Iron Meat – finally a new Contra! Review

September 26, 2024

Played on PC

Many people sometimes have a desire to return to some old game, dearly loved in the past: the third “Heroes”, three-dimensional platformers from old consoles, playful shooters of the nineties, and so on. For some, these are games like Contra and Metal Slug, judging by how often indie developers try to make something similar to them (Blazing Chrome, Mighty Goose, Huntdown). Among them are also full of fans of the legendary “running and shooting game” from Konami. The Japanese publisher, by the way, also periodically recalls this series, although it would be better not to remember – the games turn out so-so. But now we have Iron Meat – one of the most successful attempts to create a project that brings the same emotions that Contra once brought.

⇡#I want meat

The plot seems as simple as possible: xenobiologist Yuri Markov conducted an experiment on a lunar base, a tank with a strange alien creature crashed, the monster grabbed the scientist and gave him superpowers – for example, now he can split in two and come back together. In the Iron Meat universe, a teleportation system was set up between the Moon and Earth, and Markov was able not only to return to his home planet, but also to bring crowds of monsters with him. We need to defeat the newly minted villain, so we take control of one of the soldiers of a military base on Earth and set off on a journey through eleven levels.

Since the game is very short, screenshots are taken only from the first four levels

The narration is extremely simple and clear, but for those who like to delve into the details, the creator published a 19-minute video that details various details. There are both answers to some questions (for example, why the protagonist’s armor makes him resistant to infection), and an emphasis on elements of the environment that can be missed during the gameplay – especially those that you don’t notice in the background. Be sure to watch the video after the credits – there are a lot of spoilers, so don’t open it right away.

But much more important, of course, is the gameplay. From the very first minutes, Iron Meat is reminiscent of Contra: a little man runs from left to right, in his hands is a machine gun with endless cartridges, you can shoot in eight directions. The responsive controls are especially pleasant – during the entire playthrough you never die because the character does something wrong. He jumps instantly and falls to the ground too. Hitboxes are normal for both the character and the monsters, so if you jump over an enemy projectile, you will never lose “lives”. If mistakes happen, then first of all you blame yourself for them, not the game.

Some monsters are best defeated from a prone position

There are three difficulty levels, which differ in the number of “lives” the main character has: at the highest there are eight, at medium there are sixteen, and at easy there are as many as thirty. Iron Meat isn’t exactly a light action platformer, but it’s also not a tough game, so you don’t need dozens of tries. Even if you come to a certain level unprepared and die many times, you can quickly restart it and show better results. And when you move from one episode to another, “lives” are completely restored, which makes the race to the final much easier.

⇡#Non-stop

And you don’t want to die at all, because in case of death, the weapons found are taken away. It falls out both from boxes built into the walls and from drones flying in zigzags, quickly disappearing off the screen if they are not shot down in time. The main character’s standard weapon is a simple machine gun, not the worst, but not the most powerful either. You can even run through the entire level with it, but it won’t be as fun as using machine guns, burst-firing cannons, energy blasters and other “toys.” The arsenal is not very large, but no matter what falls out of the next box, you never want to throw it away right away – all the guns in Iron Meat are equally good.

Most gun crates are hard to miss

You may also stumble upon other bonuses. If you pick up the same gun as the one in your hands, you will get a more powerful version of this weapon. And sometimes a temporary amplifier drops out, with which, when fired, shells scatter in all directions. True, it is not very useful – in this game, accurate shooting at selected targets is more effective. Well, sometimes instead of guns they give you extra points, which are added to the final score for completing the level. True, the prizes for good performance are not encouraging – these are just new looks for the pixelated main character. Hats, armor, gloves, pants – none of this affects the gameplay or changes anything.

This is perhaps the only problem with Iron Meat – there is not enough content. It is clear that the sources of inspiration had about the same duration, but after completing it I really want more. At least one additional mode, characters with different starting guns, or just secret locations that you need to get to in a special way. But no – you just visit eleven levels, go through them in an hour and an hour and a half, and after that the game won’t offer anything new. I had a great time, but is it worth the 710 rubles they are asking for on Steam?

There are some sort of intermediate bosses here too

At the same time, the gameplay is so luxurious that even now, as I write this, I want to visit the same locations a couple more times to run and shoot. The levels are quite varied: in some places there are traps placed on the ground, in others you have to jump up on platforms and dodge laser beams, shooting at monsters along the way. The bosses aren’t exactly inventive, but it’s always fun to fight them, either jumping over their projectiles or shooting the enemies they summon. Yes, and ordinary monsters, somehow molded from pieces of meat, always comically fly into pieces after your shots. What’s especially fun is that monsters that have already died can be shot again before they fall, so that their corpses explode. Funny!

The soundtrack deserves special praise – a brilliant combination of rock compositions and electronic tracks. When you hear them, it is absolutely impossible to stand still – you want to run forward, holding the fire button, and effectively dodge dangers (sorry, this does not always work out). And in the settings you can change the musical accompaniment and turn on chiptune versions instead of regular tracks – to hear how they would sound on old consoles. An antique VHS filter option is also available there – an action game inspired by retro games could not do without such a setting.

These monsters don’t jump, so there’s nothing to worry about.

***

Iron Meat is great fun for fans of old action games like Contra. No unnecessary elements like leveling up and collectibles, no dull dialogues that you would still like to waste – you just run, jump and shoot. In a sense, the game turned out to be too simple in terms of content – there is an acute lack of additional levels or other entertainment that would extend the gameplay a little more. But even in its current form, Iron Meat is a fun and memorable action game; you definitely won’t regret spending time with it. Ivan Valerievich Suvorov was able to do alone what the whole of Konami could not do. It is possible that he would be able to revive the Contra series – he clearly understands why such games are loved.

Advantages:

• Dynamic gameplay in the spirit of old Contra;
• Various levels with unique obstacles and awesome bosses;
• None of the additional guns seem weak or bad;
• Nice controls.

Disadvantages:

• Very short duration;
• The bonuses here are only skins for the main character – no additional modes, no secrets.

Graphic arts

Cute pixel art in the style of old 2D action games. No frills, but nothing to complain about.

Sound

A wonderful soundtrack that combines catchy compositions of different styles. You can also include chiptune versions of these tracks. I want to be constantly on the move, thanks in part to music.

Single player game

Eleven fun levels that you’ll want to replay later. It’s a shame there won’t be any new content after the credits.

Estimated time of completion

A little over one hour.

Collective game

Local co-op is supported – you can hang out with a friend on the same screen, just like in the good old days.

General impression

A successful attempt to make an action game in the spirit of the classic Contra games. It is played with drive and ends too quickly, but leaves a lot of positive emotions.

Rating: 8.0 / 10

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