Though IAAPA season brings forth a lot of tests for new arcade games that will likely appear at the event, some companies who don’t attend it are also trialling some new developments – one of those being Konami. They have now got a couple of pieces on location test, one in the US (Contra Burst) and another on the other side of the world in their home country, Japan (the Arena model of Gitadora).
We have mentioned both of these briefly here on AH before, but as the two are presently in testing at the same time, it’s convenient to group them together here. Let’s take a closer look at what they are like:
Contra Burst
First off, we have the biggest surprise of the two. A couple weeks back, it was unofficially revealed online that Konami were going to be quietly testing a new Contra video ticket redemption arcade game at Round1USA’s flagship Puente Hills Mall location. The only photo we received of it was snapped whilst they were still setting up the cabinet, so barely any details were clear back then – but a new one has since been helpfully posted by someone on the location’s Google Maps page:
Thanks to this, we can glean a bit more that is worthwhile. The game is now confirmed to support four players – though you could already make the assumption from the knowledge that this is a conversion kit for Bomberman Arcade, which also supported more than two (but apparently hasn’t been doing too well at all for R1USA… thus, this new game and test). What looks like a second screen lays out part of the basic gameplay: players advance through three levels, win increasing amounts of tickets (likely depending on how much they score), and finally face a boss stage, where a jackpot of 500 can be won if defeated.
Though some will be disappointed that this is a videmption game and not something in the classic run-and-gun Contra mold, it is interesting to see Konami try to do something for the Western arcade audience that isn’t a Bemani rhythm game or a retooled medal game from Japan. Discounting Bomberman (which is kind of the latter), this is the first time that has happened since Silent Scope Bone Eater – which was tested out by Dave & Busters, but failed, and only came Stateside via some imports.
Whether this piece will ever receive a wider release and breach the chain exclusivity of Konami and R1USA’s special direct sales relationship remains to be seen… but it could work at other arcade locations. At least, if Konami worked out some proper Western distribution. Either way though, it is certainly more likely to enjoy such a push than the next game we are about to discuss…
Gitadora Arena Model
The second of the two new works Konami have got has been known since the start of September, when it was first announced and underwent its initial location test. Now, it is back in testing, albeit only in Japan again. Though this is not a fresh title, the Gitadora rhythm game series (specifically its latest instalment Galaxy Wave, out since March) is getting a major upgrade with all-new “Arena” model cabinets. These use the same base design for both the guitar and drum parts, with a new three-screen wraparound display that unusually has a one landscape, two vertical format (the left for a character model, the right for song info).
There have been some changes to it since the first September test; a fourth display is added in the form of a menu select sub-screen. In terms of additional gameplay updates, one big difference is that a note scrolling style reminiscent of – yes – Guitar Hero is now selectable. Some footage of how that plays out can be found here; other rhythm games have had this feature up to now, but not Gitadora. It could actually make the game more palatable to Western audiences… but this one is almost certainly going to be a Round1USA exclusive if it does release, and make it out of Japan.
Alongside another test at a different location this month, the next stop for it will be Japan’s Amusement Expo, where Konami will also notably showcase the Japanese version of Minecraft Dungeons Arcade that they are launching soon. It sounds like Gitadora is being pushed heavily with a photo opportunity area and stage event, which should please any fans attending and help shift some units to any interested operators (though with the amount of screens it will be very costly for them…).
As a quick aside, exA-Arcadia will be making a show of force at the Japan Amusement Expo as well; stay tuned as the next few weeks are going to be very busy in terms of new arcade content for 2025.
That is it for now on this look at these two new location tests held by Konami; should any more details arise on Contra Burst we will update this post with them, especially on the off chance that any good footage appears. Thanks to Ted for much of the information you already see here too. Which of the two games here interests you most?
