In the year 2613, a defected soldier by the name of Bahamut must rally his troops to defeat and overthrow an evil empire known as the Commonwealth, as well as its leader Tiberius. After realizing just how corrupt the Commonwealth empire was, Bahamut defected from its regime to join the Resistance Forces, in order to take back the land that the Commonwealth annexed. That is the premise of Hard Corps: Uprising, a spin-off from Konami's incredibly popular Contra series, which tells the back story of the character Bahamut from 1994's Contra: Hard Corps. It is the first game in the Contra series not to have the iconic name in its title, which is apparently an attempt to have Hard Corps become its own stand-alone franchise.
Like other Contra games before it, Hard Corps: Uprising is a fast, frenetic and challenging side-scrolling arcade shooter with platforming elements. Its core gameplay isn't much different from that of the Contra games I remember playing in the nineties, but the classic formula still works well. As players progress through each of the game's eight stages, they will have to defeat many different types of enemies that pop out from just about anywhere on the screen. Occasionally, the opportunity will present itself to climb up walls or climb on the ceiling, to avoid obstacles or get to new platforms. Along the way, floating capsules containing extra lives, health or weapon upgrades can be shot down to give you an advantage. One major change to the classic Contra foruma is the fact that you now have a life bar, which will absorb some damage before you lose a life. That is, unless you fall off of the map or get hit by certain attacks (such as a sniper's bullet.)
In addition to ground-based combat, Hard Corps: Uprising also features sections that involve vehicles, such as motorcycles and hoverboards. There is a motorcycle chase/boss fight at the end of the first stage and the freeway stage always features a hoverboard, whether you're gliding along the highway trying to avoid crashing police cars or fighting a boss in mid air in a later section of the stage. The vehicle sections add variety to the gameplay, but they don't feel much different from the ground-based sections. The mechanics are primarily the same, except you can move faster and there's no need to run. However, I found these sections to be quite fun - especially the freeway stage, because it reminded me a lot of the freeway level from Turtles in Time, which was one of my favourite games growing up.
Stealth also plays a role in this game, which surprised me a bit. There is one stage where you must break into the Commonwealth's tower, in an attempt to confront Tiberius. It is in this level that players are given the option of trying to be stealthy to avoid detection and potentially avoid being hurt, or to go in with their guns blazing. It's an interesting change of pace for sure. That same level also features a section where you must save a doctor who has been working on military programs for the Commonwealth. Once you save him from his glass cell, he accompanies you to a checkpoint where your helicopter is awaiting to take him away. If you let him die, then he will utilize one of your lives to respawn. Unfortunately, this part of the game can be somewhat frustrating because the follower's A.I. is not very good. Luckily, he only follows you for a brief period of time and the number of enemies you face while protecting him is quite low.
This time around, the game features a second mode in addition to its traditional Arcade Mode, referred to as Rising Mode. Whereas Arcade Mode only allows players to use preset skills and a limited number of health bars, lives and continues, Rising Mode allows players to earn character points that can be used to purchase new skills or upgrades for their favourite character (note that they are locked to the character you earned them with.) Character points are added to your wallet in the shop, based on the amount of experience you earn while playing Rising Mode, and are very helpful. There are a myriad of different skills available to purchase in the shop, which is available through the main menu, at each continue screen or when you finish a level. The list of upgrades includes weapon power-ups, new abilities such as the ability to reflect bullets or dodge while dashing, and health/life upgrades. Each item in the store costs approximately one million character points or more, but it doesn't take long to amass a large amount of them by putting time into the campaign in Rising Mode.
The inclusion of this second mode makes the game much more accessible to those who are new to this type of game, especially since it contains a stage select option. Rising Mode was the game type that I invested the most time into, due to the fact that I haven't had much experience with this genre, apart from Contra 3 and Sunset Riders. After you complete each of the game's eight stages, you are given the option to upgrade your character, continue or quit. Quitting is not something you're penalized for due to the stage select option, so it allows you to quit out and choose to start from the next stage, which resets your lives and continues.
Those who are accustomed to the Contra games and love the challenge that they present will probably overlook this mode in favor of Arcade Mode, due to the great increase in challenge. The game isn't easy in either mode, but it's much more difficult in Arcade Mode, due to the limitation of three continues. Gamers who are able to finish it will be awarded with some bragging rights, especially if they can unlock the (nearly impossible) achievement for beating Arcade Mode without dying. Fans will not be disappointed by the challenge presented by this game.
Several different types of weapons are available throughout the game, including a rifle, machine gun, spread shot, rocket launcher and a homing arc gun. There were two weapons that I didn't like using very much, which were the flamethrower and the reflector gun, which allows you to reflect bullets back at enemies. Neither one had very good range. But, with so many different types of weapons available, it's important to try to strategize which ones you'd like to use. I found myself avoiding weapon pods when I had a machine gun, spread shot or homing arc gun, as those were the three most useful weapons.
