Prepare to attack aggressively! The iconic run-'n'-gun series, Contra, is back - reloaded, reimagined, and reborn - with Contra: Operation Galuga, launching on March 12! The legendary soldiers return to blast their way through eight stages of action against the Red Falcon army in explosive co-op action for up to two players in Story Mode or up to four players in Arcade Mode!

Spidersaurs was conceived by WayForward creative director Matt Bozon as a run-'n'-gun action game based on an '80s TV show license that didn't really exist! The phony show's premise was that scientists used dinosaur DNA to create supersized insect/dino hybrids as a solution to world hunger, which was based on a real-world theory that bugs could be the future diet for humans, being plentiful and nutrient rich. Naturally, things don't quite work as the scientists planned, and suddenly the Spidersaurs are on the loose!

A fully animated opening by (with art by Powerhouse Animation, theme song by Cristina "Vee" Valenzuela, Jason Charles Miller, and RichaadEB, and production by Shantae creator Erin Bozon) set the stage, taking inspiration from '80s cartoon intros such as Thundercats, MASK, and Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. Of course, a colorful cast was created as well, including protagonists Adrian and Victoria, plus the support crew at InGest Corp. The real stars, however, are arguably the spidersaurs themselves! In this article, we'll take a closer look at a few of the vicious and delicious creatures you'll face in Spidersaurs!


One of the smaller and more common Spidersaurs, Li'l Saurs are often used as fast-food ingredients. They're still dangerous, however, and their size has let them infiltrate every corner of the InGest facility. You never know where they might show up!

Fun Fact: Li'l Saurs can sometimes be observed taking an interest in human actions, even mimicking social cues. Have you ever seen this?


These agile, fast-moving Spidersaurs are ferocious enough on land, but they get even tougher when they sprout wings! They've been known to carry off unsuspecting victims in a flurry of deadly talons and gnashing teeth.

Fun Fact: This is the rare Spidersaur whose appearance is entirely determined by their dinosaur genes until maturity, when the arachnid traits suddenly emerge. Weird!


With the ability to turn invisible, the Camo-leon seemingly comes out of nowhere, striking when you least expect it. But don't panic! If you jump straight up and fire downward as it appears, you can outsmart this sneaky foe.

Fun Fact: InGest created the camo-leon as a diet food that the consumer "would barely notice"!


One of the bulkier Spidersaurs, the Stargosaurus isn't very mobile, but it doesn't need to be. It uses the regenerating homing crests on its back, as well as its tail spikes, let it attack enemies from afar.

Fun Fact: This Spidersaur is a cross between a star spider and a stegosaurus, and is said to have a sublime flavor reminiscent of star fruit!


The mid-boss of the volcano stage, the Ankylo-poly is well-protected with its armored pillbug shell. No weapon can penetrate it, so you'll have to trick it into getting hit by a lava burst, which will knock this Spidersaur over, exposing its tender-'n'-juicy underbelly.

Fun Fact: While you can get this 'saur pre-packaged, it's more fun to pick out fresh. Its shell can be used as a fun serving dish!


Behold, the apex predator of the Spidersaurs! Half Tyrannosaurus Rex, half tarantula, the Queen Spidersaur is an eight-legged behemoth that might be one of the most terrifying creatures to ever walk the Earth. You'll have to be quick on your feet and relentless with your trigger finger if you hope to survive this encounter.

Fun Fact: There is currently only one Queen Spidersaur. She gives birth to Li'l Saurs, but they seem to stay small. If the Queen Spidersaur was gone, would one of them grow to her size? Hmmm...

These are only some of the freakish dino-spider hybrids you'll face! Battle these enemies and others in Spidersaurs, available now!

In Spidersaurs, genetically bred dinosaur-spider hybrids have gone out of control, and they've gotta be stopped in the only way that makes sense: with incredible firepower! Taking cues from classics like Contra and Gunstar Heroes, Spidersaurs is an explosive 2D run-'n'-gun action game that lets you wield all manner of weaponry against your scaly, web-spinning foes. With Adrian making use of weaponized sports equipment and Victoria unleashing sonic fury from her guitar (they gotta work with what they've got, OK!?), each character utilizes unique tools of destruction as they fight to protect humanity (as well as InGest Corp's profit margins). Both characters can hold two weapons at once, and if you collect a weapon you're already carrying, it'll get even stronger! If you take advantage of the six different weapon types listed below and switch 'em up based on the situation, the Spidersaur threat is as good as extinct!

