Neo Contra/Bosses

1-1: Green Tank

 * Location: Surface of base, around halfway through
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

The first miniboss appears near the end of the surface of the base, and is not particularly challenging. It has two types of weapons, which it generally uses at the same time. The first is a standard gun (which is also it's only weak point) that fires four bullets at a time. The second weapon is the set of mortar cannons mounted on the top. It launches six to eight mortar shots at a time, and red targets appear on the ground where they are going to land.

The mortar is very easy to avoid since you can clearly see where they are going to land beforehand. Simply do not stand on a red crosshair and you won't have a problem. Just make sure you don't run into the bullets when you are moving out of the way of the mortar.

The one and only weak point of the tank is the gun, which you should hit with your heavy weapons. Since it is a stationary target it’s very easy to hit with anything, even slow moving projectiles or your charge beam. One you hit it enough (it only takes a handful of hits with any heavy weapon) the entire tank will go down. Your best bet is to line your shot up and then hold the L2 button down so you keep facing the same direction when you move. When your in line with the gun, fire off a shot and keep dancing around. If you’re playing as Katana Jaguar, simply wait for the gun to fire off a volley, and then run up to it and smash it with the sword.

1-2: Big Baby

 * Location: Inside the base
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

Giant-mutant-killer babies have somehow become a standard Contra boss, and this game is not exception. This ugly mofo erupts from a shaft in the center of the room and remains there, so it isn't too hard to hit. It has three attacks, which it will use one after another. The first is to release a small swarm of insects which will fly around the room slowly towards you. After the swarm is defeated, the baby will vomit in your general direction. The vomit stays on the ground for a short time, and touching it will kill you. There are two volleys of vomit, so it will retarget you. For the third attack the baby will fire purple acid upwards and then die into the shaft before the acid hits. Once the acid dissipates the baby will reappear and send another swarm of insects after you.

The insect swarm can be the hardest to avoid, and what weapon set you are using matters a lot. If you have Lightening, the Katana, the 6V Laser, or the Fire Whip, use them and you'll be able to handle the insects with ease. Spread Shot and Machine Guns can also wipe out several insects at once, however they are a bit harder to handle. If you're using Weapon Set E you're going to have the hardest time. Keep firing off Reflect Lasers and concentrate on not getting backed into a corner or surrounded.

Avoiding the vomit and acid is a pretty simple matter, though there won't be any crosshairs telling you where it's going to hit. For the vomit, the first wave will be directly in front of, and right next to, the baby. The second time it will be at you, so simply move out of the way when you see it coming. The acid isn't much harder to avoid, except that it will land in random spots, so just watch out for it.

The entire baby can be damaged, so just hit it whenever you have an opening. You probably won't have a chance to while the swarm is out, so worry about them and ignore the baby. If you have a long range weapon you can hit the baby while it's vomiting, simply keep moving and firing. The best time to hit it, especially if you're using the Fire Whip, is when it’s firing acid. It takes a (relatively) long time to fire all of the acid, so simply find a good spot and fire away. once it drops into the shaft you can't hit it at all, so stop firing and start worrying about the acid. For following rounds you'll need to be extra careful because the acid will not disappear until the baby is ready to release more acid, so you have to navigate the pools while avoiding insects and vomit. It'll probably take two or three rounds to do enough damage, but it really isn't that hard of a boss.

1-3: Guardian

 * Location: Immediately after Big Baby
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: **

This boss fight will take place immediately after Big Baby as you are falling down the shaft it used to occupy. Despite being in free fall the controls remain exactly the same. This is a rather large machine, however the body is below you, so you only have to worry about the head. It can (and will) fire a massive laser from its head as it rotates around the shaft. After it discharges the laser, it will drop down below you and release a bunch of stationary spinning blades before reappearing and firing the laser again.

Once you do enough damage it will stop firing blades and extend two arms which carry smaller laser cannons. At this point it will alternate between firing the big center laser and the two parallel side lasers. The weak point is still the center laser cannon though.

The blades are fairly easy to dodge and they can be destroyed in a single shot from either your guns, the bosses laser, or the boss running into them (it doesn't damage the boss though). Just make sure you clear a path so you can run from the laser. The big laser takes a moment to charge, so just make sure you are not standing directly in front of the machine. Make sure you are not standing above the head when it releases the blades, or you will be killed when it reappears.

When it begins firing the parallel lasers, make sure you are standing in between them. Usually you can survive standing outside of them, however it is harder to hit the boss and occasionally it will be close enough to the edge of the screen that you will be trapped and killed. As soon and the parallel lasers stop move out from in front of the boss because the big laser is going to fire again.

Because it moves constantly, it is generally easier to hit it with heavy weapons. However the charge beam is probably your single best choice. While you're avoiding the laser, charge the weapon. Then when it stops you'll have an opening to unleash it. This is much easier and safer than having to move and aim at the same time. It should only take six fully charged hits to destroy the entire boss. The Katana isn't recommended for this boss since touching the head will kill you; it's much safer to keep your distance.

