izigame.me

Got to give it to Poncle! The guy created an absurdly addictive nostalgia machine of epic proportions and now is living the dream with his own team! Obviously gamers were drawn in by Vampire Survivors robust number of in-world items that improved the overall gameplay,neat frame-rate obliterating screen filling weapon evolutions,eclectic off beat unlockable characters,hidden arcana cards that grant divine boons,secret stages,cryptic passwords,humorous creature lore,and of course the tongue and cheek round-about homages to Castlevania! What initially seemed to be nothing more than a shallow guilty pleasure old skool arcade-like romp proved to have plenty of more appealing underlying layers to boot. Thus the survivors genre projectile-spammed its' way into mainstream gaming....
So what is "Operation guns" by comparison? Put simply,you get to add more action figures,light up sound making pew-pews,and set pieces to your toy-box! This time with a Contra aesthetic. It's alright. Won't blow your mind or anything but is a relaxing way to kill some more time while on that grind!
+First Contra character is found in a coffin in the "alien corruption zone" on the other side of Galgula's's expansive map.
+Unlocking more characters and the special hover-bike stage in pretty easy. You just need to evolve the weapon of each previously unlocked super-soldier to do this. Survive 15 or so minutes with each new character to ensure their powered up bang-bang gets added to the grimoire fusion recipe syntax for future use.
+There's a humongous screen filling boss fight that will be a nostalgic blast from the past for true Contra fans! (Also expect "mini bosses" such as kaiju demon turtle-thing,the randomly dropped off anime mecha warrior, and what can only be described as a flying xenomorph's distant cousin as far as similar species are concerned!)
+Lotsa call-backs and easter eggs!
Considering the reasonable price of the dlc it will not damage your wallet or leave you with any late-night languishing regrets. You can pick it up and will still have enough dosh to take the family out to Happy Burger! (Or just pay your bills) Poncle might as well be an incarnation of Santa Claus at this point because I see them give and give yet never ask too much of their loyal fanbase.
My only qualms are by this point I am passed the honeymoon phase. Dug up almost every hidden crypt revealing their innermost secrets! Found all the ancient antiques and artifacts. I've traveled around the world whilst garlic-spraying big bats and milk hating fish-men in both small humble villas and big lavish castles. It just ain't the same anymore! My dopamine is run dry. (Looks yearningly at the upcoming Castlevania dlc. Damn it,Luca! I curse your blood-line! Stop reaching into the childhood nostalgia of my soul then selling it back to me at fair reasonable prices! You are truly the vilest of villains Italian merchant man!)
A lingering concern
-Probably would have been better to make "parody versions" of Contra characters just to avoid any future law-fare tomfoolery when it comes to expiring license agreements. After purchasing DOA 5 Last Round only to have lingering legalities cock-block me from picking up the Mai Shiranui dlc did I realize how "cameos from other popular franchises" are a double edged sword sometimes. Hopefully the "fine print" in Konami's legal document granting permission to use their brands did not include any funny business!