The ROM hack you're referring to is likely the "30 Lives" version of Super Contra. This hack increases the number of lives the player starts with from 3 to 30, making it slightly more manageable for players who want to experience the game without the frustration of limited lives.
"You haven't truly beaten Super C unless you do it with the standard 10 lives (or 3 lives, no code). The difficulty is part of the artistic intent. The relentless challenge teaches patience and pattern recognition." super contra 30 lives nes rom
Because the original U.S. release only gave 10 lives, fans created patches to restore the 30-lives count to match the Japanese and European versions. The ROM hack you're referring to is likely
The ROM hack you're referring to is likely the "30 Lives" version of Super Contra. This hack increases the number of lives the player starts with from 3 to 30, making it slightly more manageable for players who want to experience the game without the frustration of limited lives.
"You haven't truly beaten Super C unless you do it with the standard 10 lives (or 3 lives, no code). The difficulty is part of the artistic intent. The relentless challenge teaches patience and pattern recognition."
Because the original U.S. release only gave 10 lives, fans created patches to restore the 30-lives count to match the Japanese and European versions.