Contra: Rogue Corps

Japanesetitle(s)	魂斗羅 ローグ コープス Kontora Rōgu Kōpusu
Developer(s)	Toylogic Konami Digital Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Konami Digital Entertainment
Director(s)	Nobuya Nakazato
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows (Steam) Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Releasedate(s)	September 24, 2019
Ratings	ESRB: M
Genre(s)	Run-and-gun
Modes	Single player Local wireless co-op Online multiplayer

For the organization, see Rogue Corps (organization).

Contra: Rogue Corps (魂斗羅 ローグ コープス, Kontora Rōgu Kōpusu^?) is a loot run-and-gun video game developed and published by Konami and the newest entry in the Contra series. The game was released on September 24, 2019 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Plot

In 2638 A.D., two years after the Alien Wars had ended, a mysterious area called the Damned City arose from the grounds where the final battles took place.

Ruthless fiends roamed the area, bringing a world full of madness.

In the midst of chaos, five scoundrels emerge... they are the Rogue Corps.

They do not look anything like heroes of justice, but have they come to save humanity, or maybe they are looking to hit the jackpot by searching the Damned City for treasures... either way, the fate of the world is in their hands.

Gameplay

The game is presented mainly in a top-down isometric perspective in a 3D graphics environment (similar to Neo Contra), with camera angles changing in certain sections to give either a side-scrolling or an over-the-shoulder third-person view during gameplay.

The game provides a single player story campaign, multiplayer online cooperative, or four-player local cooperative (with separate Switch consoles) modes. It is based on player versus environment (PvE) gameplay and is controlled via dual analog controller sticks.

Players configure a main weapon and a sub-weapon in real time. These have unlimited ammunition, but feature a heat meter to be managed. Weapons are upgraded and uniquely customized between stages. The player also has the limited ability to clear the area with a huge bomb or use the character's special ability.

Key features

• Choose from four diverse characters with their own unique skills and specialty attacks. Determine weapons load out, customize and craft unique weapons.
• Operation Room: Upgrade characters and abilities, augmenting each with improved organs and cybernetics.
• PvE: Deep single player "Story" campaign mode. Go solo or group with up to 4 friends or random players online in multiplayer.
• PvP: Create custom matches (private mode) for 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 or 1vs4 players.
• Local "Couch" co-op modes with up to 4 players.
• Online and local multiplayer modes when the game releases for PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC.

Characters

Contra: Rogue Corps is a canonical entry to the Contra franchise that picks up following the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. The game was directed by the producer of Contra III and director of Contra: Hard Corps, Nobuya Nakazato.

Four new playable characters and a fifth support character are introduced in this game:

Kaiser
A war veteran commando who was reconstructed after receiving massive injuries during the Alien Wars and now bears a cybernetic drill for an arm.

Gentleman
A brain bug alien raised by humans.

Ms. Harakiri
A famed assassin specializing in stealth and infiltration who survived the Alien Wars by merging with an alien known as "Gut Bucket".

Hungry Beast
A once noted human scientist whose brain is now inserted in the body of an anthropomorphic cyborg panda.

Aero Captain
The team's pilot who acts as a support character during missions.

