I can't stand what Tencent did to one of my favorite games

There's a new version of the classic game Contra for smartphones... and it makes me sad

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I can't stand what Tencent did to one of my favorite games

Published: 8:49pm, 3 Dec 2018Updated: 10:48pm, 6 Aug 2020

You’d think that a new version of a classic game would be something to celebrate. But Tencent’s revival of Contra makes me sad.

Contra is about as 80s as you can get. First released in 1987, it’s a run-n-gun action game with burly dudes hefting huge guns and mowing down hordes of enemies. If the links to popular action films of the time like Commando, Predator and Rambo weren’t obvious enough, the two main characters are very clearly based on Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Even the name, Contra, is allegedly a reference to the Iran-Contra affair that dogged US politics during that decade.

Now Tencent has reworked the game as a free-to-play title for smartphones. If you had a little involuntary shudder there, well, your instincts are correct. This game has twisted everything good about the original.

Contra: Return has hit points. It has limited ammo. It even has a health bar, allowing your character to take damage… and keep walking. The original game didn’t have any of that.

Yeah, OK, maybe you think I’m an old grump whining about the good ol’ days. But the reason I’m so upset is that those seemingly minor decisions change the very fabric of what Contra is about.

Limited ammo? Contra is about unleashing an unyielding, constant stream of gunfire -- the only way to counter the insane amount of fire heading your way. And it’s necessary, too, because the original Contra doesn’t have any health bars or hit points.