Two player co-op is available via XBOX Live, allowing two people to try to overthrow the Commonwealth regime together. Players are given the ability to choose a quick match, custom match (with unique settings) or to host their own game. Co-operative play is a great asset, especially for those who may not be great at this type of game.
Full leaderboard support is also available, giving players an opportunity to compare their scores with those of their friends and the best players in the world. Scores that players earn when they play through each stage result in a graded lettered score, or rank, given afterwards. There is an achievement for earning the top rank in each level. Additionally, each stage features a hidden star piece, which will add to your score when found.
From the main menu, players get the option to choose one of two available characters: the aforementioned soldier Bahamut, as well as a young woman named Krystal, who is attempting to take revenge on the Commonwealth regime for murdering her parents. Each character has its own back story told via text screens that appear during the loading screens between levels, and feature subtle differences such as the fact that Krystal has one less health bar than Bahamut. The storyline isn't very original or well-developed, and is essentially just there as an excuse to have you blow stuff up. Players can customize their character of choice at the character select screen, by pressing the Y button. This will change their armor colour, hair colour and sometimes even their race. There are several different options to choose from.
With this type of game, precise controls are a must-have, or else the game ends up becoming more frustrating than fun. Luckily, developer Arc System Works did a great job with the control scheme and the jumping mechanics. Player control is precise and the basic control scheme is very easy to get accustomed to quickly, especially if you have experience playing previous Contra releases. The left joystick is used for movement and aiming. Shooting is handled by the X button (you can keep tapping it repeatedly or hold it down. Sometimes holding it will allow for more powerful shots,) and jumping is handled by using the A button. Additionally, special abilities such as running, dashing, and dodging can be used by pressing either the left or right shoulder buttons on the XBOX 360 controller.
Presentation is another very strong aspect of this title. Not only does the game have a silky smooth frame rate, but it also looks beautiful. Arc System Works did a phenomenal job creating a colourful visual style that looks like a water-coloured anime. Each of the game's varied settings (including stages set in places such as a desert, jungle, freeway and an underground subway line,) is unique in its design and colour palette. Each character, whether it's an ally or an enemy, is well-detailed, features fluid animations and is unique in its own design. It's not often that you see a game feature so many different enemy types, as it seems like each level has its own unique set of them. To be honest, this is one of the best looking Arcade games I've ever played.
Like its predecessors, Hard Corps: Uprising features an original score comprised of heavy metal tunes. The music fits very well with the fast-paced gameplay and feels natural. It also sounds great. There are also a varied amount of different sound effects, adding to the audio mayhem. These sound effects are well-done, sound great and add to the immersion presented within the experience. Sound quality is another aspect that Arc System Works nailed with this one.
Another one of the game's strong points is its enemy design and variety. In one level, you'll be shooting guards, turrets, sentries and robots. However, in the next level, you'll be shooting mechanical alligators, snipers, and plants that produce poisonous gas (which will poison you for a short period of time, so watch out.) Almost every level features different enemies, which really keeps the game feeling fresh and innovative. The basic enemy soldiers are present throughout several levels, but they don't become too boring to fight against because of all of the variety in the accompanying foes. Some tiny enemies such as mechanical spiders and fish will knock you down or stun you for a brief period, which adds some extra depth to the gameplay. If you are stunned, you can move the joystick quickly from left to right and back, to break out of it.
Each stage features two boss fights, each with their own varying amount of stages and forms. The creativity shown in the boss battle mechanics and design is quite impressive. With a couple exceptions, each boss fight feels different and unique, infusing the game with different challenges and variety. Some of them, especially the last boss, can be very tough, which makes it all the more satisfying when you defeat them.
Although it doesn't push the envelope too much, Hard Corps: Uprising is a very well-made game that is sure to impress fans of the genre, as well as newcomers. Its visual style and animation fluidity are amazing, and the sheer variety of its enemies and environments is quite amazing. The only major downsides are its poor follower artificial intelligence, as well as the fact that the core gameplay can be somewhat repetitive at times. However, there is quite a bit of replay value to be had for the game's modest $15 price tag, especially if you try to get the best ranking score on each level. The in-game clock stated that I'd played for about four hours in total (over both modes) before beating Rising Mode, with 95% of that time spent just in that mode alone. Fans of the genre should definitely check this one out. Even if you've never played this type of game before, I recommend at least trying the trial. It's well-made and a lot of fun.
Rating: 8.5/10
Hard Corps: Uprising will be available for the XBOX Live Arcade February 16th, 2011. The PSN release date has not been confirmed.
