Play Contra 4 Online

Contra 4 came out for the Nintendo DS in 2007, developed by WayForward and published by Konami. It arrived when the DS was already full of touch screen experiments, but this game felt like a deliberate throwback, a direct sequel to the earlier Contra games that ignored a lot of the 3D entries. It was a statement that the core run and gun action still had a place.

You control a lone soldier, Bill or Lance, moving through hostile alien territory. Your objective is straightforward: fight from the start of the level to the end, defeat the boss, and move on. The game reintroduces the two weapon system, letting you carry a primary and a secondary gun, which adds a layer of strategy to the constant shooting. You also use a grappling hook to swing over pits and climb to higher platforms, a new mechanic that changes how you navigate the levels. The pacing is relentless, and the difficulty is punishing; you die quickly from a single hit, demanding precise jumps and quick weapon swaps. It feels like a constant, tense fight for survival where every mistake costs you.