Who made Contra Gender Swap and when was it released?
Pixel artist and ROM hacker tavuntu released it in 2025. It modifies Konami's 1988 Japanese Famicom Contra, which is why the base game year still appears in the details.
Contra Gender Swap (2025 Famicom ROM Hack)
Contra Gender Swap is tavuntu's 2025 ROM hack of the Japanese Famicom version of Contra. Built on Ferraro's English translation, it recasts Bill Rizer and Lance Bean as Bella Rizer and Lana Bean, redraws the title screen, portraits, cutscenes, and player sprites, and rewrites the dialogue while retaining the original run-and-gun campaign. This guide covers the browser keys, Japanese Famicom cheats, version boundaries, and practical stage tips.
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Overview
tavuntu first released Contra Gender Swap in 2025 and later presented a final visual version that September. The hack uses Konami's 1988 Japanese Famicom game and Ferraro's English translation as its base; 1988 is the parent game's year, not the hack's release year.
Bella Rizer and Lana Bean replace Bill Rizer and Lance Bean. The modification redraws the title art, grayscale military IDs, large cutscene portraits, small gameplay sprites, and guns, while updating English dialogue for the Famicom-exclusive story scenes.
The level layouts, music, weapons, one-hit life system, and one- or two-player structure remain Contra. Because the base is the Japanese Famicom edition, it also keeps the extra intro, map and radio cutscenes, animated stage details, and version-specific commands absent from the North American NES release.
Cheat Codes
Japanese Famicom base: 30 lives: At the title screen after the opening music begins, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, then Start. For two players, press Select before Start.
Japanese Famicom base: Stage select: After the title music begins, hold Up + Left + A, press Start, then immediately hold Select as well to open the stage-select menu.
Japanese Famicom base: Sound test: At the title screen, hold A + B and press Start to open the sound-test menu.
Controls
- W / A / S / D
- Use the Famicom directional pad to move, crouch, and aim
- J
- Use the mapped B button to fire
- K
- Use the mapped A button to jump
- Shift
- Use Select to switch between 1 Player and 2 Players
- Enter
- Use Start to begin or pause the game
Before you play
- A single enemy, projectile, or missed jump costs one life. Clear a landing area before jumping and learn where foot soldiers enter the screen.
- Shoot flying capsules and fixed sensors for weapon upgrades. The Spread Gun covers several lanes, while Rapid Fire improves the current weapon's firing rate.
- The Japanese Famicom version alternates side-scrolling, vertical, and behind-the-character base stages. In base rooms, destroy each wall sensor before lingering targets begin firing more aggressively.
- In two-player mode, both heroines share the scrolling screen. Move together around pits and vertical climbs so one player does not drag the other into enemy fire.
Known limitations
- The visible 1988 release field belongs to Konami's original Famicom game. Contra Gender Swap was released in 2025, and the running title screen does not display an exact patch revision.
- This build is based on the Japanese Famicom release with English-translated cutscenes, not the separate North American NES edition.
FAQ
Who are Bella Rizer and Lana Bean?
They are the female versions of Bill Rizer and Lance Bean created for this hack. Their designs appear on the title screen, military IDs, Famicom cutscenes, and gameplay sprites.
Does Contra Gender Swap change the original gameplay?
Its main changes are character art, weapons in the artwork, and English dialogue. The original Famicom stages, weapons, music, one-hit deaths, and one- or two-player run-and-gun structure remain in place.
What are the browser controls for Contra Gender Swap?
Use WASD for directions, J for the mapped B fire button, K for the mapped A jump button, Shift for Select, and Enter for Start. Shift switches the title menu between one and two players.
Which Contra cheats apply to this Gender Swap hack?
The Japanese Famicom base provides the 30-lives code, stage select, and sound test. The instructions on this page use the original Famicom controller labels and keep them separate from browser keys.