1-4: Guerrilla Contra

 * Location: Bottom of shaft

Part 1

 * Number of attacks: 5
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 6
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

The first of the Elite Four rides a gigantic leaping mech. There are two Attack patterns, the first of which consists of jumping around the screen and firing three mortar cannons and a forward gun, all of which have to be destroyed with your lock on weapons. Before you destroy the four targets take out the mechs front legs. The legs don't do anything, however if you want to get 100% they have to be destroyed. Occasionally the mech will make a large leap directly at you and release energy orbs all around it when it lands.

The mortar cannons have the same crosshairs that give away their target locations that the green tank did, so like before just don't stand on a red crosshair. While the forward cannon doesn't have a crosshair, the fireball takes a second to hit the ground so you can see where it will land. The threat isn't the weapons so much as it is the mech itself. While you are fast enough to get out of the way before you get crushed, it can be close sometimes. The best strategy is to simply keep moving when it goes airborne so you won't be standing still when it lands.

First, use heavy weapons against the legs so you can get rid of them quickly and concentrate on the things that can actually kill you. Hold down the button to lock onto the targets while you are moving. Keep sweeping the mech and when all beams are locked, release it. If you are too close to the mech the beams won't move high enough in time and hit the sides of the mech, doing no damage. A solution is to either keep your distance, or turn and face away from the boss before releasing the beams. It will take quite a few hits to destroy everything, but it's a pretty simple fight. If you are using Weapon Set D then this boss is a joke since the lock-on weapons are so powerful and can't miss. Also, it should go without saying, but using the Katana to destroy the leg coverings isn't recommended. Once you destroy all of the targets the boss will move to the center of the area, so don't be standing there.

Part 2

 * Number of attacks: 4
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: **

Once you take out the four targets the mech will stand upright and begin leaping around the room. Aside from crushing you, it has several other attacks at this point, of which the most common is to stomp the ground knocking debris from the ceiling. Another one is to release a three-way short line of flames. The third attack is to make a faster than normal charge at you. When it makes a higher than normal leap it is about to release one of these special attacks. If it moves to the center it will knock debris and if it moves to the top it will release either the flame attack or charge you.

During this phase the mech is completely invincible; you are actually trying to kill the Contra controlling it. He will only emerge if the mech is disabled, which you can do by damaging the mech's legs. Once they take enough damage the mech will stop and Contra will pop out of the top and fire three heat seeking missiles at you. The Contra will only be out for a short time, but when he is, he is a lock on target. Once he fires the missiles he will go back into the mech and it will start jumping around again.

Avoiding the mech's leaps is much like it was during phase one, expect the mech covers a smaller area and doesn't release energy orbs at you. What makes it harder is that its primary attack is to leap at you, so it does it much more often and faster than in phase one. Keep moving and it won't be able to land on you. When it charges keep your distance and you'll be able to move out of the way in time. Likewise, keep your distance when it releases the flames; they are short range so they won't hit you. The debris is the hardest to avoid, however the pieces are small, so just keep an eye out for anything that is about to drop on you.

The best time to hit the mech's legs is when it lands, especially when it lands in the center of the area. Once Contra appears hold down the lock-on button and try to get all beams to lock on right away. Once you do, face away from the mech and release them. Contra will fire three missiles and only be out long enough to get one or two volleys off. Once the mech is restored the missiles will loose their heat seeking abilities and crash into the walls. The charge beam is probably your best weapon for destroying the legs and, as in phase one, the Katana is the worst.

2-1: Gunner

 * Location: End of highway
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

As you run along the highway, the camera will pan to a side view and this vehicle will appear along a parallel road on your character's left. You can't hit the boss with standard weapons because of the divide in the road, so you will have to you your lock-on weapons. It has two attacks, the main gun, which is an automatic weapon that releases its rounds in a straight line (the boss won't turn the gun while firing), and a grenade which the driver will occasionally lob at you.

The grenade can only hit the innermost part of the road you are on, so simply stay near the bottom of the screen whenever possible. The gun is also easy enough to avoid since it uses a laser scope to line up the target. Simply don't cross the light when it's about to fire and you won't be hit.

In order to lock onto the vehicle you'll have to hold down the lock-on button and move inward. Do this carefully since the driver tends to throw a grenade whenever you move too close. Once you've locked on all of your beams, face away from the boss and release them. If you release while facing the boss, there is a good chance the beams will hit the divider.

2-2: Transport Plane

 * Location: After Gunner
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 7
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: **

Right after you destroy the Gunner, a plane will drop out of the sky and pull ahead of you. The rear of the plane has seven targets: four propellers, two guns, and an enemy. The propellers don't do anything, however you will have to destroy them all if you want to get 100% on the level. The guns are a real threat since they fire quickly and it is hard to move around. The enemy in the back throws explosives at you, however you can easily see them coming. While the explosions are large, the guns are the biggest problem. The enemy is the actual weakness of the plane, and once you kill him the plane will leave.

