Super Contra (set 1)

Console: Arcade
Players: 2P sim

About Super Contra (set 1)

Super Contra, known as Super Contra: The Alien Strikes Back in Japan, is a run and gun video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. After location testing in December 1987, it had a wide release in January 1988. It is the sequel to Contra and part of the Contra series. The game stars Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as they are sent to thwart another alien invasion from the vicious Red Falcon.

Player layout in our catalog: 2P sim.

If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.

Open Play on this page to start Super Contra (set 1). Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.

2P simArcade Platform Arcade Contra

Super Contra (set 1) — play guide

What Super Contra wants from you

Super Contra (Konami) is the Contra sequel with denser run-and-gun stages: switch weapons, respect spread vs laser choices, and survive bosses that punish open-field mash. Sprint tourism into every nest empties lives mid-alley. Your job is peek-and-advance—clear a lane, swap guns when the threat changes, and stop treating the sequel like free invincibility from the first game’s habits. Continues buy stage memory; the exam is still one-credit ambition with weapon discipline.

First minutes in Super Contra

Stage one: short advances with cover peeks before inventing full-sprint montage runs. Grab weapon boxes when fire pauses—not mid-pin. Spread clears packs; laser cuts bosses—swap on purpose. Early stages are cover labs under Super Contra paint. One clean stretch with lives left beats three nest deaths that looked like the first Contra until a gun you ignored finished you.

Core systems in Super Contra

Run, jump, shoot, weapon types, enemy nests, and boss patterns define Super Contra. Weapon choice is a system: wrong gun into the wrong swarm is a soft death. Advances are commitments—leave cover and the nest pins. Later stages raise bullet density; first-game sprint habits fail harder here. Konami art sells muscle; the stick still wants classic Contra peeks under sequel pressure.

Score, continues, and resources in Super Contra

Stage clears with lives and a sensible weapon left beat sprint scores that die mid-nest. Continues while pin deaths repeat; cut them once cover advances are boring. Farming stage one for vanity spreads teaches the wrong muscle. Extends follow score when awarded—claim them after peek routes feel honest under denser sequel maps.

Mistakes that burn credits in Super Contra

Open sprints into every nest, ignoring cover, and never swapping guns burn Super Contra credits. Players also keep laser into trash packs and eat chip for free while freezing mid-alley for looks. Holding a vanity spray fantasy through a packed doorway ends the life early. Tunneling on scenery while a nest finishes you off-screen is classic tilt. Next run: peek cover, advance short, match gun to density—leave flashier open sprints for empty alleys.

Next steps after Super Contra

Contra is Konami’s landmark if sequel density still feels opaque—re-learn belt peeks and weapon swaps there first under slightly calmer early stages, then return. Rush'n Attack keeps Konami run-and-knife literacy warm when you want slower peeks. Gundam / other Konami run-and-guns on this site once Super Contra weapon honesty sticks. Stay in run-and-guns until montage sprints stop feeling mandatory; the sequel rewards the same peeks with less mercy.

Sources cited below under Further reading.

Cabinet dossier

Player layout on this cabinet: 2P sim.

Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Platform, Arcade.

Screenshots

Next cabinets

Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):Contra (US / Asia, set 1), Contra (handheld), Contra (PlayChoice-10), Aladdin (bootleg of Japanese Mega Drive version), Altered Beast (set 8) (8751 317-0078), Armored Warriors, Alien Storm (World, 2 Players), Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja (US revision 1), Vs. Balloon Fight (set BF4 A-3), Bay Route (set 3, World), BeatHead (prototype), B.C. Kid / Bonk's Adventure / Kyukyoku!! PC Genjin

Explore more on this site

Same series

Contra (US / Asia, set 1) · Contra (handheld) · Contra (PlayChoice-10)

Same genre

Contra (US / Asia, set 1) · Contra (handheld) · Contra (PlayChoice-10) · Aladdin (bootleg of Japanese Mega Drive version) · Altered Beast (set 8) (8751 317-0078) · Armored Warriors · Alien Storm (World, 2 Players) · Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja (US revision 1) · Vs. Balloon Fight (set BF4 A-3) · Bay Route (set 3, World) · BeatHead (prototype) · B.C. Kid / Bonk's Adventure / Kyukyoku!! PC Genjin

How to play Super Contra (set 1) online

Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.

Questions about Super Contra (set 1)

Can I play Super Contra (set 1) free in a browser?

Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts Super Contra (set 1) as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.

What controls does Super Contra (set 1) support?

Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.

Are there other games in the same series as Super Contra (set 1)?

Yes — related series cabinets on this site include Contra (US / Asia, set 1), Contra (handheld), Contra (PlayChoice-10). Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.

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