The Dome Defender (ドームディフェンダー Dōmu Difendā?) is a recurring enemy in the Contra series. They are infantry units that hide inside an impenetrable armored dome from which they peek out to attack the player. They only appear within top-view stages.
Appearances
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Dome Defenders only appear in the top-view Destroyed Highway stage. Five of them are settled in strategic locations throughout the map, and finding and destroying them all is the main objective of the level. The so-called "dome" is an armored bunker inside of which a Sniper lies in wait. When approached, the dome will open and the soldier will open fire at the player, taking cover inside again after a moment. The unit can only be damaged while exposed, and once destroyed, it will leave behind a random power-up (including Bombs).
Each Defender has his own unique way of attacking, sometimes varying by game Difficulty:
- The Sniper will appear as soon as the player approaches and immediately fire bullets in a set rhythm similar to ground forces.
- The Sniper may behave as the aforementioned unit but will only hide if the player presses or holds the FIRE button. When not firing, the Sniper will reappear.
- The Sniper will face the player and rapidly rotate in 45° angles, spreading out their bullet fire.
- Similarly, the Sniper will appear and spin in full circles, spreading out their bullet fire.
- The Sniper will remain hidden for as long as a player faces the dome. When the player looks away (their back facing toward the dome), the Sniper will appear and fire in its basic firing rhythm. The player must use the shoulder buttons to quickly turn to face the dome and fire upon it before the Sniper hides again. Homing missiles can help aim without the need to turn depending on the landscape. The Crush Gun's lingering explosion can also prove effective with proper timing.
Once all five bunkers are destroyed, the player will be automatically transported to fight the area boss. Each Dome Defender defeated awards the player who destroyed it 2,000 points.
The dome and the defender can be shot as separate pieces. If a Dome Defender is fired upon at a certain range with (preferably) the default gun, it is possible to eliminate the soldier manning the Dome but not destroy the dome itself. Doing so stops the soldier's attacks, but the Dome itself may still close, which will resend another soldier out as normal.
The dome itself is not worth any points, only the defeated Sniper grants the 2,000 points to the player who defeated it. Because of the aforementioned trick above, it is possible to farm for a high score or bonus extra lives by destroying as many Sniper units as possible before a dome is destroyed. A destroyed dome will always grant 2,000 points when a Sniper is present. This is due to the Sniper being eliminated at the same time as the dome, with the Sniper's defeat being tied to a dome's also for scoring purposes.
This enemy does not appear in the Game Boy Advance port, Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX, as the stage where they appear in was removed from that version.
Neo Contra
Known as the Lost and Found Soldier ( 落し物兵 ). These soldiers appear in Stage 2, during the wall climbing section. Occasionally during the chase with the large beast, it will momentarily stop on places where the walls conceal trap doors. Within moments of the brief pause in chase, a trap door will open and out pops a soldier to drop either a large container or a spiked projectile above the hero(es). The soldier must be shot before he returns into hiding, as once the doors close, they do not reopen as the chase soon continues. Each Dome Defender adds to the total Hit Rate. When one of these soldiers is defeated, they will simply fall out of their hole and into the abyss below, screaming. If they were holding a Darr, it will explode in their hands. Their voice actor(s) is/are currently unknown. Depending on the weapon, they may instead die by their bodies exploding with blood when shot at.
Audio
- Defeated 1
- Defeated 2
Gallery
Trivia
- In the American instruction booklet of Contra III: The Alien Wars, an image of the first form of the Tri-Transforming Wall Walker appears labeled as "Chrome Dome" (Dome Defender). The error apparently lies in showing a picture of the Wall Walker where the Chrome Dome should have been. Furthermore, the Wall Walker appears twice on the same page for no apparent reason.[2]