You can't have a run-'n'-gun without a spread shot, right!? This tried-and-true classic fires several projectiles at once, with Victoria's Metal Spread being a more traditional shot that fans out in multiple directions, and Adrian's billiards-based Rebound Breaker firing off a large projectile that splinters upon impact and then ricochets off the walls - very useful in hallways and other enclosed areas! Power up these weapons and they'll release even more projectiles!

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "From the beginning we wanted both characters to have unique arsenals, so there's a reason to try them both and find who works best for you. We made a big list of weapons that would be expected in a run-'n'-gun, and then new weapons. For the spray weapons, it's an instance where Victoria has the traditional, expected gun, and Adrian's is a new twist on the concept that you need to learn to get maximum damage out of it."

The wicked piercing weapons are all-around solid choices. They're fast, deal solid damage, and can hit enemies through walls and other obstacles. Victoria's Laser Show is excellent for taking out enemies at any distance, especially when powered up to shoot in a wave pattern, while Adrian's Flame Thrower is trickier to use due to its limited range, but it offers extremely high damage per second. When powered up, the Flame Thrower's bigger blast takes the Spidersaurs from roasted to extra crispy.

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "In contrast to the Spray Shot, where we have a 'traditional/new twist' dichotomy, both of our piercing weapons are staples of the genre. Victoria gets the longer range (useful if enemies are lined up), while Adrian's is better up close where enemies are in a clump. This is a situation where we hope players decide on a 'role' when playing with buddies, and strategize based on their character's strengths and weaknesses."

What these weapons lack in rapid-fire capabilities they make up for with power and a big damage radius! Adrian's Football Rocket is a hard-hitting projectile that explodes on impact, and it becomes even more useful when it's powered up, which causes shrapnel to fire out of each burst in an X pattern. The Electronica Chain, on the other hand, fires a static electricity blast that zaps one enemy, then connects to and damages other nearby foes! It'll chain to more enemies over a wider area when powered up.

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "Electronica Chain is an idea I had back when working on Contra 4. I kept it in my back pocket, wondering if it would be satisfying to use or if it would be too broken. I'm really happy with how it turned out in Spidersaurs - it's my favorite weapon!"

Grenade-class weapons are handy for hitting hard-to-reach enemies. Adrian's version, the Tennis Grenade, bounces along the ground multiple times before exploding, and the shots become faster and bigger when powered up. Rather than a typical grenade, Victoria's Funky Force Blast shoots a projectile at a low arc that then races along the floor, wall, or ceiling, eliminating anything in its path! When powered up, the range and rate of fire increase.

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "Here are two weapons that are seen less in run-'n'-guns, but they might be expected in platforming titles with robots who borrow weapons from one another. It's fun to see how they fare crossing genres a bit. In our initial release these were actually a bit underpowered, but they've been tweaked and upgraded in the console/PC version, and are valuable parts of the arsenal!"

Sometimes the best offense is a good defense, or something like that! Though shields take up a weapon slot, they function passively while you use whatever other weapon you have on hand. Victoria's Alternative Rock surrounds her to defend against low-impact projectiles and enemies, while Adrian's comparatively more durable Tether Spin circles around him and inflicts damage on anything that gets too close. Shields will temporarily deactivate after absorbing a few hits before regenerating.

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "One thing I wanted to provide in Spidersaurs was an option, outside of the difficulty setting, to allow less-skilled players to experience the game without watering it down. Having a shield creates a new risk and reward - it does take up a weapon slot, leaving you with fewer offensive options, but you get a very useful shield that makes a big difference in a flurry of bullets. Hopefully the shield helps players see the full game and grow in confidence, ultimately finding they no longer need it."

Last but not least - well, MAAAYBE least - are the default weapons that Victoria and Adrian start with, the Pop Shooter and the Pingpong Shooter. These straightforward weapons don't have any special attributes, but they do have high rates of fire, and if you collect a second Peashooter icon to power them up, they can be very effective, so don't count them out! If you lose a life, the previously equipped weapon will revert to the peashooter.

Dev notes from director Tomm Hulett: "It may not be glamorous, but all the weapons start here, with the default gun! Actually, late in development we decided to increase the rate of fire significantly. Changing the base gun meant we had to also tweak every other special weapon, and some enemy HP as well! But that is the fun of game development, and it's interesting seeing how the ripples from decisions like this improve other aspects of the game."

