Commandos Origins Review – An Isometric Blast from the Past

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In more straightforward terms: How many new games based on series that took a 22-year break have been released recently? I’m not talking about remastered versions, but entirely fresh entries. Few games fit that description, and one of them is the return of Commandos, which has gone relatively unnoticed by many. Commandos is a stealth-based real-time tactics series, with the last game, Commandos: Strike Force, released in 2006. The gameplay revolves around navigating complex isometric maps within a WWII setting, using six characters to control the commando units. Each character has unique abilities that aid them in their secret missions. The latest installment, Commandos Origins, tells the backstory of this elite team of operatives.

“Far from just your Normandy trenches, Commandos Origins spans the globe.”

Initially, I was impressed by the rich variety of biomes that the Claymore team successfully incorporated into the traditional World War II setting in Commandos Origins. Instead of just focusing on Normandy trenches, this game takes you all over the world. The distinct visuals between missions are noticeable and add to the overall experience.

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve got to say, there’s a whopping 14 missions here to sink my teeth into! That’s quite an increase from the 10 in Commandos 2 and 12 in Commandos 3. But what truly counts is the caliber of these missions, and in that department, Commandos Origins really delivers. Each map offers multiple strategies for achieving your objectives. If you fancy yourself a bit of a trigger-happy gunslinger, you can certainly lay waste to the place, provided you can dodge those pesky alarms and reinforcements. Alternatively, you could opt for a non-violent approach and steer clear of conflict entirely, though that might prove just as challenging as playing Rambo. Most of us will likely find ourselves treading a middle path, avoiding patrols that aren’t essential and quietly taking out soldiers one by one to keep the alarms at bay.

The extensive layout of the game map caters equally to both playstyles, offering a wealth of tools and gear for commandos to utilize as they progress. The maps are rich with hidden collectibles in each mission, encouraging exploration and thorough examination. Discovering these collectibles presents an engaging side quest since they’re often concealed within soldier bunkers and remote, heavily guarded locations. While there are no immediate gameplay rewards for finding these secrets, they do offer interesting historical facts and images about items like the Willy’s Jeep and its role in WWII. Furthermore, there are optional side missions that enhance replayability and increase difficulty.

In a different context, mastering the way you handle these maps requires some additional learning. As anticipated, the isometric camera from past games makes another appearance, but this time it’s fully adjustable rather than the limited rotations found in Commandos 3. You can now freely zoom in and out, as well as rotate the camera here. The console interface is quite clean and simple. All your tools, weapons, units, and orders are accessible via hotkeys using RT, while LT is used for your units and commands. The team did a commendable job of keeping the UI uncluttered and user-friendly, only displaying unit portraits and tool icons in the upper corners, with a minimap resting comfortably in the bottom right. Generally, console controls will feel streamlined and straightforward. However, interacting with and toggling viewcones might be slightly awkward.

In this sneaky game, figuring out an enemy’s field of vision is essential. That’s where viewcones come into play. Unfortunately, you can’t simply turn on all enemy viewcones in close proximity; instead, you must either place a viewcone marker or select individual enemy cones manually. While I appreciate the concept of setting a viewcone at a specific location, it’s too limited to be effective. Additionally, enemies frequently move around and change zones, making most pre-set viewcone markers ineffective. Highlighting individual enemy viewcones isn’t much more practical as it can be tricky to select the exact enemy when they are grouped together. The imprecision of a control stick doesn’t hold a candle to the precision of a mouse for this task.

The inconsistency of viewcones has been a problem for me during gameplay. On some occasions, I was obviously outside the viewcone’s range, but all of a sudden, enemies started attacking me without any warning. It seems pointless to have viewcones if they aren’t always reliable. Yes, other factors like making noise or leaving footprints can override the viewcone, causing enemies to detect my presence. Consequently, I often doubted the effectiveness of viewcones throughout my gaming experience, which kind of undermines their purpose in this game mechanic.

“The meat and potatoes of the Commandos series lies in the tools each of your units wields.”

Concerning visual differences, it’s beneficial to have a ‘highlighting mode’ that makes interactive parts of the surroundings and enemies stand out. Given the current situation, I’d advise enabling the manual toggle option because the timer options for countdown seem to be experiencing issues, frequently causing everything to remain highlighted until a scene change or fight ensues.

