C: THE CONTRA ADVENTURE – 0.8 BETA

APRIL 22, 1998 PROTOTYPE

In 2008, DreamTR sold a beta version of C: The Contra Adventure with V0.8 marked on the disc. It is also labelled as being 4 months before release.

KNOWN DIFFERENCES:

General Differences

-Loading bars increment differently.

-Different copyright screen text

-Appaloosa logo: unique tune/jingle not heard in the final, and the logo is presented as an animation.

-The Konami and Appaloosa logo sequences can be skipped.

-First title screen sequence/screen: Different fiery style to the “C”, different design for the subtitle and the “PRESS START” blinks blue-red (whereas it is just blue in the final)

-Different attract demo sequences

-Pressing Select in the main menu brings up a debug menu, which includes level select.

*The debug menu screen is unstable, blinking a lot. It is flimsily coded, as every menu item can be “selected” (pressing Start) to be taken to a loading screen, including ones where selection doesn’t apply (ex: toggling music on/off). For inappropriate selections, the game freezes on the pre-rendered briefing display and tech of the loading screen.

*Pressing X changes the menu text font and stops the blinking. Then, pressing the shoulder buttons warps the display; at this point, the menu items can’t be navigated with the d-pad, as it instead displaces the screen in whatever direction is pressed. Pressing Start still selects the currently highlighted item.

*Levels are not ordered correctly.
**The CITY option loads level 2.
**JUNGLE2 (stage 4) is misplaced after WEIGHTLESS (stage 7), although the levels play in the actual, correct order.

*Non-functional “filemenue” option

*Several blank options

*Spotlight option (unknown function)

*Can also toggle the music and auto-aim on/off

*SS1 is equivalent to selecting New Game in the main menu. SS2 is the final level. SS3 is non-functional (possibly a remnant pointer to a cut level, maybe for testing).

*The bottom lists the type of controller for player 1 and 2. It always shows STANDARD PAD.

-Main menu text font is different (and includes the different fiery “C”).

-Cheat codes aren’t yet implemented (or at least aren’t the same as in the final).

-Saving/loading in-game progress works in this build.

-The controller configuration randomly changes to Analog 1 when starting the game (via New Game or debug menu) from the main menu after turning on the analog button on the controller.

-The control scheme, in general, seems to alternate randomly between 2 schemes when restarting the stages.

-From the in-game pause menu, pressing Select accesses another debug menu of sorts (which blinks rapidly). The menu is different between side view and 3D stages.

Side View Stages:

*Lists coordinates, as well as has the options to continue or quit the game. It also displays the name of the current stage (likely placeholder/internal references). The stage names are:
1 – SS1 Area 1
9 – SS2 Road to Boss

*Only the fire button selects the options in the menu.

3D Stages:

*Has an option to exit the stage (redundant to the pause menu’s same option), as well as several player coordinates.

*Also has a sound test for many sound effects (“SONG” option). Press Square/Circle to cycle forwards/backwards through the numbers and X to play the selection. Many of the numbered selections don’t play any sound effects. Understandably, almost none of the music tracks can be played as they are actual audio tracks on the CD. The only ones that can be tested are musical samples in the data: the Game Over theme, stage completion theme and the ominous introductory music for some (sub-)boss battles.

-The pause menu itself lists some coordinates.

-Player life bar decrementing isn’t coded properly yet. In the side-view stages, small/weak enemies can kill the player in 1 hit by contact instead of doing minor damage, for example.

-The Game Over screen usually appears after every life lost (most likely an error). The screen itself is different.

-Unlike the final (and several other Contra games), continuing after a Game Over places the player where they left off, instead of at the start of the stage, or a checkpoint. This is like the original arcade Contra and Super Contra.

-The level completion screen features a different text font, and the highlighted choice is red instead of yellow.

-Different save and load menu text fonts

-The save/load menu has its own set of names for many of the levels.
Stage 2 – VILLAGE
Stage 3 – CANYON1
Stage 4 – CANYON2
Stage 5 – PYRAMID1
Stage 6 – PYRAMID2
Stage 7 – WEIGHTLESS
Stage 8 – HUNTING
Stage 9 – ALIENLAIR

-Players start the game with 8 lives, although this does mostly not matter, as explained below.

