Contra: Rogue Corps

Damned City turns the aftermath of the Alien Wars into a loud, grotesque scavenger hunt where survival matters almost as much as profit. Contra: Rogue Corps trades the series’ side-scrolling roots for a top-down, twin-stick action format, following four morally questionable mercenaries through a mutant-infested wasteland. Its tone is deliberately trashy and cartoonishly violent, packed with bizarre characters, biological horrors, bad jokes, and screen-filling explosions. The result feels less like a heroic military campaign and more like a rowdy B-movie spin on classic Contra chaos.

Missions send you through compact combat zones, where you blast swarms of aliens, dodge incoming fire, hunt for loot, and face oversized bosses built to soak up punishment. Each playable rogue brings a different style and personality, while the arsenal expands through weapon construction, upgrades, and a huge assortment of firearms with varied handling and elemental effects. Bionic implants add another progression layer, letting you alter stats and build characters around damage, survivability, or particular weapons. The campaign supports explosive online co-op for up to four players, although solo runs remain perfectly viable and put more pressure on careful movement, ammo use, and build choices.

What separates it from traditional entries is its loot-driven structure: weapons are not merely pickups, but equipment to develop, refine, and replace as tougher missions demand stronger loadouts. The overhead perspective makes it resemble a scrappier arcade twin-stick shooter more than Contra III or Hard Corps, while its absurd character designs give it a distinct, knowingly ugly personality. Some veterans may miss the precise platforming and instantly readable side-view action associated with the older games, and the grind-heavy progression can feel repetitive between standout boss encounters. It suits players who enjoy offbeat arcade shooters, cooperative mayhem, and tinkering with increasingly ridiculous guns, but Contra purists should approach it as an eccentric spin-off rather than a return to the series’ classic formula.