The New Contra Fusion projects sounds very ambitious indeed...
I would like to take this opportunity ask about Your other game, Contra : Legacy Of Red Falcon.
LORF is somewhat similar to Legacy of War -- it has Life Meter (has to be picked up) and selectable Smart Bomb, Passcodes, switchable weapons, overhead stages etc. It has completely different stage layouts and bosses, different weapons and so on, and is by no means redundant. It is not as polished as Fusion or LOWR, but still very playable and fun.
LORF is not listed on Your itch.io page, have You disowned the project?