-In nearly all areas during gameplay, getting killed results in a Game Over each time (with the option to continue or quit, if applicable).

-Player lives are implemented, and they decrement after each death; but these are mostly pointless due to the continue system. Sometimes, the lives counter loops directly back up to 7 or 8 after reaching 0 instead of first going to the Game Over screen.

-1UP pickups are not yet implemented in this build.

-Weapon powerups aren’t lost after dying.

-Regardless of difficulty, players can hold up to 9 Super Bombs (in the final, the capacity is difficulty-dependent).

-Players are given 3 continues when playing from the New Game main menu option; 50 continues when stages are accessed through the debug menu.

-Despite there being invincibility frames after taking a hit, there is often no actual delay of safety accompanying them. Consequently, players may take multiple hits in very short succession (including fatal ones).

-The player’s temporary invincibility after getting hit in the 3D stages consists of the sprite flickering, similar to when respawning after a death. In the final, the sprite rapidly blinks red.

-Differences in the color-coded powerup falcons:

*In the side view stages, the Crush Missile falcon is purple instead of blue (and purple is reserved for the Grenade Launcher in the final, a weapon that only appears in the 3D stages).

**Its HUD symbol is that of the Grenade Launcher in the final.

*In turn, the blue falcon gives the Laser Gun here (whereas the Laser Gun’s falcon is white/silver in the final).

*The white falcon gives the Homing Missiles (whereas the falcon for it is green in the final).

-The Grenade launcher is extremely weak; the Laser Gun is very powerful compared to the final (likewise with the Crush Missiles); the Flamethrower is also noticeably stronger.

-The ending staff credits are displayed on the briefing monitor instead of a completely separate credits sequence, and there’s no music. It’s just a single screen of general credits, at which point the player must press Start.

Audio

-Slight music differences (noticeably different instruments, samples, etc.)

-Stereo sound isn’t correctly implemented. For example, the player’s gunfire sound is only heard from the right side in the side view stages, no matter the direction of fire.

-Sometimes, the sound effects become much quieter, requiring the music volume to be reduced for them to be heard.

-The player character (Ray) has a different voice actor, with some different lines. Different lines include:
Take that!
Punk! (in the final, he says Sit Down, Punk!)
Get that out of here!

*Ray is also missing a lot of lines, especially all of the instructive ones in the Drillcamp (Training) stage.

-The music tracks sometimes don’t end/start at the right points/intervals.

*Additionally, loud sound effects may drown out the music, which may not recover in volume afterwards.

*The music may also abruptly stop at various moments, such as resuming after the game is paused.

-No landing sound effect after jumping

-Some explosion sounds are much quieter.

-The gun turret drones in the side view stages have a different firing sound effect.

-The sound effect of the opening hatch to the ground turrets (before they raise up) is also different.

Cut Scenes

-In the prologue, when it shows Ray watching the screen, the “CONTRA” logo is clearly a placeholder in this prototype: It features the same fiery “C” from the initial title screen and simpler letters for “ONTRA”. In the final, it’s a distinct, unique logo.

General Stage Differences

Note: All observations were made on the Hard difficulty setting.

-In the final, players can press Start or X to stop or skip the briefing message. Here, only Start can be pressed to do so.

-3D stages have more powerup boxes scattered around, and many of them hold super bombs or health.

-The Spread and Laser guns are a bit slower in the 3D stages.

-In the side view stages, the player can’t aim-lock diagonally with some of the weapons.

-Contact with enemies in the side-view stages instantly kills the player, while most projectiles don’t.

-Jumping onto platforms or higher ground in the side view stages is more abrupt: the jump trajectory and animation stop immediately when the player’s at the correct height to be standing on the higher platform. In the final, the jump reaches its peak and only stops when the correct height is reached during its descent.

-On some platforms in the side view stages, the player can’t duck. Pressing Down aims the gun downwards as if the position lock is being held.

-The aim lock/strafing maneuver in the side view stages mainly locks the left or right direction; locking diagonals is rather finnicky.