Perhaps you’re wondering why Commandos is categorized as a real-time tactics game even though it offers stealth-oriented gameplay. The explanation lies in the Command Mode feature. This tactical mode can be activated at any point during gameplay, causing all actions to pause so that you can plan and issue movements and commands for your squad members. Although Command Mode isn’t mandatory, it’s often useful when controlling multiple units concurrently. Alternatively, you can play with another player using the 2-player cooperative mode, which can be enjoyed either online or on a split screen.

At the heart of the Commandos series is the variety in the weapons each unit carries. As you progress through the game, you command six unique commando units, each with its own set of skills and playstyles. Although all commandos possess shared abilities such as administering medkits or incapacitating enemies, certain abilities like setting bear traps are exclusive to specific units. I found the array of tools to be both fulfilling and versatile. With your Green Beret, you can deploy a sound decoy or simply whistle with the Sapper to achieve similar, yet slightly different results.

Each mission offers unique skills for the commandos tailored to the specific characteristics of their locations. For instance, the Arctic Circle mission features communication lines supported by poles. The Green Beret can swiftly navigate these poles, remaining unnoticed, making access quicker. However, even if you’re familiar with a unit’s abilities, new missions may introduce innovative ways to interact with the environment.

For devoted fans of the long-standing Commandos series, it’s important to note that adversaries in this new installment, Commandos Origins, do not carry inventories. Instead, they drop singular items like medkits (if anything at all), which simplifies the game by eliminating some of the inventory management found in the original games. However, one aspect that remains consistent with the classics is the challenging level of difficulty. Despite being on the easiest setting among the three, Commandos Origins presents a steep learning curve that harshly penalizes errors. Expect to find yourself getting caught and losing lives frequently. This frequent failure is exacerbated by the relatively lengthy load times, which, while not excessive on the PS5, still take longer than similar games on the console. I can’t help but wish for quicker or even instantaneous load times in this game given its challenging nature.

The game regularly presents me with various technical difficulties that persist, such as frequent screen tearing in Commandos Origins. This issue occurs regardless of whether you’re playing for graphics or performance, as moving the camera up and down results in obvious screen tearing. I wouldn’t advise using the graphics mode due to the consistent framerate and screen tearing problems. Furthermore, I encountered an issue within the save menus. For instance, scrolling through autosaves can become erratic, sometimes leading to a situation where the game freezes up.

In terms of gameplay, I’ve run into some barriers that are not visible to the eye, which have prevented me from hiding effectively and caused my premature demise on more than one occasion. These invisible obstacles may be related to the vertical terrain they’ve added to the game, but since the isometric view doesn’t allow for measuring terrain height, it’s challenging to distinguish between what could be a minor incline hindering interaction. The highlight mode also seems unhelpful in this regard, as it shows no additional information.

What I love most about the visuals is the wide range of different environments and decorative elements scattered across each map.

In comparison to Commandos 2, which was remarkably innovative for its isometric graphics, Origins appears somewhat ordinary when stacked against its contemporaries in the genre. The textures are rich and detailed, and the lighting suggests the Unreal Engine 5’s lumen technology, but it lacks the novelty that other games offer more effectively. What truly stands out in Origins‘s visuals is the diverse array of biomes and decorative elements scattered across each map.

One aspect that could use improvement in terms of visual aesthetics is the animation quality. The movements of vehicles appear stiff and lacking in nuance, often resembling hastily animated cartoons at times. Additionally, there are missing or poorly executed transition animations during certain character actions. Combined with the technical glitches I encountered, Commandos Origins fell short on delivering a satisfying visual and technical experience overall.

As a fan, I’ve found that the audio and visual elements of this new Commando game are somewhat inconsistent, reminiscent of a mixed bag. The soundtrack attempts to emulate a live orchestra, but it falls short compared to the catchy tunes and impactful rhythm of the original games. It delivers what you’d expect from a military-themed soundtrack, but it doesn’t quite leave a lasting impression. I would have appreciated an option to toggle between the original soundtrack, but I wasn’t expecting that. The voices of the six commandos are functional, if not particularly impressive. However, I appreciate the return of those delightful sound effects, like the buzzing of telephone poles or the rumbling of vehicles, which add a lot to the overall atmosphere when you zoom in.

In essence, Commandos Origins delivers an abundance of strategic enjoyment in a contemporary, nostalgic format. The six commando squads provide a rich diversity in gameplay, while the missions are unique due to their distinct terrains and numerous completion methods. Despite some lingering technical issues, Commandos Origins is definitely worth considering if you’re fond of tactical stealth and real-time strategy games.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-04-09 17:43