As someone that remembers spending hours installing the original Commandos using an uncooperative scratched CD-ROM and countless more playing it, I’m glad to see the series make a return with Commandos: Origins. After spending some time with the game’s demo ahead of its launch later this year, I’m happy to report it brings back feelings of the good old days. Of course, not all is the same as the graphics are better but controls are also simplified. Regardless, if you’re a fan of prior entries, this one should be right up your alley.
Commandos: Origins continues the series titular isometric tactical stealth gameplay. You control a team of elite WWII special forces soldiers, on missions that no others would dare accept. Each character has particular strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique abilities. Regardless of which person you’re controlling, though, while sabotaging infrastructure or retrieving top secret documents, the quiet approach is always best.
In the demo, you’ll need to sabotage a radar station deep within an enemy base, located in the picturesque Channel Islands. To do so, you’ll have both the skills of Green Beret and Diver at your disposal. The full game will feature six characters in total, each with unique abilities. This would-be band of brothers will engage in missions over 14 theatres of operation, spanning from the barren cold of the Arctic to the sweltering heat of the African desert.
Those familiar with Commands will immediately feel right at home, particularly on PC. Much of the moment-to-moment gameplay and controls are as you remember them, albeit with a few quality-of-life changes. For example, it’s more difficult to absent-mindedly blow your cover by accidentally firing your gun like in prior games given the switch to CTRL + LMB for that action. Moreover, it’s easier than ever to create and load save points via two buttons at the top of the screen.
While I prefer the classic approach of keyboard and mouse, Commandos: Origins also has controller support baked in. Speaking of which, it’ll be available on both PC and consoles. However, the demo is only available on PC and Xbox for now.
I had a great time skulking, strategising, and occasionally shooting my way through the demo. While this slice is admittedly on the shorter side, it’s pleasing to see this series with a fresh lick of paint. The best compliment I can give developer Claymore Games is that their take on Commandos has me hungry to reinstall prior entries. Thankfully, I won’t have to fight against that same disc to do so. All the same, I hope we see a physical edition emerge for old time’s sake and in aid of preservation.
Commandos: Origins launches later this year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles.