Konami’s Contra is a bonafide classic, despite its recent fare not quite reaching that same level. So, leave it up to those who grew up loving the original games to come up with their own interpretation of the classic run-and-gun. That’s what Ivan Valeryevich Suvorov and Retroware have done with Iron Meat, which is out now on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series. A physical edition is also available (and running out fast) from Strictly Limited Games.
Iron Meat immerses players in a world overrun by The Meat: an all-consuming interdimensional biomass that spawned from scientist Yuri Markov’s experiments on the Moon. As a soldier named Vadim, what are you to do other than grab your rifle and battle against mutated victims and machines, dodge bullet barrages, and crush bosses?
As you might expect, Iron Meat pays homage to Contra and other classic run-and-gun titles from the past, with intense boss fights fixed into multiple phases. You also have the traditional weapon pickups that offer various abilities, as well as the ability to power up these weapons by picking up the same weapon twice.
The difficulty is high, but you don’t have to go it alone. With 2-player couch co-op, you can grab a buddy to leave a trail of bloody, Meat-infected corpses together! As further incentive, you can unlock over 30 skins, allowing you to customize your character the way you want. Each skin comes with interchangeable parts, allowing for greater customization with mixing and matching.
Check out the official site for more info.