As a kid, I’d often flip through the pages of game magazines to find new games to beg my mom for when we went shopping. One particular game in Nintendo Power caught my eye with its fourth-wall breaking humor, mysterious story and quirky art style. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
On October 19, 2006, a little-known game called “Contact” launched for the Nintendo DS. The game, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture (the creators behind games such as “Killer7”), was a blend of old-school role-playing games with modern twists and unconventional gameplay.
From the moment players start a new game, “Contact” breaks the fourth wall by having you interact with one of the main characters, known simply as the Professor. The Professor explains that his distress signal has finally been answered through the use of the player’s DS handheld and asks you personal questions that come into play later on before quickly delving into the game’s real plot: space terrorism.
As the professor finishes his speech, he is shot down, crash-landing near the game’s main character, Terry. After letting Terry in on the situation, he sends Terry off on a quest to recover his space ship’s power cells to return Terry back home and flee from the terrorist organization known as the CosmoNOTs.
After the intro, “Contact” opens up with Terry unconscious on a beach and brings in one of the game’s distinct mechanics: breaking the fourth wall. Though the professor knows that the player exists, he hides this fact from Terry, leaving the player and Terry to journey together to stop the CosmoNOTs without knowing of the other’s existence.
“Contact’s” leveling system works akin to that of games such as “The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim” where stats are determined by overall use. If Terry takes a beating, he will gain more overall health while dealing powerful blows with weapons and will cause Terry to gain proficiency in that weapon type. As well as increasing stats, Terry can gain or lose karma depending on the creature slain, affecting the state of the world and how others perceive him.
Combat skills are determined by Terry’s outfits, similar to classes in a role-playing game. Equipping the Aqua Shot outfit will allow Terry to use water-based elemental skills while the Mr. Cuisine outfit allows Terry to combine food he finds in the wild to make more potent dishes and potions.
As well as real-time combat, the game features a system known as decals, which are in-game stickers that can change the tide of battle. These decals range from calling in support from the professor’s pet, Mochi, to one that can transform nearby enemies into rabbits.
Nearly ten years have passed since “Contact’s” first release and it still retains the goofy charm and mystique that drew me to it in the first place. Over the course of the game, you’ll take on super powered bosses, attach decals to your outfit to buff yourself up and even learn how to cook from a famous naked chef on a deserted island.
“Contact” is a wild ride of a game. Currently, used copies of the game are on sale on Amazon for less than $20 and I highly encourage anyone wanting something a little weird in their lives to give it a shot.