While the guns are still around stay to one side of the screen. Once they fire move to the other end before the bullets arrive. The explosives aren't a real issue so simply not be in the spot where the barrel is going to land. They are only a problem if they get in the way of avoiding the guns, so deal with the guns first.

You have to use the lock-on beams for all seven targets, however since the targets are always directly ahead you don't need to keep sweeping back and forth to get all beams to lock-on. Stay to one side and keep locking on and destroying whatever you can. You'll probably destroy the two propellers on that side first, but if you get the gun first concentrate on the other side. Once both guns are destroyed take out any remaining propellers and then go after the bomber. Stay out of the middle when you are locking on to targets to ensure that you don't target the bomber. If you take him out too soon the plane will fly off and you will not get percentage points for undestroyed targets. Which weapon set you use doesn't really matter, however as with every other part of the game you'll have an advantage with Set D.

2-3: Mutant

 * Location: Wall after highway
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

When the boss first appears it will be invincible but also unable to attack you. Instead it will follow you as you climb the wall. Once you kill or avoid all of the enemies popping out of windows, the boss will break out of its muzzle and start attacking you. There are also two cannons located on either side of the top of the screen that fire standard single shot bullets at you. The boss has two attacks - extending its neck out in order to bite you and releasing a wave of poisonous gas. The gas attack is the most common, as the boss will generally only try to bite you when you are in range.

Avoiding the bite attack is easy: just stay along the top of the screen and it won't be able to reach you. The gas is a bit harder to avoid since the wave is so wide. However, it starts breathing it along one edge of the screen and turns its head, spreading the cloud. Stay along the opposite side from where it first forms, and move downward. It takes a bit of timing, but if you do it right you'll be low enough on the screen that the gas will be above you by the time it gets to the left side. You can try and wedge yourself as far into the corner as possible, which usually works too. However if the cloud starts even a tinniest bit further from the edge than usually, the corner won't be safe.

If you are playing as Katana Jaguar then use the sword. Wait until it stops breathing the gas so the head doesn't hit you as you are attacking it. Once you get an opening start swinging; it only takes two or three hits. For other characters your best bet is to stay on the left and fire down and towards the head at an angle. Use the L2 button to face the same direction as you move. Only the head can be damaged, but it's not to hard to hit if you maintain your aim. Heavy weapons are your best bet, but anything can kill it in a reasonable amount of time.

2-4: Mystery G

 * Location: Inside tower
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: ***

This seemingly random character appears out of nowhere and begins attacking you. He has two guns and three types of attack, which he will use on you in sequence. First is his reflective lasers, which function like any other reflect laser in the history of video games. He fires them off in opposite directions and bounce around the room for while. The beams are quite large, but slow, so they aren't too hard to avoid. After the beams disappear he'll make a lunge or two at you and then begin using his Flame Whips. These Whips are much longer than yours (almost the length of the screen) and he has two of them. After spinning around with the whips for a while he'll start using the reflective lasers again.

The lasers move surprisingly slow, so they really aren't too hard to avoid. Unlike most battles you won't be moving around constantly, so stay put and simply step forward or backwards when they are in line with you. His lunge attack is very quick, and it’s very easy to get surprised by it if you don't see it coming. When he shifts position after the lasers fire, he's going to lunge, so back up and side step him when he charges.

The Flame Whips are the hardest part about this fight, especially since they move faster than you do when you're close to him. He will probably be near the edge of the room since this attack comes after charging you, so get to the opposite side. The Whips don't quite reach the edge, so you'll be safe if you can get there in time. If you get caught inside them, stay as far away from the boss as possible, and run with the Whips until he stops firing them or you can get to a safe spot.

The best time to hit him is as soon as the fight starts. When it begins you will be facing him, so hold down the L2 button and fire with your heavy weapons. When he moves, keep the L2 button down, move backwards and line up with him again. With luck (and a powerful weapon set) you can kill him before he starts the Flame Whips. If not, concentrate more on avoiding the whips than attacking him. Once he starts with the lasers again, go back to shooting him.

If you are using the Katana, he will go down in around six hits. It's possible to kill him before his first lunge, just be careful. Since you're going to be so close to him you won't be able to move out of the way when he does lunge.

2-5: Plant Contra

 * Location: After Mystery G

Part 1

 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: *

Not only one of the dumbest looking stage bosses in the game, but the easiest. He begins closed up, and throws seeds at you, which become little plant things that walk around. He will then lunge at the spawns, killing them (and you if you don't move out of the way). Occasionally he will slap the ground with two vines, creating a large shockwave.

The spawns can be killed as soon as they hit the ground, and are slow moving, so they pose absolutely no threat. The only problem is when the boss lunges at the spawns. Simply do no be inline between the boss and spawn. The shock- waves are harder to deal with, but still very easy. The waves are created to nearby the boss, so stay along the edge of the room.