Lab-created spiders, filled with dino-might...! Originally engineered by InGest Corp as a solution to world hunger, the half-dinosaur, half-spider mutant monstrosities known as Spidersaurs are on the loose, and only you (and a friend in co-op mode) can stop them! Leading the charge are InGest's elite taste-testing interns, up-and-coming punk rocker Victoria and police-officer-in-training Adrian, who are unleashing their uniquely specialized arsenals to prevent the Spidersaurs from breaking out of the InGest facility and into the wild! In this article, you'll learn more about the heroic duo, as well as the InGest support staff and other key characters in this action-packed, Saturday-morning-cartoon-inspired run-'n'-gun shooter!

Dependable, athletic, and resourceful, Adrian is one of the playable characters in Spidersaurs. This by-the-book individual is currently training for a career in law enforcement, but in the meantime, he's making ends meet through various odd jobs, including delivering pizzas and testing InGest's latest food products. His weapon of choice is the Sport Caster, a heavily customized potato gun that has been modified to turn surplus sports equipment into devastating anti-Spidersaur armament. He's willing to risk it all to stop the Spidersaur threat!

Fun Fact: An early idea for Spidersaurs was that one of the heroes would have a million jobs to make ends meet. Since Adrian is the straight-laced rule-follower of the two, it seemed natural for him to assume needing more money = getting more jobs. Director Tomm Hulett states this is how he is in everyday life, and once had four jobs at once in order to make his car payments, so he tapped into this mentality when writing Adrian!

Sure, saving the world is great and all, but what Victoria really cares about is her music career! A bit of a loose cannon, she joined InGest's food-testing program as a quick 'n' easy way to help earn cash for her band. Now that the man-eating monsters have broken free from their confines, Victoria's discovered that her talent for shredding on stage translates well into tearing apart Spidersaurs with her weaponized guitar, the Thrashburn Perilaxe. One way or another, Victoria is planning to climb to the top of the entertainment mountain, and no eight-legged freaks are gonna stop her!

Fun Fact: In contrast to Adrian, Victoria is scrappy and uses whatever is available to her advantage; she'll wheel and deal to get every last dime! Director Tomm Hulett says he's more like Victoria when it comes to game development, in which he sometimes has to make the best of a surprise situation, so he channeled this aspect of himself when writing for Victoria!

Dr. Aracha Sorez is InGest Corp's lead researcher and CEO, as well as the scientific genius behind the Spidersaurs. Not one to suffer fools lightly, this bioengineering billionaire risks losing it all if her creations escape the InGest facility. She developed the Spidersaurs to solve humanity's hunger crisis, but unfortunately they seem to have other ideas!

Fun Fact: There is a HIDDEN MEANING in Dr. Sorez's name!

**(SPOILER)**

That's right, "Dr." is an abbreviation for "Doctor"! Aracha achieved her doctorate in record time, which is a good thing! Without her novel solution to world hunger, humanity would be in big trouble!

An InGest chef, Paulette D'nosh offers advice and support to Adrian and Victoria as they battle the Spidersaurs - from a safe distance, of course. She has a wealth of information about Spidersaur behaviors as well as the InGest facility, but her biggest concern is about how the Spidersaurs taste!

Fun Fact: The idea behind Paulette is an assistant character who is very soft-spoken in person, but communicates with you very aggressively during gameplay via loud speakers throughout the facility. She tries to hide how passionate she is about Spidersaurs, but sometimes it just spills out! It is good to love what you do.

Uwe Richter is both scientist and chef, making him a key InGest team member. He not only helps bring Dr. Sorez's Spidersaur designs to life, but makes sure they're delicious and nutritious too! Unlike some of his colleagues, he does have some ethical concerns about his work, however, which seems to leave him in a perpetual state of panic.

Fun Fact: "Uwe" is pronounced "Oo-veh."

The major financial backer of InGest Corp, Stockton Vester is in many ways responsible for the creation of the Spidersaurs. He doesn't sweat the details, nor is he especially concerned with the scientific side of things - he leaves all that to Dr. Sorez and her crew - but he's more than happy to share his fortune so he has cool new tech to play with. He's like a kid in a (man-eating) candy store!

Fun Fact: Stockton has a lot of money. He has probably funded a lot of other ventures that don't feature enormous dinosaur/spider hybrids, but are no less ill-advised.

Just what the heck is The Roach!? He's not a Spidersaur, and he's certainly not human! So where did he come from, and how did he learn to copy Adrian and Victoria's moves!? Or to talk, for that matter!? Whatever he is, he's a fierce foe that keeps popping up, no matter how many times you try to squash him.

Fun Fact: Did you know you can date The Roach? Well...not really, but in an alternate timeline where WayForward actually created the April Fools 2021 joke game "Are We Soulmates or am I Just Being WayForward" you totally could!