Play Contra World Challenge II Online

Contra World Challenge II is basically a stripped-down version of the arcade classic—only four levels, but man, they nailed that old-school run-and-gun chaos. You’ve got the same ridiculous enemy swarms, the same "how did that bullet even hit me?" moments, and that satisfying spread gun that makes everything slightly less impossible.

There’s a global leaderboard if you’re into chasing high scores (good luck cracking the top without playing on Hard—those guys are insane). The controls feel a little stiff at first, but you can remap them, which helps when you’re frantically mashing buttons to dodge lasers. Jump with K, shoot with J by default, though I switched mine almost immediately.

It’s short, but for a quick nostalgia hit or if you just want to see how far you can get before the game laughs at your skills, it does the job. Just don’t expect the full Contra experience.