His entire body can be damaged, so simply begin firing as soon as the fight starts. Move out of the way to avoid the lunge and back into the middle to avoid the shock waves. In all likelihood you'll be able to destroy this portion of the boss before it uses the shockwaves at all. Heavy weapons are the best choice, and if you use the Katana chances are this phase will end before it can even launch the first spawn.

Part 2

 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium-high
 * Difficulty: **

After destroying the base, the flowery part will open up and the boss will become much more unpleasant. Now it will throw several seed pods on the ground which will all burst into a single bullet at the same time. The bullets are the standard ones that humanoid enemies fire, and the pods target your location when they burst. The bullets do no home, but there are quite a few on screen at once. To make things worse, two spikes are moving around the boss in circular motions, limiting your mobility and forcing you to constantly keep moving.

The bullets are easy enough to avoid, and you can destroy the pods before they burst. However, this takes time and you'll most likely only get one or two pods before they fire. The real threat is the spikes moving around the floor, which move increasingly faster as you damage the boss. Keep focused on your character, not the boss and move before you get hit by anything.

The boss's weak point is the flowery part, which can only be hit with lock on weapons. Don't pay any attention to the boss itself, instead just hold down the lock-on button and focus on avoiding things on the ground. Once you lock all of your beams release them and start requiring the lock-on for another volley. While not a particularly hard boss, it will take quite a few volleys to kill it, so be careful.

3-1: Sand Worm

 * Location: After 3rd security door
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: 5
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: *

This is a standard sandworm that appears in numerous games, including Contra: Shattered Soldier. It has two attacks, one of which is to dive out of the ground, leap across the screen, and dive back underground. Occasionally it will stick its head out of the sand and fire projectiles at the ground, which explodes, throwing a lot of bullets in every direction.

The leap attacks are easy to avoid since you can see where it will emerge from before it jumps. Simply get away from where it will appear and you'll have plenty of time to avoid it. The bullet attack isn't much harder to avoid since it's just the standard projectiles. However, there are a lot of bullets spread with each shot and the worm usually fires two or three shots every time it appears.

The hardest part about this boss is actually finding an opportunity to hit it. You'll have to use lock-on weapons to destroy it, which means the worm has to be out long enough for you to lock-on, fire, and then for the beams to reach their targets. Occasionally the worm will make a long enough leap that you have time to hit it before it dives again, but normally the boss isn't out long enough. Your best chance of hitting it is when it's shooting projectiles, however that is when you have to worry about dodging things as well. You have a very short amount of time to fight, so chances are it will leave before you kill it unless you hit it every chance you get.

3-2: Armored Mech

 * Location: Final room of base
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: *

This boss is the first of three mechs you'll have to face when you get to the end of Stage 3. Most of the time it will be completely invulnerable, so you'll have to avoid it until its shields go down. It has one attack: a large laser. While it is firing the laser it will rotate around the outside of the platform you're on. After it finishes firing the laser it will charge across the platform in a straight line, dropping its shields.

The laser is easy to avoid since it only fires directly forward. Stand off to the side and keep moving away once the mech begins moving. Simply don't be standing in front of the boss when it stops firing and you'll avoid the charge as well.

You can only hit it when it drops the shield after charges, and it will restore the shield fairly quickly. It actually enters the room with the shield down, so start firing as soon as you can and you might be able to push it off the platform if you're fast enough. As soon as it ends the charge hit it with your heavy weapons to push it off the edge of the platform. It will crawl back up and repeat the pattern. You'll have to knock it off two or three times before it stays down. Using the Katana isn't a good idea since its very easy to get hit by part of the mech when you're that close. Since its so weak just keep your distance and fire away.

3-3: Flying Mech

 * Location: After Armored Mech
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 6
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

The next mech to come out is a bit more of a challenge, mostly because you have to keep moving. When the fight begins it will have five drones in a line, which will fire massive lasers directly forward as the move left and right. While the mech is the actual target, you will have to clear out all of the drones if you want a 100% hit rate. As you destroy the drones, the mech will begin emitting lasers from the point on its head. These lasers will sweep around the room in random paths. The more drones you destroy the more lasers the mech emits. Once all five drones are down it will have three lasers, so you'll have to perform some pretty fancy footwork to avoid them.

The drones' fire is easy enough to avoid since they can only fire directly ahead. You can see which ones are about to fire, so make sure you are not lined up with them. They will move in a short left to right path, so don't stand still for very long. The mechs lasers will not start until the first drone is destroyed, however the lasers are much harder to doge when your movement is limited by the drones' beams. Try to take out all five drones as quickly as possible before you get trapped.

The drones are very weak and can go down in one or two hits from heavy weapons and pretty quickly from the machine gun. Shoot at them from an angle so you are not directly in front of any of them. Don't worry about the mech until all of the drones are destroyed. Once they are focus more on avoiding the lasers than hitting the mech. It's a large target that doesn't move very fast, so just keep firing your heavy weapons.

