Unlike Super C, the Fire Gun does not have chargeable shots, while the Barrier and Rapid Bullets power-ups are not featured in this installment either.

The player takes the role of Bill Rizer, who must neutralize an enemy force that is secretly storing an alien cell in their base.

As with the previous Contra games for the NES, the exact details of the game's settings varies between supplemental materials: in the Japanese version, the enemies are identified as the army of an unnamed hostile nation that is seeking to use an alien cell to produce weapons; in the American version, the enemies are working for an alien entity calling itself "Black Viper".

The Japanese version is identical to the original release, but with added Super Game Boy border support.

The game is included in the 2019 Contra Anniversary Collection for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.