- Not to be confused with Tutorial.
Game manuals are often packaged with physical video games. Manuals for Konami games were generally referred to as Instruction Booklets for products released on the third, fourth and fifth generation consoles (mainly in distribution during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, respectively), coinciding with the powerful popularity of the Contra series.
Game manuals teach the basics of a game, along with some of its lore and occasionally a list of official enemy names (some of which were heavily altered in Western releases). Though these topics are sometimes covered through in-game tutorials, this is not always the case, especially in the early games that had storage space limitations. With modern games offering larger storage capacities, allowing for more information and tutorials, and the rise of digital downloads and online gaming, developers began to opt for digital guides or even abandon them altogether, reducing costs.
List of manuals
Contra
Arcade
Console
Super Contra
Contra (MSX2)
Super C (NES)
Operation C
Contra Force
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Contra: Hard Corps
Contra: The Alien Wars
- US (GB) (Kirkland's MANUAL LABOR)
- EU (GB) (Internet Archive)
Contra: Legacy of War
C: The Contra Adventure
Contra: Shattered Soldier
- US (PS2) (Internet Archive)
- US (BradyGames guide) (Internet Archive)
Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX
Neo Contra
Contra 4
Hard Corps: Uprising
- Digital in-game Options (PS3, X360)
Contra: Rogue Corps
- Game Guide transcript v.1.3.0 (NTSC)
Other
C (LCD handheld)
Contra: The Board Game
- US (tabletop)
Notes
- Contra Anniversary Collection features small game instructions for each game, as well as a description for each in the game's game select menu. In the Limited Run edition for the Nintendo Switch, an 8 page booklet (14 pages if the inside cover, two piece artwork, and Spread Gun page is counted) is included that features all the playable games available within the collection. The pages each provide a small overview of said games, with the descriptions taken directly from the game's Game Select menu. For more information, see here.