3-4: Pheromone Contra

 * Location: After Flying Mech
 * Number of attacks: 7
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium-High
 * Difficulty: ****

Lucia (aka Pheromone Contra) is the hardest boss of the first four stages and will require you to dodge more than you have with any of the previous bosses. The giant mech in the background is indestructible and only has a standard mortar attack. Its real purpose is to supercharge Lucia with one of two types of energy. When given red energy Lucia slams into the middle of the arena emitting a huge circle of fire outwards. She will then either spin a large ring of fire along the ground at you, like a yo-yo or send three sparks after you, which chase you along the ground. If she is given blue energy she will initially charge at you, along with four images of her. All five of them look exactly a like and any of them could be the real Lucia. Fortunately the images disappear right after she lands. Once the images are gone she will either continue to charge at you or stand still and kick several energy balls at you.

You can tell when Lucia is about to be recharged by the mech because she will return to the middle of the platform and super jump. If you see a red fireball come from the mech move to the edge of the platform because a the wave of fire is coming. Here two red attacks can be avoided by simply keeping your distance and continually moving. If the mech emits a blue energy ball stand still until you see the images dive at you. Chances are they will miss, but if one is about to collide with you, move a short distance to the side. Once she stops line up your shot with the real one, but keep your distance. Her blue attacks are much harder to avoid if you are close to her. The mortar fire from the mech comes infrequently and you can see the crosshairs where it will hit, so just avoid it like you always do.

Lucia is the only one that can be hit, so just ignore the mech. The best time to hit her is right after she gets re-energized by the mech because she pauses for a second after she hits the ground again. Heavy weapons are your best bet as usual, though slow ones can be hard to use since she moves quickly. At the very beginning of the fight she walks slowly towards the center before attacking. Use this opportunity to hit her several times. The Katana can be useful, however it will still take numerous hits with it to defeat her. After she hits the ground run up to her and hit her once or twice, then get away from her. No matter what attack she uses, if you are next to her you will almost defiantly get killed.

4-1: Helicopter

 * Location: Beginning of stage
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium-High
 * Difficulty: ****

This boss can be a bit of a challenge, depending on what weapon set you're using. It's first (and most often used) weapon is to deploy a massive amount of mines around the perimeter of the helicopter you're standing on. The mines will slowly drift around, getting closer and closer to you. Occasionally the mines will flash and then they will all make a dive directly at you, and as soon as they are all destroyed the helicopter will deploy more mines. When it isn't using mines it has a standard gun that fires five high-speed bullets directly at you. Occasionally it will also try to run you over, but it tends to only do this after you do a certain amount of damage to it.

The mines are a pain to deal with because not only are there so many of them, but they tend to rush you if you ignore them for too long. The rush isn't that fast, however since you have so little room to move around it can be pretty dangerous. Use rapid-fire weapons to dispose of them since once one rushes you, they all will. The Flame Whip is a good choice since you can sweep back and forth with it. Likewise, the Katana is effective at clearing out nearby mines.

The other two attacks can be avoided just like avoiding any other type of fire in the game. The only difference is that the helicopter is much closer to you at all times than most enemies. It can be hard to tell when the helicopter is going to rush you since it is continually moving in circles around you. When it does this attack it makes no unique movements; it simply makes a tighter turn than normal. This generally happens

Since the only weapon you can use against it is the lock-on lasers, attack it like you did with the other minibosses. Hold down the lock on button and concentrate more on avoiding things than targeting it. Once all beams are locked release and repeat. Since the area is so open you don't have to worry about the beams colliding with something else before they hit their target. The boss has very high defense so this will take quite a few rounds, even with Weapon Set D.

4-2: Battle Cruiser

 * Location: After Helicopter
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 6
 * Number of targets: 18
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

Another joke of a "boss", this is much like the Sand Worm of Stage 3 in the sense that the problem is more that you have very little time to destroy all of the targets than there is much chance of dying. The fight consists of destroying all of the cruiser's guns with lock-on weapons. The helicopter you ride will move into six different positions (actually it's five positions; one is repeated) and you have to take out all of the guns on each screen before the helicopter moves. There are two weapons including machine guns which fire forward but rarely come close to the helicopter, much less pose a danger. The other weapon set is typical air-to-surface missiles in which you can see the red crosshairs before they hit.

As mentioned before, the machine guns are more for show than to kill you, so just ignore them. If you happen to see a stream of fire coming at you, just get out of the way. The missiles always impact on one side of the helicopter, usually the back end, so move if the crosshairs appear beneath you.

Destroying the guns is pretty basic - just lock-on and release when you have all beams locked. The only problem is you have to make sure you destroy them as quickly as possible or the helicopter will change positions and you'll lose hit percentages.

