<s>
Contra	B-Application
:	I-Application
Hard	I-Application
Corps	I-Application
,	O
released	O
as	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
Probotector	B-Application
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
run	O
and	O
gun	O
video	O
game	O
released	O
by	O
Konami	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
in	O
1994	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Contra	B-Application
series	I-Application
released	O
for	O
a	O
Sega	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
five	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Contra	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Alien	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
a	O
terrorist	O
group	O
led	O
by	O
the	O
renegade	O
Colonel	O
Bahamut	O
has	O
stolen	O
an	O
alien	O
cell	O
recovered	O
from	O
the	O
war	O
and	O
now	O
intends	O
to	O
use	O
it	O
to	O
produce	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hard	O
Corps	O
spawned	O
its	O
own	O
series	O
of	O
follow-ups	O
;	O
including	O
the	O
Appaloosa-developed	O
sequels	O
,	O
Contra	B-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
&	O
C	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Contra	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
;	O
and	O
the	O
Arc	O
System	O
Works-developed	O
prequel	O
,	O
Hard	B-Application
Corps	I-Application
:	I-Application
Uprising	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hard	O
Corps	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
spin-off	O
from	O
the	O
mainline	O
Contra	B-Application
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
re-released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Contra	B-Application
:	O
Anniversary	O
Collection	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
was	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Application
Mini	I-Application
dedicated	O
console	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
Contra	B-Application
games	O
,	O
which	O
featured	O
overhead	O
segments	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
regular	O
side-view	O
stages	O
,	O
all	O
the	O
stages	O
in	O
Hard	O
Corps	O
retains	O
the	O
standard	O
side-view	O
perspective	O
for	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
Contra	B-Application
games	O
,	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
two	O
players	O
can	O
play	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
allowed	O
to	O
choose	O
the	O
same	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
controls	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
Contra	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
but	O
have	O
been	O
adapted	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
Genesis	O
's	O
standard	O
three-button	O
controller	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
six-button	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
also	O
jump	O
down	O
from	O
certain	O
platforms	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
move	O
on	O
walls	O
and	O
ceilings	O
like	O
in	O
Contra	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Contra	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
supply	O
of	O
bombs	O
will	O
remain	O
the	O
same	O
when	O
a	O
life	O
is	O
lost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
unique	O
feature	O
to	O
Contra	B-Application
:	I-Application
Hard	I-Application
Corps	I-Application
is	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
branching	O
paths	O
that	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
play	O
through	O
a	O
different	O
set	O
of	O
stages	O
depending	O
on	O
key	O
decisions	O
made	O
during	O
key	O
moments	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
version	O
,	O
titled	O
Contra	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Hard	I-Application
Corps	I-Application
,	O
is	O
significantly	O
easier	O
than	O
its	O
overseas	O
counterparts	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
a	O
life	O
gauge	O
that	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
take	O
three	O
hits	O
from	O
an	O
enemy	O
before	O
losing	O
a	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PAL	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
titled	O
Probotector	B-Application
and	O
like	O
the	O
European	O
localizations	O
of	O
previous	O
Contra	B-Application
games	O
for	O
home	O
consoles	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
characters	O
(	O
CX-1	O
through	O
4	O
)	O
and	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
enemies	O
were	O
renamed	O
and	O
replaced	O
with	O
robotic	O
counterparts	O
(	O
Browny	O
was	O
left	O
unchanged	O
,	O
with	O
only	O
his	O
name	O
changed	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2641	O
,	O
an	O
elite	O
team	O
of	O
commandos	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
Unified	O
Military	O
Special	O
Mobile	O
Task	O
Force	O
K-X	O
"	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Contra	B-Application
Hard	I-Application
Corps	I-Application
"	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
assembled	O
to	O
combat	O
the	O
rapid	O
spread	O
of	O
crime	O
and	O
illegal	O
activities	O
following	O
the	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
stage	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
confronts	O
a	O
robot	O
piloted	O
by	O
cyborg	O
mercenary	O
Deadeye	B-Application
Joe	I-Application
,	O
who	O
escapes	O
after	O
the	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
pursue	O
Deadeye	B-Application
Joe	I-Application
or	O
go	O
to	O
the	O
research	O
center	O
to	O
thwart	O
the	O
terrorists	O
,	O
each	O
path	O
leading	O
to	O
a	O
different	O
second	O
stage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tune	O
"	O
Simon	O
1994	O
RD	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
remix	O
of	O
"	O
Vampire	O
Killer	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
recurring	O
theme	O
music	O
in	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
design	O
is	O
a	O
pastiche	O
of	O
Castlevania	B-Application
protagonist	O
Simon	O
Belmont	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
of	O
Japanese	O
singer	O
Masato	O
Shimon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
three	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Contra	B-Application
:	I-Application
Hard	I-Application
Corps	I-Application
is	O
the	O
ultimate	O
side-scrolling	O
shooter	O
and	O
a	O
beast	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
easily	O
defeated	O
.	O
</s>
