Contra: The Alien Wars (1994). Play online

Summary

When Factor 5 tackled the Game Boy adaptation of Contra: Alien Wars, they managed to squeeze most of the SNES excitement into a handheld. The November‑1994 North American launch still felt fresh, especially in Europe where it appeared as Probotector 2, swapping the human heroes for cute robot avatars. The portable version kept the fast‑paced side‑scrolling action but dropped the SNES’s weapon‑swap and spinning attack, and one Mode 7 boss was given a new design.

The game throws you into the year 2636, blasting through five brutal stages that jump from neon‑lit Neo‑City streets to the scorching Mucho Grande Badlands. Between side‑view rushes, the top‑down sections deliver a quirky 3‑D feel as you scale walls, swing from girders, and chase squishy “solar slime‑dogs.” Even though it lacks some controls, the color palette pops on a Super Game Boy and the chiptune soundtrack shines louder than on the original cartridge.

Critics were unanimous in calling it a stellar conversion; GamesMaster even called it “one hell of an achievement,” and most reviewers highlighted the Super Game Boy enhancements, though EGM noted the awkward SNES‑controller mapping for the handheld.

Storyline

Contra: The Alien Wars drops you into a desperate fight against an alien invasion of Earth. Across six distinct stages, you control the veteran commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they battle wave after wave of extraterrestrial foes. The goal is simple: push back the invaders and save the planet.