Contra is often cited as the quintessential run-and-gun shooter and has influenced the likes of Gunstar Heroes, Metal Slug and Alien Hominid.

While Konami has tried to evolve the franchise over the years, with its efforts falling into the 'good' (Contra 4) and 'not-so-good' (Contra: Rogue Corps) categories, homebrew dev Retrolead has taken the original game and given it a modern-day angle.

Contra Reforged is described as having "retro graphics, retro difficulty, and retro cheat codes – but it's a 3D third-person shooter."

The game takes the look and sound of the NES port and turns it into something more complex. "You don't need to aim very much because of the auto lock-on mechanism," explains the developer. "Just jump and shoot."

If you fancy giving it a spin, you can check out Contra Reforged here.

[source retrolead.itch.io]