Contra

* Front
* Back

Low%

Any% J Version

Low% J Version

Any% Co-Op

Low% Co-Op

Pacifist

R Only

M Only

F Only

L Only

Co-Op (Continues Allowed)

## Overview

The original Contra is deceptively hard to play, much less play at a high level. Runners will spend months or years honing their skills to score the best times. To achieve these skills, it is recommended you download an approved *emulator* (some aren't allowed to submit times due to inaccurate emulation) and fire up the game to get some save states which will allow you practice individual levels and sections to really fine tune your game. You'll also need a *timer* so you know how fast (or slow) your run is going.
Throughout this guide we're going to show you the strats, tips, and tricks to pull off an Any% speedrun and have linked you to tools you'll need to submit runs to the *Leaderboards*.
## Powerups

* Grabbing the R powerup will aid only your current weapon. If you grab a new weapon, your R is reset and will need to be reacquired. So, if you have S+R, you can grab as many S as you like without resetting your R. However, if you have S+R and grab M, your R is reset.
* Grabbing B or Mass Destruction will *not* reset your weapon.

## General Strats

### Consistent Firing

If you've watched runs from other players, you may notice they are continually firing their weapons. This is typically done rhythmically to reduce the number of enemies (aka *Trolls*) on screen at a given time, commonly referred to as detrollage (dā-tro-läzh′). It's French.

One reason is to ensure their impact on your movement is as unencumbered as possible. While enemies can start shooting at you in Waterfall (most noticeable at the top of the climb at the boss), starting in Snowfield, their popping in and shooting becomes much more prevalent and requires even greater screen awareness.

Another reason is to mitigate lag. Trolls can spawn at nearly any time in groups of one, two, or even three. It's not uncommon to have two roaming packs of three trolls. When these roving trios combine with other enemies or sprites on screen it can cause serious lag, slowing down the time of your run.

### Spread Rhythm

Spread Rhythm is most important in the two, pseudo 3D base stages, and appears as an inline volley of shots known as a "bullet hose." Detailed information on how to achieve this consistently and in greater depth and detail can be found here under *Technical Details*

### Level Transitions

During the completion of each stage, after the boss is killed, the player loses control of their character. During this time the *fanfare jingle* is played and the character subsequently exits off the side of the screen (or through the gate, elevator, door, etc) to the next level. To prevent losing time on each stage transition it is important to have your character as close to the 'exit' as possible before control is lost.

There is a bit of leeway in how close you must be to the exit area to prevent time loss in your run, but it is always best practice to get as close as possible. For this reason, you may see advanced runners take a jump toward the exit just before control is taken away from the player if they were caught out of position during the boss kill. This is most notable after completing *Energy Zone*, as the player may be very far to the left of the screen upon killing the boss.
This is a comparison of the possible time difference between optimal vs. sub-optimal positioning when the 'Stage Clear' fanfare begins. The time difference between them is 2.7 secs. Even at mid-optimal positioning across 4 levels over your run will cost almost 11 secs.

Next is a way to visualize what is occurring off-screen to help understand when the screen transition will occur.

## Levels

This game features eight levels each with their challenges you must overcome. In this guide we'll cover the skills you'll need to complete runs with good, or even great times.