Probotector 2

Probotector 2 for Game Boy is Konami's 1994 European version of Contra: The Alien Wars, a portable run-and-gun adaptation developed by Factor 5. It reworks the action and alien-invasion setting of the Super NES game Contra III: The Alien Wars for Nintendo's monochrome handheld, while following the Probotector naming used for European Contra releases. The central difference is visual: the human commandos of the American game are replaced by armoured robots, giving the PAL release its own identity without changing its fast-moving battle against an extraterrestrial threat.

The game is built around the classic Contra routine of advancing through hostile territory, reading enemy patterns, jumping over hazards and firing constantly. The Game Boy's directional pad handles movement, aiming and climbing, while the two face buttons cover jumping and shooting. A direct hit or fatal fall costs a life, so careful positioning matters as much as quick reactions. Checkpoints and a password feature make its demanding campaign more practical to return to, but its stages still ask players to learn ambushes, hazards and boss behaviour through repeated attempts.

Weapon capsules expand the basic gun with familiar Contra-style options, including wider or specialised shots that make dense formations and tough enemies more manageable. The handheld conversion does not preserve the Super NES version's two-weapon inventory or its aerial spinning attack, so choosing and protecting the current weapon becomes more important. A screen-clearing bomb remains available for emergencies, and temporary defensive protection can provide vital breathing room in particularly crowded encounters.

Probotector 2 alternates its side-scrolling firefights with overhead battle areas. In the scrolling portions, the robot hero runs, leaps, climbs and shoots through mechanical and organic opposition on the way to a large end-of-stage encounter. The overhead sections shift the task toward navigating an arena and destroying required targets, bringing variety to the portable campaign. Factor 5 had to reshape material from the 16-bit original for the smaller display and Game Boy hardware, so the adaptation is not a one-for-one copy: content was reduced, the controls were simplified and the overhead action does not use the Super NES's rotating Mode 7 presentation.

The cartridge also supports the Super Game Boy, Nintendo's accessory for playing Game Boy games on a television through a Super NES. Used that way, Probotector 2 gains colour presentation and enhanced sound, an especially fitting option for a game adapting a Super NES action title. On an ordinary Game Boy it remains a single-player handheld challenge, designed around concise stages, memorable bosses and the series' familiar risk-and-reward power-up system.

As the follow-up to the European Game Boy release Probotector, Probotector 2 sits in the region's robot-themed branch of the Contra series rather than being a separate sequel with unrelated gameplay. Its Japanese counterpart is Contra Spirits and its North American counterpart is Contra: The Alien Wars; all represent Factor 5's Game Boy interpretation of the same source game. For players exploring the European catalogue, Probotector 2 is therefore both a distinct regional presentation and a notable example of how a large early-1990s console run-and-gun was redesigned for the original Game Boy.