The last four years have been amazing at bringing moribund or middling series that peaked in the 1990s back into relevancy. We saw it in 2020 with Streets of Rage 4, which elevated the beat-em-up franchise with deep fighting mechanics, stellar art, and thumping tunes. We saw it again two years later with Shredder's Revenge, which built upon the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles template and exceeded it, thanks to seven playable characters and six-player co-op. And we've seen it once again in 2024 with WayForward's Contra: Operation Galuga.

A remake of the very first game in the Contra series, Operation Galuga takes place on the fictional Galuga archipelago near New Zealand. A mysterious terrorist organization called Red Falcon, which has conducted limited operations across the globe, has made the island chain its base of operations. In response, the Earth Marine Corps sends in the best of the best: Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, commandos of the elite "Contra" unit trained in guerrilla warfare. What they discover in Galuga is much more than meets the eye.

The narrative in Operation Galuga does a good job at reintroducing the plot points, heroes, and villains of the original game, and an even better job building up the fictional world of Contra and establishing connections between other titles in the series. As a standalone story, however, it's not very good. The characters are one-dimensional, the zingers are unfunny, and there's too much exposition for what should be a fast-moving run-and-gun game. Ultimately, the story operates in an uncomfortable middle ground between serious and campy, without the confidence to veer fully in one direction or the other.

This is a Contra game, though, where storytelling has been an afterthought for 37 years. Judged on its foundational elements — explosive action, inventive level designs, larger-than-life bosses, and a steep level of difficulty — Operation Galuga is pretty great. Indeed, just like Streets of Rage 4 and Shredder's Revenge, this latest Contra title succeeds by starting with a time-tested formula, and then elevating and elaborating upon it. 

Like the majority of franchise installments before it, Operation Galuga is a 2D side-scrolling action-platformer. As Bill, Lance, or one of several unlockable characters, you'll charge through eight different levels, blasting bad guys with a wide range of devastating firearms. Along the way, you must avoid traps, leap over bottomless pits, switch weapons on the fly, and face off against multiple gruesome mid-stage and end-stage bosses.

The moment-to-moment action is outstanding. The programmers at WayForward have delivered tight controls, punchy combat, and fast-moving, rewarding gameplay. You'll run and jump effortlessly across each level and snap immediately to walls, ledges, and overhanging bars. As for weapon aiming, it's never felt better. You can direct the angle of your gun with the left stick while moving, or press the ZR trigger to lock in place and fire in any direction. Most importantly, you can now aim in a full 360 degree circle, which is a total game-changer. Note: for purists, there's an option to switch to the old-school eight-way directional aim.

Aiming wouldn't mean much without interesting, effective weapons. Luckily, Operation Galuga has them in spades. All of the classics from Contra III: The Alien Wars are here, alongside several variations. That includes machine gun, spread shot, flamethrower, homing missile, crush bomb, and laser beam. Depending on your character, you might see alternative forms of these weapons: rapid discs, charge spread, flame blast, ring laser, etc. Not only that, but if you collect a weapon you already have equipped, it will power up to level two. Spread shot, for example, increases from three bullets to five bullets, while crush bombs add gravity wells that swallow enemy projectiles.

But, wait, there's more. If your back is against the wall, you can press the ZL trigger to "overload" your active weapon. You'll lose the gun, but gain a temporary offensive or defensive effect. The machine gun activates a shield, the homing missile deploys attack drones, and the laser slows down time around you. There are also alternative forms of these Overload abilities, based on the character. Overall, the game boasts amazing weapon diversity, which allows for a great deal of experimentation and strategic thinking.

It also enjoys a diverse set of levels, which cover the entire length of the archipelago. There's a jungle swarming with Red Falcon troopers, a factory where Bill and Lance mount hoverbikes, a village that culminates in a long upward climb through a waterfall, and many more. Unfortunately, not every level is created equally. Most are excellent, like stage five, which takes place on and around a high-speed train on a snowy mountain. Not only is this the best set-piece in the game, thanks to its shifting perspectives, breathless action, and superior boss battles; it's one of the best sections in the entire Contra canon. 

Some are less impressive. Stage six, set in ancient ruins, is the worst offender. It suffers from a boring brown aesthetic, too many traps and hazards, and an odd conceit featuring crystals. At certain intervals, the contours of the stage are obscured, but reflected (and sometimes flipped or stretched) in nearby green crystals. Using the reflection, you can find your way forward. It's a provocative idea for a slower-paced puzzle-platformer, but far from ideal for a game where you're supposed to be screaming forward, spraying bullets at everything that moves.

