above or below.
Now, you can get some items above liek a machine gun, but the first you get on
the lower path is a barrier (then the flame gun). THe proboterrors take
multiple destructions to stay down - they will reform as a tripod walking
turret or a dog. With the barrier you can run through about half of these
suckers without issue. Otheriwse, you need to take it a little more slowly,
making sure they're destroyed before going on - because if they just crumble in
the same spots but at different times, running past may result in your demise.
User Input:
==========
Alex Cook had this to say about the Proboterror section:
"4.  In stage 4 I found a way that you can earn a bunch of free guys.  I guess
that you could do it in any level, but this one worked the best for me.
Right before you get to the platforms with the birdmen, your facing off
against the proboterrors that are running along the ground and the top
platform.  If you go just near the end of this part, where the top platform
ends, you can just sit right there and shoot the proboterrors as they approach
you from the left (at this point they will only come from the left).  The
machine gun works best for this as you can just hold the button down and press
up or down to get them.  After 5 minutes or so I had gotten about 10 free
lives."
Pretty cool, especially if you don't want to bother with glitches. You can spam
enemies, get a few lives, and be on your merry way.
==========
We're at the halfway mark now, large staging rolls onscreen. There's not a
whole lot to say here. Gradually make you way up the staging using the
platforms and ladders. Kill the birdmen as they appear. A little ways up you
can earn a spread gun (it's the first blimp) and this helps immensely with
birdman crowd control. When you see a blimp that gives a machine gun, you're
getting towards the end of this segment.
At the top, use the grapple hook. The rocket will launch. When the next
horizontal rail scrolls onscreen, jump and grapple up again. And again for the
next one. Jump onto the vertical rail and the screen will shift to the left.
The wallhugger is kind of tough, but you can take him down really fast if you
exploit the pattern. Before the battle starts, get about 3/4 up the vertical
rail. Fire down at him. When he starts moving up, move down and he will punch
at your previous position. Fire up at him but when he slides, move up asap as
he will some down faster than he climbs and the punch will get you. If he
stops to fire missiles, stay above him, shoot the missiles, and start the
pattern over again.
User Input:
==========
Andrew Kurland has a strategy for the Missile Hugger 3000, which involves the
horizontal pipe at the top. I hadn't considered it, so many kudos.
"The Missile Hugger 3000 midboss on stage 4 is a pain in the ass, indeed, until
you get used to its pattern. I like to use that horizontal railing above me to
my advantage during this fight- the moment I know he's coming (as the screen
scrolls left), I immediately use the grappling hook (or climb and use the jump
my character automatically performs at the top of the vertical pipe) to get up
there and shoot at him. Once he starts climbing up to the height he needs to
punch me, I immediately drop down to the vertical pipe and slide down to avoid
the punch. I don't slide down much, and I keep firing at the boss all the
while once I know I'm out of the punch's way. I often get about three or four
bursts in on the midboss this way. Once I'm close to the bottom of the rail,
I slide down, wait for him to retract his hand from a punch, and jump- using
the grappling hook to repeat the process from the beginning- firing down and
to the left to ensure I shoot the missiles he fires once I do so.
Again, I did not test this on Hard."
Once he's destroyed, climb to the top of the vertical rail. Jump up and grapple
and then climb to the next horizontal rail. There will be a few circular
objects on the side of the rocket. Grab one, and away we go.
This part can be tricky. Whenever a new circle opens up, jump to it. The old
ones disappear. The spread gun helps here, fire at the missiles that are coming
in to meet you and destroy them before they hit. All the while, keep jumping to
the next hold and so on and so forth. At the end, you will have to jump up on
top of the rocket's bottom when it is heading down.
Yipe! Now we're avoiding rocket fire. There are three areas for the flames to
come from, and the rocket flares up before shooting fire. So, what we do is
stand in the middle as often as possible and run to a safe spot once we see a
flare. Once you see all three flare up, this segment is toast.
When the missile crashes, it's time for the boss fight.