-In the 3D stages, when sub-bosses are nearly defeated, enemies in the environment nearby that usually appear after the battle (in the final), already begin to activate (or at least, their sounds can be heard) in this build.

-In some 3D stages, powerup crates respawn if the player moves away from them far enough.

-Interestingly, Contra: Legacy of War’s weapons cheat (duck+cycle weapon to cycle through all of the guns) is enabled by default in the 3D stages, except for the weightless elevator stage. Each time a weapon is cycled, 2 super bombs are added to the player’s arsenal; although the capacity is 9, if the player has an even number of bombs, it maxes out at 8.

-The mines in the 3D stages that instantly kill the player in the final instead mostly inflict minor damage in this prototype.

-A rather amusing effect in the 3D stages, Ray has an occasional idle animation where he reloads/checks his gun. He swings the gun straight down and up during this animation. If the player starts firing during the animation, Ray will shoot, but the animation doesn’t get interrupted; thus, the direction of fire will match the angle of the gun through its animation.

*In fact, this occurs when using the Super Bombs in the 3D stages, as well. In the final, the player’s gun fire is interrupted and won’t resume until the Super Bomb launching animation ends. In this prototype, the player can continue to fire during the animation and, again, the gunfire trajectory follows the angle of the gun throughout the animation.

Stage 0 (Drillcamp)
-The final refers to this stage as Training.

-Briefing message differences (different spacing and “in order to”, instead of just “to”)

-The “incoming message” sound effect in the training mode is different. The instruction messages use a different font.

*Incoming messages and instructions don’t include accompanying voice lines from Ray.

-Some sub-bosses have different sound effects.

-No health pickup near the starting area

-Slight difference in the instructional message at the arachnid sub-boss (“boss” instead of “enemy’s”).

Stage 1 (City)
-The final refers to the level as City Rescue.

-Highly prone to crashing/freezing at various points on the train at the end

-The spawn rate, or just spawning altogether, of foot soldiers seems to change randomly when re-playing the stage.

-Despite there being blinking red invincibility frames for the player when hit and receiving minor damage, there is no actual invincibility delay. As a result, their health bar will be depleted rapidly if hit by multiple bullets or projectiles in short succession.

-Foot soldiers spawn from the left during the mortar tank sub-boss battle.

-There is a destructible steel crate near the start of the level, designed after the powerup boxes in the original NES Contra. It can be damaged (blinks red) and destroyed. It is empty, however. Additionally, there is no crate with health pickup on the platform at this point, while there is in the final.

-Around where the Spread Gun appears, the ground actually inclines up a little bit, demonstrating a bit of geometric variety.

-Shortly after, the square platform is much higher than in the final (ascending layout in the final, compared to descending in this build). Also, there are fewer enemies here. In the final, there are 2 snipers and a grenadier on the platforms; here, there’s only a grenadier on the platform, but also a sniper on the ground.

-Just after the platform with the grenadier described above, the ground inclines back down.

-The flame geysers’ hit boxes are unreliable and deceptive, as the player can still be killed where there seems to be no flames.

-There is a flame geyser immediately at the turn of this corner in the prototype, whereas there is none in the final.

-A powerup capsule flies across at this platform with the 2 grenadiers (defeated in this screenshot), and it holds a Crush Missile powerup. No powerups appear at this point in the final. Also, if shot when it’s over the platform, the powerup simply clips and falls through the platform to the ground. (Note: The powerup color differences are explained above)

-The UFO sub-boss’ laser attacks are much quieter.

*Its crashing sound effect is delayed after defeat.

*The boss music doesn’t stop after the UFO is defeated.

-The Crush Missile powerup flies across at this point, with the Super Bomb in box on the ground, in the final. In this build, it is absent.

-No smoke puffs out of the left crack in the ground at this point.

-There is a sniper after the first hang rail here. In the final, it is a grenadier.

-Next to that sniper, there is no crate with health pickup.

-This platform also has a sniper (instead of grenadier in the final).

-The powerup that flies by at the last square platform has a Homing Missile (Spread Gun in the final). Also, the bouncing fireballs appear more detailed in the prototype. In the final, they’re puffier/cloudier.

*Also, the sides of this platform are intangible, with a separate platform to stand on inside of it.