Regardless of quality, each stage in Operation Galuga is relatively short. As a result, you can expect to experience the full campaign in approximately 80 minutes. That is, of course, if you can survive its trials. This is a true Contra game, so you can expect a certain degree of punishment. Luckily, WayForward managed to arrive at a healthy point between crushing and accessible. The team accomplished this by retaining the deadly gameplay and demanding nature of the series while adding customization options and quality-of-life adjustments to make everything more approachable and doable. There are three difficulty levels, plus the option to modify the "danger level". You can embrace the classic one-hit kill rules, or opt for a HP meter instead. Finally, there are perks — optional boons that give you more of a fighting chance. You can increase your total lives and health points, start each level with a weapon equipped, retain powered-up weapons upon death, etc. As a result of all these options, you can make the game as hard or as easy as you like.

No matter how you slice it, though, Operation Galuga is still a short title. Fortunately, it's packed with additional content. In addition to Story Mode, which tells the full story of Bill and Lance's exploits on Galuga, there's Challenge Mode and Arcade Mode. Challenge Mode contains over 30 bite-sized challenge stages with specific criteria. You might need to survive a level without firing a weapon, or make it to the goal in 35 seconds or less. The best of the bunch, though, is Arcade Mode. While it contains the same exact eight stages as Story Mode, it removes all the cut-scenes and focuses only on the action. It also supports four-player couch co-op, where Story Mode permits only two local players to fight simultaneously. What's more, it allows you to play as any character.

Speaking of characters, there are 10 playable fighters in Operation Galuga, an incredibly generous number for a run-and-gun title. Moreover, each one has a unique set of abilities and weapon power-ups. Bill, for example can double jump and dash, and his crush bombs are close-range explosives with splash damage. Ariana, meanwhile, can slide quickly along the ground through enemy bullets, and her crush grenades fire outward in an arc, creating shrapnel on impact. Consequently, you can experience the same eight levels in many different ways, depending on your hero of choice.

You will have to replay those same eight levels again and again, if you want to experience everything Operation Galuga has to offer. While several characters are unlocked through the course of the campaign, others are locked inside the Perk Shop, the same place where you'll purchase extra lives, HP boosts, and the like. Unfortunately, the cost to unlock everything is prohibitive. You must repeat the campaign multiple times to earn enough credits to get the three secret characters, all bonus content, and every last remixed soundtrack. It's a frustrating model that encourages grinding.

As you play and replay the game, you'll come face to face with its art style again and again. In general, the aesthetic choices here work well enough. Throughout the campaign there's an enticing 2.5D effect, whereby beefy character models maneuver through a 3D space along a two-dimensional plane. There's also some playful camera work, in moments when Bill and Lance turn corners or break away from the background action. At times, however, things just look off. Many of the foreground assets are overly shiny and plasticky, and some of the background models lack texture. WayForward would have been better off embracing pixel art in the vein of Contra III, Hard Corps, and its own Contra 4.

Technical performance is very much the same as graphics: good enough but with room for improvement. On Switch, the game hits a mostly steady 30 FPS, with a few hiccups here and there. Note: this is lower than the 60 FPS benchmark found on PC and PS5. During my time with the game, I experienced six instances where the software unexpectedly quit. This was always at the end of the level, and the auto-save function preserved all my progress, but it was still irritating.

As for music, it's perfectly fine. Composed by industry stalwarts Yuko Komiyama and Norihiko Hibino, the orchestral soundtrack is grand and soaring, if just a touch generic. Funkier, spookier chiptune tracks might have served the material better. If you're not fully into the new sound, no worries: with enough credits you can unlock remixed music based on older Contra titles.

Operation Galuga isn't quite as successful as previous retro revivals, but it's darn close. It has everything you'd want in a Contra game, and in some cases more. The moment-to-moment action is terrific, level designs and boss battles are mostly great, character and weapon diversity provide high replay value, and customization options allow for an adventure as dangerous or approachable as you like. With a more interesting story, a less tedious progression model, and nicer artistic assets, it would enter that next tier of greatness. Even without those things, it's one of the better entries in the long-running run-and-gun series.