***BOSS***
This sucker can be unpredictable, and that's what boosts his difficulty a tad.
This giant has two attacks - punching and missiles. Sounds simple, the missiles
are really easy to dodge, but the punches are another story. If he punches from
the arm farthest from you, then he will punch diagonally, making it very
difficult to avoid. Otherwise he punches straight down, easy to avoid.
He pumps his fist before delivering a punch, so you know where it's going to
come from. He's excited to be squishing you.
Now, I've found that he often tries the diagonal punches from offscreen and so
to avoid this what we can do is watch which way the robot giant moves. Follow
his posiition and he will often move his body back onscreen to put the pucks
to you. If he attacks from the opposite arm, then avoid it to the best of your
ability. Otherwise, wait for him to come back and avoid his straight down fist
attacks. I can't promise this will work, but I have had it work more often than
not.
When both arms are gone, you only have to worry about the missiles. Destroy or
avoid them and aim at his chops. He'll go down without much of a fuss.
User input:
==========
David Rickard has this to mention...
"...So when you blow one arm up, actually run over to his other arm so he
scoots over and punches down rather than punches diagonally."
I can't believe I neglected to mention that here, geez. Thanks for the wake up
call David, :).
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CF4.5: Stage 5: Ocean
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You're riding your little cycle over water here. The stage starts with some
filet o' deaths making your life miserable. They jump out of the water and fire
shots. Now, you can hit them when they leap or you can jump over their shots.
Either way, we need to track their position on the bottom screen. If you stay
towards the back of the screen, none will hit you when they jump out - though
the shots are another story of course.
The blimps that appear during this segment are in this order: C, M, F, and L.
Eventually there will be two long bone-like fish. C and M are great here. You
need to blow up their segments. Aim at them as they move around below you while
staying toward the centre of the screen. Move or jump when they surface to
avoid them.
Next up is a ship that launches blue robots out the top. Shoot these suckers
and their missiles, then move and jump when the missiles get too close to you.
The blimb here provides a smart bomb - definitely try to get it.
The next phase launches blue robots from beneath the ship. Stay toward the
middle robot launching panel and fire DOWN. When the middle bot is destroyed
move left to avoid his shot and then get back into position. Repeat until the
segment ends.
Up next is the black robot captain. Fire at him until he blows up but take the
opportunity to fire at the blue robots flying into the air as well. They're
just like before. A wide weapon, or the Homing shot from the blimp in this
segment, will be helpful.
***BOSS***
Two blimps, both very useful appear here: M and S. S is especially useful
against this dire fish. His pattern is really simple though he takes a real
beating.
Stay to the right of the screen when the battle starts. The fish arcs up with
an eye laser, raking the sky. Aim down with the spread gun and fire. You will
hit him at various positions such as the fins. If you don't have the spread
gun, just fire down and you'll still start to rack up the damage.
When he moves across the screen, don't follow him because he launches the
spikes fro his back. If one does get launched at you, jump to the right or
left to avoid it.
There are also plenty of filet o' deaths in this area. Most should be killed
by the spread gun but watch out for the others so that they do not jump into
you. Ouch. Dodge their bullets and move on if they manage to get above the
surface of the water.
Move to the side of the screen every time he does. He will use the laser
each time. Keep it up until he drops. When he does first swim away, strike
him in the eyes to deal damage.
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CF4.6: Stage 6: Factory
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Another third person level, let's crush it with aggression and such.
*Adding this blurb to all bases:
As Andy pointed out to me, and I regret I didn't think to try it from the first
Contra is that you can lay down in the bases. Very useful to dodge bullets.
*Room 1:
Destroy the blue robots for a C upgrade. C is of course pretty powerful so
pick it up if you want something that will make short work of the door cores.
However, if you still have some upgraded weapons from the previous level, you
will probably dominate with those anyways.
*Room 2:
Turrets, turrets, and turrets. Destroy the turrets as they appear. On the
ground for the first wall, in the air for the second, and one on the ground and
one in the air for the third. The C will hit a few at once it seems, so if that