Hard Corps Uprising - Bad to the bone

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Hello everyone! How is everything going? Did you throw some punches already with Spectral VS Generation, the 2D VS fighting game of which I talked in the last entry? In this new entry I’m going to talk about another classic style 2D game, although in this case it belongs to the Run N’ Gun genre. The game is called Hard Corps Uprising.


I think it’s important to mention first that, when we talk about Hard Corps Uprising, we are not talking just about another Run N’ Gun, for, even its name doesn’t say so, we are talking about the last entry in Konami’s legendary Contra series. Yes, that’s right, the same Contra that took the arcades by storm a couple of decades ago and that has been “missing in action” in the recent years, which it’s not surprising when you think of Konami’s recent publishing policies. I know, I know. I said I wouldn’t talk about popular series in this blog, but just like in the cases of Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland and Prinny Can I Really be the Hero, I think that, despite its high quality standards, this entry of Konami’s classic series never got the attention it deserved, be it because it didn’t have the Contra “quality seal” in the title, because it was released only as a downloadable game when this format was just starting to boom thanks to the success of high quality games such as Castle Crashers, Braid or Limbo, because this kind of game in not on fashion at the moment, or for a combination for all of those reasons at the same time. The thing is Hard Corps went a bit unnoticed during its release, although I highly doubt this was due to the game’s quality. The second thing that I think would be worth to mention is that, unless it predecessors, who were developed mainly by Konami, this entry was developed by Arc System Works. Yup, the same Arc System Works that developed games like Guilty Gear and Blazblue, and judging from the result, it seems Konami knew really well who they should entrust their classic to, for it seems Arc System Works have it all figured out when it comes to arcade games.

I guess just mentioning the name Contra is enough for the most veteran players to know what Hard Corp Uprising is all about (and to revive some latent childhood trauma), but for all those who still don’t know Konami’s legendary Contra franchise, Hard Corps Uprising is a 2D shooter in which we will have to complete a series of stages by shooting down just anything and everything that appears in front (or behind and above) us while we dodge a continuous storm of enemy bullets. The story of Hard Corps Uprising is linked to that of Contra Hard Corps, a game that was released in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and that was the first title in the series to ever be released on a Sega platform, on top of being considered, together with the original arcade game and Super Nintendo’s Contra 3 The Alien Wars, as one of the best entries in the series. The story of Hard Corps Uprising takes us to the year 2613. The Empire is conquering everything they set their sight on, destroying everything on their way and slaughtering millions of innocent and defenseless people with the superior military power of the armies of the tyrant Tiberius, but everything changes when Bahamut, and ex-soldier of the Empire (and antagonist in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game) who just had enough of dirtying his hands with the blood of countless innocents, decides to fight back the Empire and it’s genocidal leader. However, he won’t be alone, as he will have Krystal, Harley Daniels and Sayuri by his side. As it normally happens with this kind of games, the story and its characters couldn’t be any more of a cliché, but it makes sense if we think of the arcade roots of a series that has always been focused on delivering an adrenaline rush, and I can guarantee you that Hard Corps Uprising lives up to its legacy.

The game will be composed of 8 stages we will have to complete by shooting the hell up of anything that appears in the screen, for which we will be able to use four characters (two available via DLC... Konami, Konami...) and a variety of weapons, being able to carry two different weapons at a time and toggle between them at any given moment. However, if we die (and I guarantee you will, and many times), we will go back to our basic default weapon. It might sound simple, but those who know the series know that the name Contra is feared even by the ones like Ryu Hayabusa y Rugal Bernstein. Even the Jedis banned it from their training (mainly because most of them felt into the dark side in a matter of seconds due to the rage that invaded them). I know most of you are now thinking something like "there we go again with the grandpa´s story of how games were truly difficult in his times", but trust me when I say that the relationship between the words "Contra" and "Difficult" goes to a whole new level in Konami´s classic, for if there is something the series is well-known for other than it’s addictive gameplay, that is it’s hellish difficulty level, which at some points can be just insane, and which is something Arc System Works has respected when creating Hard Corps Uprising. Yup, beating the default Arcade Mode of Hard Corps Uprising is a task that only the most accomplished (and sadist) will be able to achieve, so if you like for a pure hardcore arcade experience (with all it implies), Hard Corps Uprising will satisfy even your wildest expectations, now, if difficult games are not your thing, I advise you to stay as far as you can from Hard Corps Uprising, for it shows no mercy, and that is something that game will make clear right from the first stage with the non-stop storm of enemies and bullets filling the stage, not to mention it’s “minibosses” (a stage can include several) and final stage bosses, each of them much meaner than the previous one. Luckily, it seems Arc System Works knew beforehand that most players would find the default Arcade Mode just too demanding for most mortals, so they included a second mode called Rising Mode to make things a little bit easier, but just a little. Although at the beginning both modes could seem virtually identical, opposite to what we see in the regular Arcade Mode, which is designed only for the most masochistic button-mashers out there, every time we complete a level in the Rising Mode we will obtain points that we will be able to use to customize our characters (more life, more continues, etc.), make it easier to complete the 8 stages of the game. It’s also worthy to mention the game includes an option for 2 player matches, both local and online, so in the worst case scenario we can always call a buddy who is as sadistic as we are to give us a hand (sissy!).

Regarding the game´s presentation, Hard Corps Uprising is definitely the best entry in the series by far, which make sense if we keep in mind it’s the most recent entry in the series. The colorful graphics are absolutely gorgeous, giving the feeling of being playing some kind of interactive anime, with the character boasting sprites full of details and fluid animations. The stages also have a great design, displaying all kind details in every corner on top of being really varied. It is easy to feel the “touch” of Arc System Works through the whole game, be it with the characters’ designs (which seem to have come out directly from the new Guilty Gear/Blazblue game), or with that feeling of “handmade” that Arc System Works so masterfully applies to all of its games. It’s also worth to mention the “Japanese heavy rock” soundtrack that accompanies the game and that fits perfectly with the action taking place in the screen, with a style that reminds a lot of the one we could hear in Guilty Gear or Blazblue.


Hard Corps Uprising is definitely a great game that manages to capture the essence of the original arcade title, and although it is more of an evolution than a revolution, it’s impossible to deny the great job that Arc System Works has carried away reviving Konami’s agonizing classic, proving that they can do much more than just fighting games. Hard Corps Uprising is one of those titles that makes veterans say that typical "they don't make games like this anymore". In fact, they did such a great job that it just feels as if Arc System Works has been working the series for years (or as if it was even their own series), and given Konami´s current publishing politics, perhaps the series would be better off with Arc System Guys, although I don’t think that miracle will happen… The game is available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 via Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network respectively. And if you are still not convinced, remember you can always try first the awesome fangame Contra Locked N Loaded available in the download section of the blog so you can get the feeling of this timeless classic. If you are looking for classic style arcade experience, you should definitely give a chance to Hard Corps Uprising, although I take no responsibility for any rage attacks you might suddenly suffer while playing the game and the consequences these could have for your TV/controller. Have fun!


GAMEPLAY VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jHu4GNYwwQ