- Not to be confused with Armored Car.
Dogra (重装甲掃討車 ドグラ Jū Sōkō Sōtō-sha Dogura?, lit. "Heavy Armored Sweeping Vehicle Dogra") is a recurring miniboss in the Contra series. It is an armored vehicle that has a mobile cannon mounted on its top and a spiked bumper on its front.
Description[]
A heavily armored military vehicle with a mobile cannon mounted on its top and a spiked bumper on its front.
Appearances[]
Contra[]
Two Dogras are encountered shortly after exiting the forest section of the Snow Field. As the player sets foot on the beginning of the industrialized section of the level, the first Dogra will enter from the right side of the screen. The vehicle will advance some distance, make a stop, aim the cannon toward the player's current position and open fire. After a certain period of time has passed (after firing off 3-4 sets of rounds), the vehicle will start advancing once more in an attempt to crush the player with its spiked bumper.[5] Shortly after the first Dogra has been destroyed, a second one will arrive after traveling a short distance to the right.
Strategy[]
Although it may sound obvious, bringing a good weapon will greatly help in destroying these vehicles. Since this is a timed fight, it is important to destroy the vehicle as quickly as possible. Weapons such as the Spread Gun (shown to rival the Laser in terms of power at close range), the Laser (which is the most powerful firearm in the game), or the Machine Gun with the Rapid Fire enhancement will provide enough firepower for this effect. Weapons with a slow rate of fire, such as the Fire Ball, even though powerful, may take too many shots.
The beginning of the battle is crucial, as once the armored vehicle stops, it will proceed to aim the cannon at the player's current position. If the player makes it aim at an angle where the bullets' trajectory don't leave proper space for evasive maneuvers, they'll most likely take a hit or won't have time to deal enough damage before the vehicle starts advancing again. A good strategy consists in walking all the way to the left side of the screen and turn around; this way, the bullets will pass right in front of the player's feet without actually making contact, allowing them to unleash enough gunfire to the vehicle before it runs them over.
As the military vehicle sustains damage, it will start to gradually change colors, going from yellow to bright red, thus giving feedback on how much more damage it still requires before it is destroyed. Note that when the vehicle first enters the battlefield, it is immune to damage until it makes its first halt to fire (although it can still absorb weapon fire during its entrance).
In consecutive playthroughs of the game, Dogra automatically advances forward after firing one barrage set of blasts, drastically decreasing the time needed to defeat it. This makes it near impossible to defeat in time without a special weapon (the Spread Gun is recommended, combined with the above strategy; the player must move and fire quickly before a life is lost).
Neo Contra[]
Called Armed Jeep in this game, this military vehicle now fashions a heavy redesign and moves at a much faster speed. Its fight is also quite different than in other incarnations; it catches up with the players as they are racing through a speedway riding on fast running Velociraptors, and positions itself in the background on an elevated parallel lane, from where it shoots from its many cannons. These cannons also act as its weak spots, so the player has to target them all to finally bring down the whole vehicle.
Contra: Evolution[]
Dogras can be destroyed with a single stab from Sally's katana.
Contra Returns[]
Dogra shoots bullets in an arc instead of shooting straight. It has also gained additional attacks:
- A gunner pops out of a hatch and shoots at the player.
- It extends its spiked bumper.
Contra: Operation Galuga[]
Called Armored Truck in this game. Two of these military vehicles are spotted in a roadway stage; a silver colored one and a larger red one (similar to the original Contra variant). The red one is seen ramming into the smaller silver vehicle, destroying the latter. Both vehicles are equipped with machine guns that can fire a five-shot burst of projectiles at the player. They can also fire spiked rollers in front of them and can attempt to ram the player. The red variant has the Red Falcon Lieutenant riding on the back of the vehicle.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
.png "Bill Rizer Car Boss Jet motorcycle (front).png (1.86 MB)")
Artworks[]
Trivia[]
- The Dogra may have been inspired by the vehicles seen in the Mad Max post apocalyptic action films, specifically the Humungus' Truck from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.[6]
- In some incarnations, Dogra's front bumper is shaped as a snow plow, which is suitable as this vehicle is generally found in snowfield areas.
- In Contra, if Greeders were lured to the path of either Dogra battle, they will simply pass by the vehicle when it arrives.
- Also in the NES/Famicom version of Contra, the second Dogra always fires one less bullet than the first one: The first Dogra fires up to ten bullets (three on repeat loops) or three sets of three bullets plus one additional bullet before charging in, whereas the second Dogra only fires off nine bullets (two on repeat loops) or simply three sets of three bullets before the vehicle advances forward.
See also[]
- Smoke Wrestler - The first phase of this Hard Corps: Uprising boss resembles and behaves like a Dogra armored car.
References[]
- ↑ Neo Contra
- ↑ Contra: Operation Galuga
- ↑ @ContraSoldier (Contra Official（魂斗羅公式）) at X (December 12, 2023).
- ↑ Contra: The Board Game
- ↑ Contra (NES) | Other Differences | Gameplay at The Cutting Room Floor.
- ↑ Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - Greetings from the Humungus Scene (2/8) by Movieclips at YouTube.