It can't be argued that the enemies and patterns are very well-designed, though. Shattered Soldier is a more cerebral, demanding shooter, requiring thought along with quick reflexes, and it's a nice change in comparison. At times, it's easy to miss the massive, flashy arsenal of games like Contra III, especially the crazy twin-gun feature that one had, but it's also appropriate that Contra's design has grown up a little with its fanbase. This is certainly an example of a more specific school of shooter design - you could call it Radiant Silvergun Lite, given that it even nicks Treasure's method of rating boss destruction.
Whether or not this works for you is possibly a matter of taste.
Learning what weapon to use in what situation, and what patterns the bosses follow, is essential to survival and completing the game with only those three continues. Shattered Soldier, in contrast, tightens the screws significantly, making pattern analysis and weapon selection absolutely vital to success. It was easy to negotiate many challenges with various weapons - some might have been more effective in a given circumstance, but the enemy patterns weren't specifically geared toward particular weapons. The stages in earlier Contra games were looser, geared toward a fast run-and-gun style of play. The new weapon system is mirrored by a somewhat different style of level and enemy design.
Thus, it's all up to the player to determine what weapon to use in a particular circumstance.
All three are available at any time, since there are no longer any weapon pickups. There are three basic weapons - machinegun, flamethrower, and grenade launcher - each with an alternate charge-up attack. The key is the new weapon system, which abandons the power-up formula of the old games and offers what at first feels like a more limited arsenal. On its face, it looks like a lineal descendant, with all kinds of familiar visual cues, but in fact it's designed in a very different way. Gameplay As far as design is concerned, Shattered Soldier makes for a very interesting comparison with the classic Contra games.
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