A look back at Konami’s classic games: Castlevania and Contra

Perhaps early 8x and 9x gamers know the famous games Konami: Castlevania and Contra (rambo). These two series are still repeated today and spawned many sequels and inspired many other titles.

The classic game Pong was first released more than 50 years ago. That is 5 decades full of memories in the gaming world. During that time, the two classic game lines above are still mentioned today even though they belong to the 8-bit game generation.

What’s even better is that they are still played by gamers of all generations. They still enjoy the gameplay, plot and graphics. With GOG having just added Konami Collector’s Series: Castlevania & Contra on PC, it’s a good opportunity to look back at some of the games that have shaped an entire generation.

Castlevania

First released in 1986, Castlevania cast you as Simon Belmont. The player’s task is to defeat the vampire Dracula. The game includes 18 levels divided into 6 rounds. Although your main weapon is still the familiar iron whip, the player can also use many secondary weapons such as holy water, daggers, etc.

These additional weapons make each gameplay unique and allow gamers to choose their own playstyle according to the weapon they like best.

Despite its 1986 and 8-bit graphics, Konami has created a unique atmosphere for its games and Castlevania is the best example. The game is heavily inspired by horror movies and the game’s director is Hitoshi Akamatsu. He approaches the game with a ‘movie director’ eye, and wants players to feel like they’re playing in a horror movie.

Another interesting fact on the side is that the whip is not only suitable for the game setting, but because Akamatsu is a big fan of Indiana Jones movies, Raidersr of the Lost Ark and he wanted to add it for that reason.

Castelevania subsequently spawned several sequels, including Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Castelvania III: Dracula’s Curse, and more.

While Castelevania is a difficult game, it is nothing compared to the game we are about to talk about next.

Contra

Contra is a famous game with the legendary “30 lives” code, is a shooting game that combines sidescrolling and pseudo 3D screens. The game was released in 1987 on the arcade (a coin-operated arcade machine) and then on the 4-button NES in 1988. The game is the cause of so many controllers being smashed due to the difficulty of the game, today. There are still many people who play Contra from time to time.

Like Caslevania, Contra gives you the opportunity to use a variety of weapons to progress through the levels. For many people, the code for the extra 30 lives will certainly be necessary because the game is extremely difficult. Unlike many other games, you don’t have a health bar. If you get hit by 1 hit, you will lose 1 life. The person will respawn (but with the default gun) and pay attention to the amount of life you have because if you lose all, you will have to start from the beginning.

That’s why this giveaway cheat code is important, but did you know that it was featured in a Konami game before its popularity in Contra? It first appeared in Gradius, the raw sidescroller game released a year earlier in 1986.

One thing that makes Contra stand out is the 2-player gameplay. Allowing another player to accompany you, instead of taking turns makes Contra a game worth playing with friends.

With Konami Collector’s Series: Castlevania & Contra on GOG, you’ll get to play these classics. The list of games in the Konami Collector’s Series includes Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Contra and Super Contra.

History of Konami

If talking about these two classic games, we need to remember the studio that made them. Founded in 1969, Konami initially started out manufacturing jukeboxes. It wasn’t until 1978 that the company made its way into video games.

They really made a breakthrough in 1981 in the arcade with games like Frogger and Super Cobra.

Since then, the company has made a name for itself with many popular blockbusters including the Metal Gear series, the horror series Silent Hill, and the Dance Dance Revolution.

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