Contra III -Snes- 9

May 14, 2024

Contra III is a run and gun action shooter for the Super NES. It has been one of my favorite games for the system since I played it over twenty years ago in high school. I believe I only beat it on emulation with save states back then, though. So this morning I popped in the authentic cart and beat it legitimately, albeit on easy mode. 

Contra III is exhilarating with its awesome weapons, intense action, and challenging gameplay. It is one of the best and most popular games on the system, and I had a great time running through it again after all these years. This is a fantastic follow-up to the classic original Contra on the NES, and it is probably the best game in the series. Contra III does a great job of taking advantage of the 16bit hardware with powerful graphics, non-stop explosions, and very little slow down. Shooting and blowing stuff up has rarely been this much fun. 

The boss battles are especially cool. Stage 1’s boss is giant robot turtle, Stage 3 has a mechanical ape that breaks through the wall, and Stage 4’s finale involves you jumping from different missiles as you destroy the enemy aircraft. Every segment of the game is grandiose and a blast to play. 

The tight selection of guns is perfect, as each firearm feels practical and powerful. The spread gun and the fire gun were my favorites, but the laser works really well in the two overhead stages. 

There are only six levels, so the game is fairly short. But they are extremely fun, whether you play co-op or solo. I did not have too much trouble making it through easy mode, but you have to beat the game on hard mode to unlock the true ending. I tried hard mode for a couple levels, and it is far more challenging with many more bullets coming at you, very fast. So there is good replay value here. 

Contra III was a very popular title in the 1990’s, and it is one of the best action games of the 16bit console generation. Just like the original Contra, it it is short but sweet. This has just about the most intense run and gun action you will find on the snes, and I rate it a 9 out of ten.