-There is no crate with a Laser Gun powerup on this platform.

-The powerup that flies by at this last platform is the Laser Gun, whereas it’s a 1UP in the final.

-The powerup that flies by at this bridge is a Spread Gun (Homing Missiles in the final).

-There is no Super Bomb crate below this platform.

-All music stops once the train arrives.

-The train stops completely when first encountered and the player is battling its first sub-boss. It speeds up again after that sub-boss is defeated. In the final, it speeds up once the player boards it.

-During the train sequence, dying doesn’t cause a Game Over, but it still decrements the lives. Thus, at least the proper functionality of lives was coded in for this section.

-Strangely, when the game is paused during the train sequence against the heart sub-boss during some play sessions, another stage’s music would start playing all of a sudden (such as stage 2 or 3). When that track ended, other tracks played in sequence; one example is stage 1, 9, 6 and 7. The music shouldn’t continue playing when paused, yet it does in this glitched mode. The music also spills over the victory theme, as well as on the screen to continue or save the game.

-The snake sub-boss fires its lasers at a slightly quicker rate.

*Also, the lasers colliding with the player’s hit box creates a green, polygonal effect around the player for a few seconds (regardless of whether it kills the player or the player is temporarily invincible after respawning).

-The mortar shells launched by the cannon of the train cab (stage boss) can be destroyed if shot enough.

*The missiles during this battle are much more difficult to hit and destroy (odd hit box).

Stage 2
-Unnamed, except Village in the save file (also Village in the final)

-Minor briefing message difference (“_” instead of “…” near the end)

-More enemies spawn in the level

-This health powerup doesn’t appear in Hard mode, in the final.

-There are 2 Super Bomb powerup crates and 1 health crate (furthest), while there are only the 2 Super Bombs in the final.

-This Super Bomb crate does not appear in the final…

*… Nor does this health crate.

-There are 3 alien drones here, while the final only has 2.

-The powerup closer to the player is a health pickup in the final, while it’s another Super Bomb here.

-This health crate doesn’t appear in the final…

-… Nor does this Barrier crate.

-The health crate, on the left, does not appear in the final.

-Same with the crate on the left, here (also with health).

-In the final, this corner has a recessed pedestal with a 1UP crate.

-By reaching and waiting at the gate too soon after defeating the stage boss, the automatic running sequence of the player character glitches up and he runs in a circle infinitely. The game must be rebooted at that point.

Stage 3 (Jungle)
-Referred to as Canyon 1 in the final

-Considerably more enemies spawn in the level

-There is no teleport/spawn sound effect for the spider enemies.

-The alien tripod plants have no charge up sound for their seeking projectile.

-The sub-boss doesn’t begin attacking immediately, causing a delay of a few seconds at the start of the battle where it is inactive and can’t be attacked.

*The little creature manipulating the plant monster occasionally emits a stock villain laugh (including when the player takes damage or is killed).

*The ocular lasers are yellow here, whereas they are red in the final.

*The laser firing sound only occurs once in the second phase, before it begins emitting the ocular lasers. In the final, the sound plays every time it fires the twin beams.

-There is a 1UP crate in this corner in the final.

Stage 4 (Jungle2)
-Referred to as Canyon 2 in the final

-Briefing message difference (missing the word “a” in “find a way inside”)

-In the final, the bridge segment on the left is level with the higher ground and appears damaged, with a hole in it. Here, it’s a clean, rectangular segment that is closer to the ground below; it serves as a shortcut to get back up to the main path.

-In the final, there is a square recess here with a 1UP crate. In this build, there is no recess into this wall.

-This Super Bomb crate is absent in the final.

-Here is another oddity. The final only has the powerup crate on the right in this area (reached later in the level). The left one contains a Super Bomb. In the prototype, the number and specific powerup crates that appear vary with each run through the level (just the right one, or the left, or both). However, although 2 can be seen from this side of the level in the prototype, if the player progresses along to a certain point after this section, either the left or right crate disappears.

-This Super Bomb crate is absent in the final.

-Both of these Super Bomb crates are absent in the final.

-Slugs already swarm the open area ahead in the final. In this build, they are absent.

