Contra (video game series) (allthetropes.org)
Contra is a run-and-gun action game series produced by Konami in 1987, starring Super Soldier Bill Rizer (accompanied by his partner Lance Bean in the early games) who must defend the Earth using a variety of weapons, including Machine Guns, Fire Balls, Lasers, Bombs, and the ever-popular Spread Gun.- Navigating a Sticky Situation (hakaimagazine.com)
Head down, he navigates by interpreting the swells beneath his vessel. The sea’s subtle movements and his years of experience help him read the waves. The choppy sea surface, caused by westward-moving swells refracting around land, tells him an island lies somewhere to the east.