Magnus (磁力重装甲車 マグナス Jiryoku Juu Soukousha Magunasu?, lit. "Magnetic Powered Heavily Armored Vehicle Magnus") is a recurring boss in the Contra series. They are a series of large and heavily-armored tanks powered through the use of magnetic force. Each game where one of these tanks have appeared in has had its own model; as such, their sizes, shapes and armaments differ greatly between titles.
Description
Magnus is a large, heavily-armored tank encountered at the end of Base Area 2. It has three gunner stations on its top from where soldiers manning rifles can attack individually. The soldiers on the side posts man miniguns, although these shoot standard single rounds. They can be killed individually in order to weaken the boss's overall firepower. The commander at the central post is actually the boss's weak spot, and once defeated, the whole tank will be destroyed.
Even though it is a tank, and as such, moves via two wheeled straight tracks on each side (according to its artwork), the vehicle can also move horizontally without problems.
The vehicle also features two retractile electrodes on its front from where a magnetic field is generated. These can be extended a certain distance in order to attack ground enemy units easily. This field is actually not lethal to the touch in the arcade version, although this is not the case for the NES conversion.
Since most of the tank's offensive capabilities are designed to attack enemies on the front, by quickly positioning oneself behind it will considerably reduce the threat it poses.
Appearances
Super Contra
First appearance of the Magnus tank in the series, where it acts as the boss of Area 2, Ruins of the Federal Military Base, the first top-down stage to appear in the entire franchise.
The central station is only the tank's cockpit, where the operator is seated, and it cannot attack in any way, only serving as the boss's weak spot. If the player managed to save a Hyper Shell, it is advised to detonate it immediately. The shell will gravely weaken the boss, and if thrown at the right time, the battle may end as quickly as it began. Always keep an eye on the tank, though, as it might run over the player due to its considerably high speed for such a large vehicle. Although electricity is seen between its two front lightning rods, the electricity does not in fact harm the player (this may be a glitch).[8]
In the NES conversion of the game, Super C, the tank's speed is slower and the commander at the central post mans a rifle from which he shoots long laser beams. Like in the arcade version, once the operator is defeated, the whole tank will be destroyed. The oddity bug from the arcade version seems to be fixed here and the electric field generated by the tank's two extendible frontal electrodes is in fact lethal to the touch.
Contra III: The Alien Wars
A legitimate successor to the original Magnus tank appears midway through the first stage, only acting as a miniboss this time around. Shortly after passing through the area with fiery leaking pipes on the street, a building in the background will suddenly start to crumble and the Magnus Mk. 2 tank will emerge behind it.
The Magnus Mk. 2 is much smaller than its original model and is only piloted by a single alien soldier this time around. The vehicle will advance menacingly toward the left side of the screen, only leaving enough space for a person to fit in and then retreat while launching a constant barrage of grenades in an arcing pattern from its six-barreled cannon.
By concentrating in unleashing non-stop heavy firepower on the tank miniboss, it will be destroyed before it can charge forward again.
If the player takes position on the right end of the screen as the tank enters the battlefield, they will temporarily remain out of harm's way. However, if the vehicle is not destroyed in time, it will run them over on its way back.
Contra: Shattered Soldier
| “ | A mid-boss that appears in the early part of MISSION 1. It operates using magnetic force, producing no exhaust gases, making it an environmentally friendly clean weapon. Designed for long-range support, it has the characteristic of being extremely weak in close combat. | „ |
| ~ Shin Contra/Contra: Hard Spirits - Konami Official Perfect Guide translation |
The Super Magnetic Tank Magnus MK IV appears as the first mini boss in the first stage of the game. As with previous incarnations, it possesses missiles but can also make great leaps using four legs to move around with.
As the heroes climb up the Fortress's mountain, a crane pulls this tank from the background and drops into the foreground to assault the heroes. It immediately starts its attack pattern by launching arcing missiles. These missiles can be eliminated but also avoided by staying close to the robot. It then sidesteps forward and backward to try and harm players close to it, before performing a great leap to the opposite side of the screen. Repositioned, it then fires off a large missile into the sky while sidestepping further. A targeting reticule on the ground warns a player when the large homing missile will land on them (in a 2 Players game, only one hero is targeted at random). The targeted hero must run out of the way before the missile lands; as it lands, a big explosion fills the area it hits. The boss then repeats its pattern with another missile arc and leap. It is generally vulnerable to any weapon fired at its main body. The player who deals the finishing blow to the tank gains 800 points.
Neo Contra
| “ | A venerable aircraft that was developed with the goal of destroying the strongest of humanity. Its main armaments are multiple floating mines and a high convergence variable laser. | „ |
The Anti-Contra Tank Magnus Mark V appears as a miniboss after defeating Gegebonne, but long before battling Guerilla Contra.
Contra 4
In Contra 4, a similar tank codenamed the Rino-X1 Battle Tank is encountered in the City stage and attacks by firing either blasts out its cannon which travel in a straight line, or rolling shots that travel along the ground. It also slowly charges toward the player, which can only be avoided by crouching.
Contra 3D
| “ | A tank that has been infested by aliens. An electromagnetic attack is emitted from the electrodes, and a powerful beam is emitted from the main gun. | „ |
| ~ Contra 3D official profile description |
- Stats
- Age: ???
- Height: 11m
- Weight: 23 t
Gallery
Screenshots
Sprites and models
_-_01.png "Magnus - Super Contra (arcade) - 01.png (13 KB)")
_-_01.png "Magnus - Super Contra (MS-DOS) - 01.png (9 KB)")
(MS-DOS)
Artworks
_-_01.jpg "Magnus - Super Contra (NES) - 01.jpg (147 KB)")
_Magnus_boxart.jpg "Contra III - The Alien Wars - (NA) Magnus boxart.jpg (564 KB)")
See also
References
Big Fuzz • Crustacean Cruiser • Gomeramos King • Black Viper (final form) | |||