Contra Waterfall

## Stage 3 Waterfall

Waterfall Boss

(Overall Split Time)

## Overview

This stage is where more fun begins. There have been many paths charted through here, as following specific sequences and making very particular jumps will allow your character to "skip" ledges allowing him to reach places he normally would need to take an extra jump to reach. These are called "routes," and is likely the most studied level in the entire game as it offers the best chance for time saves at this point, short of a legitimate warp being found.
The routes you will find below may seem intimidating, but don't feel that way. They're broken down into sections to make it easier to absorb and learn. That's how everyone else learned them. Astute learners will notice a pattern though, certain sections are identical or nearly identical to each other. Not only will these routes save you time over "winging it" or using the most efficient jumps without skips, but they're also much more reliable with protection built in to prevent unwanted scenarios or even death. You'd be well advised to learn at least one route.

## How To

### Routes

Save states will really be quite useful here to practice certain sections. You can use them to really hone in on those trouble spots. With that said let's look at these routes as illustrated by *ArchyCoffee.* You may notice the arrows have different colors. The only color that's important is the yellow ones, which indicate where a skip is supposed to take place.

> **Note:** It is highly recommended you head to the *Waterfall* section of *Technical Details* to fully understand why you're needing to traverse this level in certain ways. It has to do with a particular jump value and your movements must be fairly precise. So be sure to visit the page before proceeding.

#### No Route

The route shown here by Sideswipe is timed at 48.35 secs (from first frame of medals appearing to first Bill frame is standing on the top ledge at the boss). It's typical of what to expect from an average player who isn't using a route. Not using one of the skip routes can not only lead to unintended scenarios, but also doesn't offer a fairly consistent segment time. With a lot of practice, you could certainly narrow it down and find something consistent, but if you're going to spend that much time getting to such a point, you may as well learn at least one of the skip routes.

#### 2 Skip Route (Beginner)

This is arguably the safest of the three that will be highlighted here. The reason for that safety is that it allows you to "skip" the flames on the bridge section. The other two routes *jump* over the flame, which has a small window of success and ends a lot of runs. Too much resetting at this point can be frustrating for anyone, let alone newer runners who may not be used to playing the opening level repeatedly. The other reason it's safer is that it allows you to grab the Barrier (B) later which means it ends later, well past the most dangerous part at the top of the waterfall where there's three turrets aimed at you plus Scuba Steve shooting his trio of tomatoes at you.
The trickiest parts to this run are getting the Barrier (B) and managing trolls. In the Bridge section, you'll notice the B and R flying in from below. Be quick here, as you'll need to shoot northeast as you start your vertical climb after crossing the bridge. As you approach the Bridge, be sure to shoot towards the edge of the screen that you're on - nearing left side of the screen, shoot left to make sure trolls don't pop out and kill as you're jumping. If you're nearing the right side of the screen, shoot right.

#### 4 Skip Route (Intermediate)

This route brought back the dreaded flame jump but with the promise of up to 1.5 secs time save. This doesn't seem like much, but to someone chasing WRs or looking for even the smallest of time saves to help reach a time goal this is welcome, if begrudgingly. This jump is run killer, but there are methods to improve your odds of success such as consistent play to arrive at certain points that help you find your visual cues of when to jump and from where.
The upside to this route is that, if you look closely, the segments Island and Top are the same as the 2 Skip route, so learning this after learning just got a bit easier. Once you get the Barrier, it's same old, same old.

##### 4 Skip Archy Variant

You'll notice here that there's an extra illustration on the far right. This is called the *Archy variant*, discovered by *Archycoffee*. The only real difference here in terms of routing is on the Island portion, where two sets of jumps inverted. After landing on the Island, rather than jumping Up, Up, Left, Right, Left you will now jump Left, Right, Left, Up, Up. This provides a bonus safety at the top. One of the worst feelings for runner is to worry that they messed up a jump somewhere, which, as we've learned, will prevent you from skipping the final ledge. In the normal 2 and 4 skip routes, if you mess up part of the route, this means either traversing all the way back across the screen to the left then jumping back up to the right, costing bout 3-4 secs. At a certain point though, it just becomes a reset.

With the Archy variant, this is largely a non-issue. If you miss the final skip, you're only one ledge below where you want to be, and thus, any time loss here is negligible, maybe around one second. Still well within the realm of continuing the run. I would highly recommend considering using this variant. The one caveat here is that, even when done optimally, it's twelve frames slower (0.2 secs) than the standard 4 skip. Twelve frames don't amount to much for the average runner, but for those chasing records or sub 10min times it's a lot.

> **Note:** Remember what we learned in the Technical section of *Waterfall* that all jump values are not equal. What this means here is that the Archy variant *will not* work for the 2 skip, even though the original routing for the Island and Top in 4 skip was the same as 2 Skip.

#### 5 Skip Route (Advanced)

Done optimally this route can be done in 39.06 secs. This is 10 secs saved over an optimal "No Route" route. This route does have its quirks and can be really frustrating to get right as there are some really tight jumps - jumps that have little to no leeway.

## Boss

    Like many bosses, the challenge isn't just beating them, it's beating them quickly and efficiently. The sequence for this isn't random for the length of the fight we're looking for. Assuming you follow one the strats outlined here, it'll be the same every time. This bosses' mechanic is that the mouth will open and shoot three fireballs at you. The timing on when it fires it wholly dependent on the status of the arms. With at least one arm still active the mouth will fire every 4.2 seconds. With no arms active it will fire every 2.9 seconds.

##### Two-Cycle (Beginner)

    The is the easiest way to kill the boss, but obviously the slowest strat. Start on the left side of the screen, about a full "Bill" sprite away the edge. Get a nice bullet hose going, and when the arm starts to swing down, jump to kill the arm. Then head immediately towards the magic pixel in the center. This "magic pixel" is where the right side of your gun is lined up with the right side of the inner pipe. This position will allow you to hit the mouth without being hit by any of the fireballs.

##### Two Cycle (Intermediate)

    The key to this fight is making sure to destroy both arms. Killing both arms doesn't cost you any time if you're quick as the mouth won't open until 7.4 secs after the arms first appear and begin to expand. For this rendition, start on the right side of the screen and jump and fire as we showed in previous strats. Then immediately head left while continuing to fire. Just after your pass the double pipe things, jump left while firing to finish the arm. If this doesn't do it, you can jump back to right to do so. Once the arm is dead, find the magic pixel and just shoot straight up until its dead.
##### One Cycle (Advanced)

    This strat is one of the hardest to pull off probably in the entire game. You'll start off the left side of the screen, firing straight up and getting as close to a bullet hose as you can. Be sure not to stand all the way to edge of the screen for two reasons: first, when you jump many of your bullets will miss; second, standing near the thick black line as shown in the gif to the left means that, should a fireball manage to squeak out, you'll be better able to dodge it and the one coming at from the right. When the arm starts to swing down, jump up while firing. The arm should be destroyed before you land. Head right to line up on the magic pixel for the head kill. This is the hard part: you need to mash well and jump *without* slowing your rate of fire. You should be finishing the fight after two jumps.

## Explore more from this game

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1. ↑ Map courtesy of NESMaps.com by Rick N Bruns
2. ↑ Shown from K\_Funk87's 10:04 run verified Dec 14, 2021