Contra Force Beginner Tips - Characters, Weapons, and Survival

Contra Force looks familiar if you have played the earlier NES Contra games, but it asks for a different mindset. The biggest shift is that you are not just grabbing a spread gun and pushing forward. You manage four commandos, a Gradius-style power meter, temporary partner calls, and stages that alternate between side-view action and overhead movement.

This guide stays focused on beginner survival: how to pick a useful commando, how to spend power boxes, when to switch, and how to avoid wasting lives before the later missions.

Essential Tips

1. Pick a Main Commando Before the First Shot

Contra Force lets you choose between Burns, Smith, Iron, and Beans, and each one plays differently enough that constant swapping can hurt more than it helps. Start by choosing one main character for normal movement and one backup for moments where a specific weapon solves a problem.

Smith is the friendliest first pick for many players because his rifle and homing missiles help with enemies or targets that are awkward to line up. Burns is a strong all-rounder with a higher jump and weapons that work well in standard side-view fights. Iron brings heavier weapons, including flamethrower and bazooka options, but he feels less flexible when movement matters. Beans is built around explosives and a lower stance, which can be powerful once you understand enemy placement but can feel strange while learning.

Your goal is not to prove every character equally. Your goal is to keep one reliable fighter alive long enough to carry the run.

2. Shoot Scenery for Hidden Weapon Boxes

The most important beginner habit is also the easiest to miss: break suspicious scenery. Contra Force hides weapon boxes in destructible parts of stages, including boxes, walls, ledges, and other objects. Those pickups advance the power meter at the bottom of the screen.

If you rush through a stage with only the starting pistol, the game feels much harsher. Slow down when the area allows it, test walls and crates, and clear breakable objects before moving past them. This is especially important after a death, because losing a powered-up character can force you to rebuild from basic shots.

Do not treat hidden boxes as optional treasure. They are the route to better weapons, more shots on screen, and the jump-based defensive tool that can save a run.

3. Spend the Power Meter Deliberately

Weapon boxes do not instantly change your gun. They move a cursor along a meter, and you press Select when the cursor reaches the option you want. That means every pickup is a decision, not a simple upgrade.

Early on, prioritize a weapon that makes aiming easier or damage safer. Smith’s homing missiles are useful because they reduce the need for perfect lines in crowded rooms. Burns’ machine gun helps when steady forward pressure matters. Iron’s flamethrower is short-ranged, so make sure you actually want close-range power before taking it. Beans’ explosives reward planned placement more than panic firing.

Turbo can be valuable because it increases how many shots you can have on screen. Rolling Attack is more specialized: it protects you while jumping, so it is not a standing shield. Take it when you know you can use jumps to cross danger, not when you need constant protection on the ground.

4. Use Select Before You Switch Characters

One easy way to waste progress is to collect boxes, open the command menu, and swap to another commando before turning the meter into a real upgrade. If you are holding enough meter for the option you want, press Select and lock in the benefit first.

Think of each commando as having a personal investment. A powered-up Smith with homing missiles is a very different asset from an untouched Smith with a handgun. If you move away from a character at the wrong time, you may leave value sitting unused.

Before every planned switch, ask two questions: does the current fighter have meter to spend, and does the next fighter solve the immediate problem better? If the answer to the first question is yes, spend before swapping. If the answer to the second is no, stay with the character you already built.

5. Call Battle Plan Help for Crowded Screens

The Start menu does more than pause. It lets you bring in another commando as a short assist through Battle Plans. The helper only stays for a few seconds, so the feature works best as a burst of cover, not a long-term partner.

Use it when the screen is busy, when you need extra fire while crossing a risky section, or when a tough target is creating too much pressure. Do not wait until you are already trapped at point-blank range. Open the menu before the situation collapses, choose a useful helper, then move while the extra fire buys space.

Because the assist is temporary, your movement still matters. Keep shooting, keep watching enemy angles, and use the helper to make a hard stretch cleaner rather than standing still and hoping the other commando handles everything.

6. Treat Lives as Four Separate Pools

Each commando has three lives. That makes switching a survival tool, not just a style choice. If your current fighter is nearly out, changing to another character with lives remaining can preserve the run and keep you away from a full collapse.

The key is switching before disaster, not after it. When a character is down to a final life and has lost upgrades, consider saving them for a safer stretch or for a specific weapon need later. A fresh backup with a basic pistol may be better than gambling everything on one wounded favorite.

This also means you should avoid careless experimentation in dangerous areas. Learning Beans’ explosive rhythm or Iron’s range is useful, but doing it while one hit from failure can burn a valuable pool. Test unfamiliar characters when the screen is manageable.

7. Change Habits Between Side-View and Overhead Stages

Contra Force alternates stage styles. Stages one, three, and five use side-view action with running, crouching, jumping, and platform hazards. Stages two and four shift to overhead play, where you can move in eight directions but cannot jump or crouch.

In side-view areas, vertical positioning matters. Use crouch, jumps, platforms, and diagonal shots to handle enemies above or below you. Rolling Attack only matters while airborne, so side-view stages are where it has the clearest defensive role.

In overhead areas, stop thinking like a platformer. You need clean spacing, diagonal movement, and controlled firing lanes. Since you cannot jump out of danger, avoid getting boxed in. Move early, keep room behind you, and use longer-range or homing options when targets approach from awkward angles.

8. Prepare Before Boss Rooms

Boss fights punish weak preparation. Before entering a suspicious arena or the end of a mission, check whether your active commando is the one you want, whether you have spent useful meter, and whether an assist could help with the opening pattern.

Do not carry a poor weapon into a boss just because it is what you happened to select earlier. If a weapon is short-ranged, make sure the fight allows you to stay close without reckless damage. If a fight has multiple targets or hard angles, a longer-range or homing option can be safer than raw power.

Once the battle starts, play patiently. Many boss attacks can be avoided by crouching, staying low, or moving around the attack pattern. Surviving long enough to keep steady fire on target is usually better than rushing for damage and losing the commando you spent the whole stage building.

9. Rebuild Calmly After a Death

Losing a life can also mean losing upgrades, so the moments right after a death are dangerous. The game may tempt you to sprint back to where you were, but a basic weapon makes that route less forgiving.

Slow down and rebuild. Break scenery again, watch for hidden boxes, and consider whether another commando has a better remaining kit. If your favorite character is stripped down and the next section is hostile, switching can be smarter than trying to force the same plan.

This is also where beginners should avoid revenge movement. Do not jump at the enemy that just killed you unless the angle is clean. Contra Force is easier when you regain control first, then regain power.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Do not ignore breakable scenery - Hidden weapon boxes are central to building a stronger commando.
2. Do not press Select randomly - Wait until the meter highlights an option that fits the next problem.
3. Do not switch before spending useful meter - Turn pickups into an upgrade before handing control to someone else.
4. Do not treat Rolling Attack as a standing shield - Its protection applies while jumping.
5. Do not save Battle Plans forever - A short assist is valuable when the screen is crowded.
6. Do not burn every life on one favorite - Swap early enough to preserve the team’s remaining chances.
7. Do not use side-view habits in overhead stages - There is no jump or crouch in those missions.
8. Do not rush boss rooms with a weak setup - Prepare the character, weapon, and assist before committing.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Characters	Learn one main commando and one backup first
Weapons	Break scenery to feed the power meter
Meter	Press Select only when the highlighted option helps
Assists	Call Battle Plan help before the screen overwhelms you
Lives	Treat each commando’s three lives as a team resource
Stages	Shift tactics between side-view and overhead missions
Bosses	Enter with a planned weapon and patient movement