New Contra: Operation Galuga Update Is Finally Available On Switch, Here Are The Patch Notes

It's still a hard pass for me, at least for the Switch version.

It's super sad how unpolished this game looks on Switch. It would be a hit to me because I love contra, but the performance and the laggy controls are hard to keep with.

They need to remove the cutscenes entirely, or put an option in the menu to auto skip all that nonsense that do not belong in an arcade shooter. I don't even want to press a button to skip that garbage, it needs to be automatic or remove them entirely. If you want a story and character development go play a jrpg or read a book.

@Zulzar I only played the demo on the Switch, but isn't the 'arcade' version or whatever it's called do that, get rid of all cutscene nonsense?

“Coming soon for Switch”

Roughly translated “we don’t really care about this version”

This is why I wait a year or two before I look at certain games/devs. Get a working game and it’s cheaper to boot.

@tanasten Agree. The demo turned me off because of the input lag and poor performance. This is Contra and it deserves better from Konami.

@Zulzar Try the arcade mode. It removes nearly all the cut scenes. That’s my preferred way to play as well

@nuff64 That's a bad idea. 40fps works great on 120hz screens. The Switch does not support 120hz, it's strictly a 60hz machine. 40fps at 60hz = stutter.

@Zulzar errrrrrr…….they have.

Let me know when it's fully patched and working smoothly on the Switch and it's on sale again, and then maybe I'll buy it.

Junk game. Controls worse than the original NES version.

@russell-marlow I don’t think it’s weird to want to skip 2 awkward static generic portraits with crappy voice acting going back and forth for a Contra game.

I was gonna pick up the physical PS5-version tomorrow, but looking at these patch notes now, that disc only contains incomplete code, basically turning it into a mere dongle.
Not getting anywhere near the Switch port, after experiencing the input lag of the demo.

@russell-marlow We’re obviously playing an arcade game in “Arcade” mode already, but even that has a cutscene in the middle (!) of level 1, completely breaking the gameplay and flow. Not sure what they were smoking when designing this at WayForward.

That's right, keep on patching it up. I'm nowhere near ready to play it so hopefully it'll be where it should have been by the time I do.

@TrueBlueYoshi
Can't fix the frame rate unless they cripple the resolution and graphics some more. Runs and looks much nicer on PS5, even though it still looks like low-rent XBOX360 Live table scraps.

Contra 4 looks heaps more attractive. Maybe they should of just went 16 bits.

@NeonPizza I never played Contra 4, but hear it’s very good. A port would have been better than what we got from the sound of it. This patch list isn’t even that; it’s a sizable “we didn’t come close to finishing the game” mid-development list. Insane.

@Blast16
I'm not entirely sure if WayForward was restrained by their budget, or that they just don't have the skills to pull off a good looking 3D Game. If you must play it, just get it on PS5 or XSX. No point in settling for an inferior port unless you're Switch Exclusive or must have it on the go.

And i know, it's pretty insane how many unfinished games are getting released with hundreds of patch notes weeks to months later, which will ultimately just make day one players feel bitter and screwed over. Penny's Big Breakaway is another perfect example.

It's just a mess, for those who bought said game day one, finished it, only to then get smacked in the face nearly a month or so later with a laundry list of tweaks that corrected the obvious blemishes during their first play through. It just makes most gamers feel reluctant to want to dive back in and replay the same game from start to finish all over again.

Your first time is your first time, it's never the same after that!

@Zulzar
That's what the arcade mode is for.

I'll be curious to know how this patch affects general Switch gameplay and responsiveness, please say if you can! I.e., if this was the original release, is there a real difference?

I would had been fine if we just got a port of Contra 4 or Rebirth in HD, this Operation Galuga crap just isn't for me.

Insane that they release games this poorly optimized on Switch when that audience makes up the majority of their base.

Build the game for the platform your audience is predominantly on.

I LOVE many of WayForward's games, but it can be aggravating being a fan.

@LiquidNinja Yup, it was only released to fulfil their quota

@Zulzar Why don't you pester them on Twitter instead of making pointless comments over here if you're that petty about the cutscenes.

@Gryzor Can you not skip them?
I've never heard someone complain about a few second cutscenes in a game before. And I don't realize how petty you have to be in order for it to be a deal breaker for you.

Are all you gaming boomers like this?

I respect many gamers may only have the Switch option, but this is why I pick up these things on PS5 or PC. It's sad that the experience isn't uniform

@russell-marlow
Imagine practicing for a 1cc run of Contra and being forced to watch the same unskippable cutscene during level 1 about 30 times.
Just might get a tad annoying and turn into a waste of time.
This is a classic arcade game that’s meant to be replayed over and over, not The Last of Us.

@sleepinglion
I have a PC, but honestly, the portability is the key for me, and I don't mind taking hits like this (I did play the demo).

Sometimes the internet tends to exaggerate minor issues into end-of-world issues, too, and/or act like we're all professional speedrunners who are ultra sensitive to performance changes. Shocker, yea.

Is this also in reference to the LRG version as well?

So, what’s the verdict, owners of the Switch version? Has the reported lag and drops in frame rate improved with this patch, or does switch still suffer the same in comparison with PC?

@nuff64 because the Switch, like the PS4/X1 and contrary to Xbox Series and PS5, doesn’t support variable refresh rate output nor 120Hz (40x3), so it’d look like a stuttery mess.

It's good to see games getting fixed, but its also tragic that it released with so many issues, with so much riding on it. The cut scenes shouldn't feature at all during arcade mode. It's really lazy.

@Bonggon5
Even the PS5 version is a let down. Budget Low rent XBOX360 Live table scraps, with an uninspired boring OST, robotic animations, and severely lacking in creativity. Every time i pop it on, it hurts my eyes and i just feel like I'm going through the motions. Ya, I'll just stick with Contra III: The Alien Wars.