Single Player Missions

Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Tutorial	Fortress ×2	-	Underground Battle in the Dense Forest
Rank 1 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Old City Pursuit	-	Obese Type	Underground Battle against the City Chimera Boss Theme
Enemy Horde Clash	Fortress ×2	Spike Roller	Underground Battle against the City Genocidal Drone Boss Theme
Disaster Recon	Obese Type ×3 Fortress ×2 Balloon Type ×4	-	Underground Battle against the City
Wipeout Part 2	Obese Type ×3 Balloon Type ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City
Giant Signal Probe	Balloon Type Obese Type Fortress	Big Fuzz	Underground Battle against the City Invasion
Rank 2 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Securing the Park	Fortress ×2 Obese Type	Armored Obese Type	Sneaking Sunset Battle Genocidal Drone Boss Theme
Old City Revisit	Fortress ×2 Balloon Type ×4 Obese Type ×4	-	Underground Battle against the City
Ruined Area Rampage	Obese Type Fortress ×2 Spike Roller Balloon Type	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Mobile Defense Aid	Obese Type ×2 Balloon Type Fortress ×2 Spike Roller ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City
Attack Plan Aid	Balloon Type ×5 Obese Type ×8 Fortress ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City
Aircraft Recon	Balloon Type Obese Type	Genocidal Drone	Underground Battle against the City Genocidal Drone Boss Theme
Rank 3 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Scrapyard Showdown	Obese Type ×4 Balloon Type ×2 Fortress ×2 Spike Roller	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Horde Extermination	Obese Type ×3 Fortress ×2 Balloon Type ×2	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Frozen Area Hunt	Fortress ×2 Obese Type ×2 Balloon Type ×3 Genocidal Drone	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Securing the Supply	Obese Type Fortress ×2 Spike Roller Balloon Type	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Provoking the Horde	Armored Obese Type ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City
Fiends in a Frenzy	Balloon Type ×3	Yokozuna	Underground Giant Boss Theme 1 Giant Boss Theme 2
Rank 4 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Mid-Tier Threat	Capsule Obese Type Spike Roller ×2 Fortress ×2	Chimera	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle Chimera Boss Theme
Ruined Area Wipeout	Balloon Type ×3 Obese Type ×6 Fortress ×2 Spike Roller	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Park Night Patrol	Capsule Obese Type ×5	-	Sneaking Sunset Battle
Enemy Clean Up	Obese Type ×2 Balloon Type ×3 Fortress ×2 Spike Roller	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Bridge Base Brawl	Obese Type ×4 Balloon Type ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City
Giant Fiend Rematch	Capsule Obese Type	Big Fuzz (torso)	Underground Battle against the City Desperate Fight
Rank 5 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Mutant Obliteration	Chimera Fortress ×2 Capsule Obese Type ×2	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Frozen Area Alarm	Balloon Type ×4 Obese Type ×4 Spike Roller ×2 Fortress ×2 Chimera	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Jungle Area Survey	Spike Roller Armored Obese Type Balloon Type ×2	Armored Chimera	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest Chimera Boss Theme
Frozen Area Defense	Chimera Spike Roller Armored Obese Type Genocidal Drone	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Baiting Enemies	Spike Roller ×3 Obese Type ×2 Chimera ×3	-	Underground Battle against the City
Aircraft Take Over	Armored Obese Type ×2	Taka	Underground Giant Boss Theme 1 Giant Boss Theme 2
Rank 6 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Damnation Engine	Balloon Type ×2 Fortress ×2 Obese Type	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Frozen Area Capture	Obese Type ×3 Armored Chimera Fortress ×2	-	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Heart of Damned City	Fortress ×2 Chimera Genocidal Drone Spike Roller	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Deep Attack	Fortress ×2 Obese Type Chimera ×2	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Final Investigation	Obese Type ×5 Fortress ×3 Balloon Type ×2	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Final Battle	Capsule Obese Type Fortress	Mega-Fiend General Phoenix (first form)	Underground Battle against the City Invasion
Rank 7 Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Infected Inspection	Fortress ×2 Obese Type ×2 Balloon Type	-	We're Rogue Corps Underground
Fiends Mash	Balloon Type ×2 Fortress ×2 Obese Type ×4	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Infection Prevention	Fortress ×2 Chimera ×3	-	Underground We're Rogue Corps
Jungle Area Seizure	Obese Type Fortress ×2 Chimera Genocidal Drone	-	Sneaking Battle in the Dense Forest We're Rogue Corps
Top Threat Takedown	Obese Type ×6 Fortress ×2 Spike Roller Armored Chimera Genocidal Drone	-	Underground We're Rogue Corps
The Phoenix Killer	-	Mega-Fiend General Phoenix (second form)	Invasion
Hardcore Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Caving Adventure	Obese Type ×4 Balloon Type ×2 Chimera Spike Roller	-	Underground Battle against the City
Megaton Skyscraper	Capsule Obese Type Chimera ×2 Spike Roller ×2	Dark Obese Type	<unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle Chimera Boss Theme
CON T.U.B.E.	Chimera ×2 Balloon Type ×2 Obese Type ×2	-	<unknown competition battle theme>
What is this place?	Genocidal Drone Obese Type ×9 Fortress Chimera ×2 Balloon Type ×3 Spike Roller	-	What is this place? Thunder Landing Desperate Fight Battle in the Dense Forest
Exploration Missions
Name	Miniboss(es)	Boss	Music
Chaos Investigation	Spike Roller ×2 Fortress ×7 Obese Type ×8 Balloon Type ×9	-	Underground Battle against the City
Chaos Confusion	Chimera ×2 Fortress ×7 Obese Type ×7 Genocidal Drone ×2	-	Underground Battle against the City Chimera Boss Theme Genocidal Drone Boss Theme
Chaos Invasion	Genocidal Drone ×2 Fortress ×7 Balloon Type Obese Type ×6 Chimera	-	Underground Genocidal Drone Boss Theme Frozen Battle Chimera Boss Theme Sunset Battle
Chaos Assault	Obese Type ×5 Fortress ×7 Chimera Spike Roller Genocidal Drone ×2	-	Underground Genocidal Drone Boss Theme <unknown frozen area theme> Frozen Battle
Chaos Finale	Balloon Type ×2 Spike Roller ×2 Fortress ×7 Obese Type ×4	Searle	Underground Genocidal Drone Boss Theme Chimera Boss Theme