-The exit area (that the player runs to after defeating the boss) is a simple little alcove here, whereas there’s a small segment of stairs in the final.

Stage 5 (Pyramid)
-Very different briefing message (notably, no reference to the cut scene that just played prior)

-An arrow turret was placed in this awkward spot, buried in the sloped cave ceiling. Understandably, it is removed in the retail build.

-The left crate, holding a health pickup, does not appear in the final.

-This prison cell has 2 powerup crates in the final, a 1UP and a Super Bomb. Here, it is only the Super Bomb, in the center of the cell.

-This health powerup crate, which does not appear in the final, may or may not spawn at this spot between playthroughs.

-This Barrier powerup crate does not appear in the final…

*… Because it appears in this corner of the sub-boss battle arena in that version.

-The third phase of the sub-boss doesn’t shoot an explosive beam when using its red laser sights as in the final version; the lasers themselves appear to inflict hitscan damage to the player.

-This health crate does not appear in the final…

-Neither does this one.

Stage 6 (Pyramid2)
-The flames from the wall traps appear more saturated in red.

-This powerup crate contains a Flamethrower, instead of a 1UP.

-The tripod plant enemies leave behind a stump after they’re defeated (this applies to all instances of the enemy in the game, although this is one of the better opportunities to demonstrate).

-The improper placement of this powerup crate in this build makes it obvious what it contains.

-This health crate on the center platform does not appear in the final.

-This Super Bomb crate at the wall to the right of the entrance of the 4-way room is absent in the final.

-The gate blocking the doorway out of the above room isn’t present in this location in the prototype…

*… Instead, it’s located a few feet ahead, as the path inclines down.

-These 2 powerup crates, before the eyeball sub-boss, are absent in the final. The left one contains a health pickup, the right one contains a Super Bomb.

-The music doesn’t change to the boss battle theme during the eyeball sub-boss battle.

-This Super Bomb crate doesn’t appear in the final.

-These 2 Super Bomb crates, to the left and right, don’t appear in the final.

-This crate contains a Barrier in this build, whereas it contains a Homing Missile powerup in the final.

-The player will be soft-locked at the slug ambush sub-boss battle if they’re not in sight of the exit gate; the gate won’t open if they’re too far from it.

-The final locked cell/alcove before the boss holds both a Barrier and a health pickup crate in this prototype. It’s just a Barrier pickup in the final.

-Some of the stage boss’ creations can clip through solid objects:

Stage 7 (Weightless)
-Very different briefing message

-The cockroach sub-bosses take damage more quickly.

-The flames from the vents (moving counter-clockwise) are very loud.

*This either drowns out the sound effect, or the flame mines lack a sound effect when they detonate.

-The walker sub-boss also seems to damage more easily.

*Many of its footsteps lack the metal sound effect.

*Its flying phase is even weaker, losing health really fast.

-The stage boss’ crawling entrance noise is much louder.

*When its central red component opens up to emit the flamethrower, there is a graphical error as a solid rectangle appears.

Stage 8 (Hunting)
-Very different briefing message

-Laser barriers at a wall battle never reactivate when they’re passed after the wall is destroyed.

-The mines here also do not kill immediately upon contact, but inflict about half-damage.

-Louder pulse sound effects in the strobing areas

-Several slugs are already crawling towards the player as this dispenser is entering the field of view.

*The slugs dispensed don’t instantly kill the player upon contact.

-The hopping hen alien does not appear at the first wall confrontation.

-At the second wall battle, the hopping hen alien and rifle soldiers appear less frequently.

-The conveyor belts hold many more powerups, including Super Bombs and health.

-The laser turret at the fourth wall battle may stop targeting the player once they are locked in to destroy the wall behind it.

-At the section with 2 moving square platforms, center platform and 2 turrets on the far side, those moving platforms move in a different pattern.

-Sometimes, dying in the lava doesn’t spawn the player back up on safe ground, but still in the lava itself.

-The gun turrets on the stage boss already attack the player before the battle begins (as the player is running up to the boss, even). Also, their lasers are red instead of blue.

Stage 9
-No name for this stage in this prototype (Alien Lair in the final)

-Very different briefing message

-Like the City stage, foot soldiers may not spawn at all on some play throughs.