4-3: Animal Contra

 * Location: After Battle Cruiser
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: 3
 * Defense: Medium-High
 * Difficulty: ***

Like Guerrilla Contra, you have to fight the vehicle the boss rides, rather than the boss itself. The primary target is the massive laser cannon located on the middle section. This is a standard forward firing laser which is fired as the boss moves in a circular motion around the edge of the screen, kind of like in Stage 3, but harder to avoid. Before taking out the big laser you have to destroy the two smaller lasers attached to each side of the center unit. When the boss is about to use the smaller lasers it first brings up small bots which will cause the lasers to deflect from one to another in various patterns. Once fired the vehicle will rotate about the screen like it does with the big laser. The smaller laser cannons can also fire a stream of parallel laser bolts as the boss moves back and forth quickly, but this is pretty rare.

Avoiding the main laser isn't that difficult as long as you are far enough away from the boss and you start moving as soon as it begins revolving about the screen. For the smaller lasers, get in the center of the bots and the lasers will bounce around you, trapping you inside. Move with the lasers when the boss moves and don't bother trying to destroy the bots. You can try and avoid the lasers all together by staying outside of the bot formation, however it is possible you will get trapped in a corner and unable to avoid the boss when it moves.

You must destroy both smaller laser cannons before the center unit or you can not get a 100% hit rate. Don't bother firing on them when the smaller lasers are firing; concentrate on surviving instead. The best times to attack is in between laser firings or when you're being chased around by the big laser. It's easiest to hit the side cannons from above/below the boss since they are very wide and you don't want to do too much damage to the middle piece before you take out the side guns. It tends to (but not always) begin by firing burst shots from both side cannons. Use this opportunity to take out on of the side guns with ease, since this attack is easy to dodge.

5-1: Alien Bug

 * Location: End of elevator sequence
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: **

The first of quite a few bosses in Stage 5, this is the same type of monster that you see in the introductory scene. It has two basic attacks: running at you in a straight line and jumping about the screen in a somewhat random fashion. After a short while it will stop chasing you and squirt a pool of slime into the middle of the platform, from which five or so spiders emerge. The bug will then jump into the middle of the area, kill the smaller creatures and begin charging it's eye lasers. Once it fires the lasers it turns a full circle on the spot very quickly and then begins charging the laser again.

The jumps and charges are fairly easy to avoid since they are slow and the boss won't do them for very long. Simply move out of the way (roll if you want to be cautious). Stay near the bottom of the screen so you don't get hit by the slime or spiders. This is more for show than anything else since the spiders will get killed before they can attack you. The eye-beams are impossible to outrun since it comes so fast, so you will have to spin (press X) at the right moment to avoid them. Doing enough damage to it seems to disrupt this attack, but don't count on it.

It's large, slow, and dumb, plus its entire body is weak so you really shouldn't have trouble finding an opening to hit it. Use your heavy weapons and it'll go down pretty quickly. The Katana can take it down very quickly, just be careful not to touch it. Run up and smack it once or twice then back off, much like with the human bosses.

5-2: Alien Moth

 * Location: After Alien Bug
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: **

Technically this could be considered phase 2 of the Alien Bug since it emerges out of the Bug's body after you kill it. This boss is harder, but once you get used to its pattern you won't have any problems. The thing flies around so you'll have to use lock-on weapons. It's main attack is to release three side-by-side blades of air that revolve around themselves in small circles as they come at you. They can be destroyed by standard weapons, however once hit each blade will break into smaller blades and then even smaller blades before being destroyed. Before firing off wave after wave of blades the moth will dump ooze on the ground that renders a third of the platform lethal to you. Every once in a while the moth will make a dive at you, however it tends to rely on the blade attack.

The ooze is the easiest to avoid - simply don't touch it. To avoid getting it dump on you make sure you stay on the opposite side of the platform as the moth whenever possible. Spiders will emerge from the ooze, but not at a very fast rate, so just kill them as they appear. The blades have to be taken out quickly since they cover a large portion of the platform when at full size. Fortunately they are weak so a few hits from your rapid fire gun will destroy them. Try and take them out when they are still by the moth to further reduce the chance of getting hit.

Once the fight gets going there will almost constantly be ooze on the ground and blades flying. However there is a short opportunity at the very beginning to hit the boss numerous times before it begins attacking. When the moth is fighting back get shots in whenever possible; don't even wait for all beams to lock on. The ooze sticks around for a while, but as soon as it does the moth will move to release more. This break is another good time to hit it repeatedly since it can take a while. Actually, the boss usually goes down fast enough that you won't even see it dump a second round of ooze, assuming your beams don't miss a lot.

5-3: Alien Door

 * Location: End of stage

Part 1

 * Number of attacks: 1
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

This thing barely counts as a boss, however there is only one in the game so it gets listed. It only has one attack - firing a slow moving spread shot in numerous directions. This might have been a challenge, except that the attack isn't targeted. The bullets are fired at one of two angles, and the pattern simply alternates one after another. Simply step left and right between shots and you won't get hit. Shoot the eye from which the bullets come with whatever you want and it'll die pretty fast. If you hit it fast enough you won't even realize that the lower eye fires anything at all.

