The European version of Contra with robots replacing human soldiers. Same excellence as the original: explosive co-op, frantic action, punishing difficulty. Just as essential.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player12+
Co-op
Description
Legendary cooperative run-and-gun featuring robots battling the Red Falcon army, European version of Contra. Published by Konami, released in Europe in 1990. Probotectors in side-scrolling view with spread shot, machine gun and laser, two-player co-op and demanding difficulty. European version of Contra with robots replacing humans.
Probotector review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
A pillar of run-and-gun, Konami's music chains martial themes and heroic melodies of galvanising energy, from the legendary "Jungle" to the final assault. Each level pulses with an intensity that charges the unleashed two-player action. This cult soundtrack, etched in memory, remains inseparable from the Contra legend.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
The European version of Contra with robot heroes, this run-and-gun keeps all the punch of the original: multidirectional fire, weapon power-ups and two-player co-op. The spread gun still reigns supreme against the flood of enemies. Short but fearsomely intense, it retains a precise gunplay and a frantic pace that make it a must of 8-bit action.
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Punishing"
The European robot-themed version of the famous run-and-gun, it keeps all its harshness: enemies surging from everywhere, ceaseless fire and death at the slightest contact. Picking your weapon carefully, memorizing the waves and mastering multidirectional fire are the key to progress. Frantic yet readable, it marked a generation of European players and remains a benchmark of demanding action.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The European PAL NES edition of 'Contra' rebadged with robots to bypass Germany's then-strict laws on human violence in video games. The PAL cart is one of the Konami NES PAL releases most loaded with regulatory history, and the print was short. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs hard, sustained by physical scarcity and the unique aura of the robot-only PAL Contra.
Memorable bosses
A pure, twitchy run-and-gun, the assault on the alien invader peaks on spectacular guardians: armored walls to demolish piece by piece, swarming creatures and a beating extraterrestrial heart. Faced in two-player, these standoffs turn dodging and constant fire into a ballet under fire. Their sheer scale and frantic pace made them a benchmark of 8-bit action.
Is Probotector still worth playing in 2026?
Contra on NES remains an absolute monument of 8-bit run and gun. Konami delivers frenetic arcade pacing, a shooting grammar of rare precision and a two-player co-op among the most memorable in gaming history. The legendary thirty-lives code is part of pop culture. Difficulty is brisk, one-hit deaths constant, but memorisation rewards richly. Still an absolute must today, ideally played in co-op.
