Uprising features two main game modes, Rising and Arcade. In Rising Mode, players can collect points throughout levels which are then used to purchase various upgrades and customizations for weapons, armor and character abilities. Rising Mode also features a health bar, similar to the Japanese version of Contra: Hard Corps, allowing the player to take more than one hit before losing a life. Arcade Mode is a harder game mode in which the power-up shops are removed.
Many new moves have been added. The character can dash, dash in mid-air, double-jump and deflect enemy projectiles by bouncing them back. Additional moves can also be purchased in Rising Mode.
Weapons include the standard rifle, the machine gun, the spread shot, the crash gun (shoots arcing grenades), the heat gun (shoots large blasts of fire) and the chain laser (homes in on enemy targets). As in Contra III: The Alien Wars, the player can carry two weapons and switch between them at any time. By collecting the same weapon several times the player will improve its firing rate and power. Other weapon upgrades are available in Rising Mode as well.
Source: Wikipedia, "Hard Corps: Uprising", available under the CC-BY-SA License.