Part 2

 * Number of attacks: 1
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Low
 * Difficulty: *

Once the lower eye is destroyed the upper one will open and begin attacking. It has one attack as well - a laser which is emitted from the eye and starts out a ways in front of you and then moves in a straight line away from the boss. Since the laser only moves forward and not in your direction you can avoid it by sidestepping as soon as the laser hits the ground but before it begins moving. The eye can be destroyed with a few lock-on beams with ease.

5-4: Red Falcon's Head

 * Location: After Alien Door
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: 5
 * Defense: Medium-High
 * Difficulty: ****

What would Contra be without Red Falcon? This time his head is in a bubble in the center of the room, with four smaller heads in floating bubbles around him. Each head has both a bullet attack and the big head also has an electric attack. The smaller heads will stomp the ground, causing a wave of bullets to spread outward in all directions. The larger head can emit multiple bolts of electricity, but it only impacts a small area. It's very similar to the mech in Stage 3. The big head is shielded, but it is constantly dropping a section of shield to release a wave of bullets. Usually it only drops one or two sections of shield at a time (each section is about 1/6 of the full shield), however it will on occasion drop the entire shield and flood the room with bullets. The bolts never stop moving, so get used to shooting on the go.

The electrical bolts are easy to avoid by themselves since they move fairly slowly. However they tend to blend in with the background and get lost in the field of bullets constantly flying at you. It's easy to get so busy trying to doge the projectiles that you run into a bolt of electricity. The bullet attack from a single small head is easy to avoid, however you can get caught in the cross fire of two small heads if you're not careful. The larger head's bullet attack is harder to avoid because the only way to hit it is through the opening it creates to fire on you.

First thing you have to do is destroy the smaller heads with lock on beams since you won't get percentage points for them if you take out the big head. Take them out one at a time since every time you destroy one it reduces the amount of things that can kill you. The big head is more of a problem since it will blanket practically any spot that would give you a clear shot with gun fire. You can either try to aim a shot at the head from where it isn't shooting, but this takes very good aim. Or, you since you can clearly see where the shield will drop (it turns brown right before it drops) you can get a shot off before it starts firing, though this is quite dangerous. The best time to hit it is after it drops the entire shield since it will stay down longer than usual. Basically, get in hits whenever you can and once you get rid of the smaller heads the only threat is the big head's wave of bullets.

Don't try using the Katana since you can't get close enough to hit it. However the weapon that makes this guy laughably easy is the 6V Laser (Weapon Set F) since it can go through the shields. Just take out the smaller heads and then stay behind a shielded section and fire away.

5-5: The Brain

 * Location: After Red Falcon
 * Number of attacks: 4
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: Entire body
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

As in Contra III (for the SNES), after Red Falcon dies, his brain remains behind to finish the fight. While the brain remains stationary there is still a lot of activity on the ground. Throughout the entire battle a large number of mines will be spinning around the room, which are hard to avoid since they sort of blend in with the background. The brain will also sent out energy balls that rotate around the room, must like the mines, but also slowly spiral outward. In addition to the orbs flying around the Brain can also shoot fireballs directly at you and drop exploding balls randomly around the screen.

The explosions are easy to avoid since they sit on the ground for a short time before detonating, and the fireballs don't seek so you can side step them. The mines and energy balls are much harder to avoid since there are so many of them and they move very quickly. As with several other bosses, focus on not getting hit more than shooting the boss. The Brain is directly a head of you and remains there, so you really can't miss.

Once the fight begins hold down the movement-lock buttons so you will remain facing directly ahead as you move about. Simply fire with whatever you have and it'll go down fast. Fast moving projectiles like the various lasers and machine gun are your best bet, despite being weaker than your heavy weapons. The orbiting mines/energy tends to intercept the slower projectiles so you'll miss a fair amount of the time. As with the Head, the 6V laser can take it down very quickly since it can cut through the mines.

6-1: Master Contra

 * Location: In orbit

Part 1

 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

This is the first of three fights against Master Contra, and this is a pretty standard phase. He has three attacks, the most basic of which is to launch a stream of fire at you from his gigantic sword. He is fairly stationary when doing this, however he can also teleport near you and comes in swinging. He will also jump straight up and create small shockwaves underneath him. This tends to happen after he transports since he will only jump when you are within range of his waves.

The sword-swipe can be avoided simply by moving to the side since it is narrow and doesn't follow you. You'll want to keep your distance from him to avoid all of his attacks, and the further you are away from him to more time you'll have to react to the incoming fire. He transportation is fatal if you're standing around when he materializes because the sword swing comes almost immediately. Once you see him disappear, start moving along the edge in a wide circle and don't stop. Keep moving as he materializes to regain the distance from him. If you are near him (which you will be after he materializes) he will use his shockwave attack.

This part isn't that hard - just keep your distance and keep firing. Compared to other bosses, there is relatively few things on the ground at any given time that can kill you. It'll take quite a few hits to end this part, but overall it's not much of a challenge.

