The Gymnastics Soldier Team (組体操ソルジャー Kumi Taisō Sorujā?, lit. "Team Gymnastics Soldier") is a miniboss in Contra: Hard Corps.
Description[]
An elite team of Zako Soldiers highly trained in gymnastics. They come in three groups and each forms a different figure by climbing onto each other, which will then proceed to attack in a characteristic way. These soldiers in particular are remarkably resilient and will withstand a lot of punishment before they die, at which point the figure they were forming will collapse.
- First shape: Wheel
A group of soldiers will descend from poles in the background and form a big circle almost the same height as the screen. They will then begin to slowly roll forward in an attempt to run over the player. Keep firing at it with the most powerful weapon available from the left side of the room and don't stop until it is destroyed. If one hugs the right wall and crouches alongside it while the soldiers are forming, it is possible to safely be behind the wheel of soldiers, allowing for more time to fire upon the wheel formation.
- Second shape: Pole
More soldiers will come down and this time they will form a tall pole. The top end will then start bending over one side until it touches the floor, tracing an arc, which will now support the structure while the other end rises in the air and does the same in a slinky-like manner. Once one end reaches an edge of the screen, it will start bending toward the opposite side. The pole's movements will gradually become faster as the shape remains more time on the screen.
Remain under the arcs traced by the figure as it moves around and keep firing at it. Always try to remain near the current supporting end for easier measurement where one must stay to remain safe.
- Third shape: Pyramid
One last group of soldiers will arrive, the vast majority wielding firearms this time and commanded by their leader. They will form a tall human pyramid. The soldiers at the bottom will be unarmed and only serve as mobility means for the rest of the structure; all the rest will wield firearms, with the leader (in blue uniform) positioned at the top.
The structure will start advancing from side to side of the screen while the leader, who also acts as the structure's weak spot, stands tall atop the stack, ready to attack using one of three different strategies:
| Attack | Description |
|---|---|
 |
The leader will start stomping atop the stack, ordering his men to fire at will. This attack starts with the leader firing straight horizontally forward, followed by the two soldiers below him, and so forth, until all the armed soldiers have fired off their rounds. The attack ends once the four armed soldiers between the running group and the set of three have all fired their rounds. |
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The leader will reach into a side holster and pull out a cannon; he then proceeds to fire off four red-blue exploding bullets, one at a time, which arc over the player and land onto the ground below, which cause a large pillar of flame to rise up upon the bullet's detonation. Careful positioning is required to evade both the cannon explosions and the running troop unit. |
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The leader will point his handgun quickly in a semi-circular direction. After this, he proceeds to fire off four rounds, one at a time, starting in the upward direction, then diagonal-up-left, straight forward, and down-left, in that order. |
All of his attacks' angles depend on the troops' position when carrying their leader, so careful planning is necessary to avoid taking damage. Attacks may be successfully repeated in a row. The leader has 100 HP, and once depleted, he and his entire unit will explode into oblivion.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- There doesn't appear to be any speed limit with the pole of soldiers; if the pole is left to continue moving back and forth, they will eventually start glitching out their movements. This may lag on audio quality too.
- During the formation of the pyramid soldier unit, if one looks closely, the blue captain does not appear until a normal Zako soldier lands on top of the pyramid. The palette for said soldier will then immediately change to a blue color that can be sometimes seen when firing weak rounds at enemy shooters.
See also[]
- Zako Soldier
- Zako Soldier (armed)