The surreal mixing of Hollywood references, real-life political terminology, and sci-fi craziness has long been a staple of Konami action games, but the Contra series takes that special brand of weirdness to another level. In real life, a “Contra” is a member of the guerrilla force that opposed a left-wing government in Nicaragua in the 1970s. In the Konami games, a “Contra” is a muscular Stallone/Schwarzenegger look-alike who battles jungle aliens while shirtless, sometimes in the 1970s. What’s the connection between the two definitions? Are the Contras of the Konami series actually political activists disguised as alien exterminators? Is the game trying to tell me that Rambo is a secretly a Latino? What the hell is really going on here?

Well, after more than 20 years of such questions, Contra ReBirth has come forward to finally deliver some answers. Not only does the game give us the full reveal on Konami’s definition of “Contra” for the first time, it also provides us with a game that exemplifies everything that makes the series so special. For superior or worse, Contra ReBirth is the Contra-est Contra game in current memory.

Hit the jump for the full review of Konami’s latest take on guerrilla warfare.