Part 2

 * Number of attacks: 1
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: ***

After you do enough damage to him he will slow down and instead of swinging the sword throw it across the room at you. Once it hits the wall it will split into three spinning swords, and each one of those will fly around the room and split into to, creating a total of six blades. For the most part Contra remains stationary during this time. After a while he will recall all of the blades, move somewhere else, and then start the process again.

There really isn't a specific defensive strategy for this part, just avoid the blades. They're bright purple so you will be able to see them quite easily. They do move quickly and erratically, plus there are six of them, so it can be hard to keep track of them. It's usually best to focus on the area nearby your character and move whenever a blade comes into that zone. Don't bother trying to track all six blades which lining up a shot at Contra. Simple point in his general direction and keep firing. As you move out of the way of the blades you'll get your hits in.

Your offensive tactics are the same as during the last part - just keep firing heavy weapons and he'll eventually go down. If you have the Katana, use it. Since he is stationary and the weapons aren't coming from him, he's basically just waiting there to get hit. Once you see an opening move in and swing fast.

Part 3

 * Number of attacks: 1
 * Number of attack cycles: 1
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: Medium
 * Difficulty: **

The hardest part of the final battle with Master Contra is that the area you can move around is very restricted; probably about a third of what it was in the last two parts. At this point four fake Contras will appear, equally spaced apart. All five remain stationary and only have one attack - the sword-swing flame from the first part. The difficulty arises from not knowing which one of the five is really - you simply have to guess.

The sword swings are still easy to avoid, except that now two or three Contras will attack simultaneously. Once you see which ones are going to attack move closer to one of the Contras that isn't attacking. This is the only attack pattern, so you don't have to worry about any surprises.

When you hit a Contra he will flash yellow if fake (but not die) or red if it is the real one. As soon as you find the real one keep slamming him with your heavy weapon (you can't get close enough to use the Katana this time) until he either dies or disappears. After a certain amount of time has past the five will disappear and then immediately reappear in the same spots, except which one is real has changed.

6-2: Project C

 * Location: After Master Contra
 * Number of attacks: 2
 * Number of attack cycles: 2
 * Number of targets: 4
 * Defense: Low-Medium
 * Difficulty: ***

Now, this is a large head. Ugly too. Due to its size your movement will be restricted to a rather narrow section of the perimeter of the room. The head cannot be damaged, instead you have to destroy the four life support nodes attached to it. The nodes must be destroyed in under 30 seconds or else you get a Gameover regardless of how many lives you have left. C's normal attack is to release a series of explosions that cover most of the area, and if you wait around long enough he'll create replicas of Master Contra.

Get this battle done quickly, and not just because of the 30 second time limit. The replicas are very hard to avoid, especially since you have to worry about the nodes. They don't have any of the real Master Contra's special moves, they just swing the sword. However, since the room is so small it can be hard to avoid it. Roll or spin if they catch up to you or block your path. The explosions are denoted by a series of lines and a beam emitted by C, so wherever you see a the line, don't go.

You can only destroy the nodes by using lock on attacks, and it will probably take two or more full loads of beams a piece. Just run around locking on to everything and once your gauge is full, release and start locking on again.

7-1: Project C

 * Location: Only room
 * Number of attacks: 3
 * Number of attack cycles: 3
 * Number of targets: 1
 * Defense: High
 * Difficulty: *****

This is the final boss of the game and quite a challenge. Actually, defeating him isn't that hard, what's hard is not messing up and dying. The platform you're on is very small and at a weird angle, so it can be hard to move into the right spots to avoid C's weapons. The big head is now floating around your platform firing at you, so you'll have to use your lock on weapons to hit him. He has three attacks: Launching a series of fireballs that move around the ground in wide arcs, firing energy balls at the ground which burst into rings of bullets moving outward, and firing a beam at the ground that creates a spiral of bullets that fly at you.

The two bullet attacks can be avoided just like any other bullet attack, though it is quite a bit harder now. The rings of bullets are fairly few in number (Red Falcon's Head and Brain created more),though there still is enough to make things difficult at times since your movement is so limited. If you can't move out of the way use the spin-dodge. The spiral attack is much harder because not only are there so many more bullets, but they move in a circular pattern rather than straight lines. Avoid them by staying in between the bullets or using the spin-dodge repeatedly, however be careful of ending a spin right as a bullet hits. Occasionally C will fire the beam horizontally, which doesn't create any bullet spirals.

Avoiding the fireballs can be quite challenging, and will probably be the most common cause of death in this fight. The fireballs generally move outward as they make their arcs, so theoretically there is a spot in the middle of them where you'll be safe. Get into the middle of the fireballs, but just get ready to move if you see one coming.

Fortunately you can use your lock-on beams against C, so you don't have to worry about aiming. Just do what you always do with bosses like this - hold down the lock on button and release when all of your beams are locked on. You don't even have to bother sweeping back and forth to get them to find their target since running around will take care of it for you. For the most part you will be too busy avoiding things to worry about attacking after he fires, however there is quite a bit of time between attacks since C moves from one edge of the platform to another quite often.