-For some reason, the gun turret drones also use the growl sound that several of the fodder enemies use in the 3D stages.

-Adding to the above, the snipers’ firing sound is an alien slosh noise in this stage.

-Although dying still mostly brings up the Game Over screen after each death, there are a few occasions where the player simply respawns directly, such as some lava pits.

-In the final, the level starts with a short sequence of Ray running into the scene from the left. In this build, he is already at the center of the screen, immediately controllable.

-At the drop near the start, a Flamethrower powerup flies across in the final; there is no powerup in this build.

-At the first lava pit, there is a bouncing fireball in this build. In the final, there’s a gun turret drone over the gap instead.

-The enemy after this second lava pit is a sniper here, whereas it’s a grenadier in the final.

-Probably one of the more interesting differences, and which fits with the alien theme. From the shaft above the third lava pit fly down the pseudopod cells of the heart sub-boss in level 1. They move quite fast. The final has no pseudopod cells in this entire stage. Only a limited number appear from the ceiling, flying either left or right after approaching the ground. After the first swarm, no further cells appear.

-After the alien cell pit is a ground turret. At the second drop behind it is a crate with a Super Bomb in the final. That crate is absent here. Also, the sniper is further to the left here, compared to the final.

-The powerup crate here is further to the right compared to the final. It also holds a Super Bomb, whereas it has a Laser gun in the final. Furthermore, the Laser Gun powerup flies across, whereas no powerups fly across in the retail release.

-There is a ground turret here, in the final.

-There is a sniper at the edge of this gap in the final.

-There may occasionally be visual artifacts, such as the blue spots at the left end of this lava pit.

-A Crush Missile powerup flies by here in the final, whereas there are no powerups at this point in this build.

-In this prototype, there is a sniper on the platform above, whereas there is no enemy there in the final.

*Instead, there is a ground turret shortly after that spot in the final, whereas it isn’t present in this prototype.

-The terminator sub-bosses lose health faster. Also, their attacks sometimes don’t damage the player.

*The music may stop during this battle.

*Their torsos (2nd phase) may survive even after their life bar has reached 0 and disappeared. Shooting them a little more should eliminate them.

-The big terminator sub-boss has a slightly different flame pattern. Like the smaller robots, its attacks don’t properly damage the player.

-Avoid dying around the hang rail section, as player respawn points are poorly implemented in this build. The player may get stuck in a loop by being spawned directly over the lava without any safety, immediately falling to their death and needing to exit the game, losing all progress in this level.

-The face-huggers are silent and take much more damage to defeat (in the final, they’re killed with a single bullet).

*They also may occasionally glitch and remain stuck in walls they walk into.

-From this point of the stage onwards, the foreground and background is covered and overrun by alien slime, membranes, etc. in the final. Here, the infestation is not nearly as extensive, and the base surfaces are mostly visible and not covered up.

-Stretches of ground, such as this one, were erroneously coded as platforms in this build. As a result, like when standing on other platforms in the prototype, the player can’t duck, and pressing Down will make Ray aim downwards as in the position lock.

-Progressing further at this point results in the player being warped/instantly teleported to the next area, as the screen instantly shifts. It is an abrupt transition.

-The powerup crate is misplaced to the left here.

-When shooting through the eggs, DO NOT go for the buried powerup at the far right. Not only is there nothing inside it (1UP in the final), but the screen doesn’t scroll back to the left, leaving the player stuck. The player must quit the game at this point, losing all of their progress in this stage.

-In the final, below the last row of eggs is a line of unstable platforms that collapse when stood upon, dropping the player into the boss battle area. In the prototype, there are no platforms, with the eggs floating/suspended in the air, and the player directly drops into the boss area.

-The final boss is missing its growling sounds. Some of the other sounds also don’t play.

*Its attacks take several hits to decrement a single unit off of the player’s health bar.

*Its hit box is sometimes misaligned, at its chest below. The head still blinks red when damaged.

*The ocular napalm’s blast reaches farther, hurling pyres up in the air.

*When the final boss is defeated, the player doesn’t run to the right, and out of the area. The regular victory sequence occurs instead (player animation, stage clear music).