Development

The game was announced during an E3 Nintendo Direct on June 11, 2019, showing some gameplay, introducing four playable characters, game features and the game's release date scheduled for September 24 of the same year.

The game's development was overseen by veteran Contra series director and senior producer Nobuya Nakazato, who also had been director, game designer and artist of Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992) and Contra: Hard Corps (1994), and was producer and director of Contra: Shattered Soldier (2002), among other games in the series. He stated that he wanted to capture the traditional spirit of the series, while also modernizing it for a new audience.

Reception

Contra: Rogue Corps received "mixed or average reviews" for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, while the Switch version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game was criticized by Destructoid for featuring a season pass despite having a mixed reception. Nintendo Life criticized Rogue Corps for its controls, graphics and mission structure, the latter of which was called "bland", although the game received moderate praise for its complex upgrade and customization system.

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation ranked it as the Worst Game of 2019.

Gallery

Packaging artwork

PlayStation 4

Xbox One

Nintendo Switch

Miscellaneous

Full artworks by Tony Washington used during the "Chop Shop" cutscene.

Full artwork used during a cutscene.

Non-playable character concept artwork 2.

Preorder cover artwork by Tom duBois.

Wide format

Non-playable character concept artwork 1.

Non-playable character concept artwork 3.

Version 3.2

Videos

Trivia

• The events in Rogue Corps take place two years after the Alien Wars, in 2638 A.D.; however, this is also the year when Contra 4 was formerly stated to take place. In order to make Rogue Corps fit into the timeline, Contra 4 had to be moved to take place only six months after the Alien Wars. This was probably due to Contra 4 technically being a western developed game, which in addition had made several changes to the original Japanese storyline.
• Legendary Konami video games cover art illustrator, Tom duBois, will provide secret "Inside of Box" artwork as part of day one "Locked and Loaded Edition" bonus content.

External links

• Official website
• Nintendo Europe Twitter
• Konami brings back Contra with Contra: Rogue Corps at Polygon.com
• Contra: Rogue Corps coming to consoles and PC in September at VG24/7