Does Commandos: Origins lead a successful covert operation or get caught behind enemy lines?

Commandos: Origins marks the return of a beloved real-time tactics franchise, bringing the series back to its isometric roots. This prequel aims to tell the untold story of how the legendary elite WWII force was formed, setting the stage for the iconic missions that followed. In a genre that demands meticulous planning, precise execution, and a keen eye for enemy patrols, Commandos: Origins faces the challenge of honouring its legacy while introducing new elements to keep the experience fresh and relevant in the modern day. Does it capture the challenging stealth and strategic depth that fans remember, or does it falter under the weight of expectation? Read on to find out!

Forging the Elite

Commandos: Origins takes players back to 1940 and 1941, at the height of Axis power, to witness the genesis of the Commandos team. The game serves as a prequel to Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, showing how the six infamous characters – Jack O’Hara “the Green Beret,” Thomas “the Sapper” Hancock, Francis T. “the Sniper” Woolridge, Samuel “the Driver” Brooklyn, James “the Marine” Blackwood, and Rene “the Spy” Duchamp – first met and became the legendary unit. The narrative unfolds through their perilous missions across diverse World War II environments, from the icy plains of the Arctic and the vast deserts of Africa to the rugged Western coastlines and the Eastern Front.

Gameplay involves controlling this small group of operatives – who are always vastly outnumbered, of course – to sabotage enemy bases and complete a variety of objectives. Each of the fourteen missions, with multiple core and voluntary objectives, requires strategic planning and coordination of your commandos’ unique skills. If you think that it’s possible to complete each mission by luck, then think again because you won’t get far! Commandos: Origins requires careful planning and consideration of what the outcomes might be in any given scenario. Such approaches might include the series’ signature tactical stealth, where avoiding detection is paramount.

The story is less about a linear plot and more about the emergent challenges and triumphs of your team as they grow into a cohesive, unstoppable force against the Nazi war machine. The thrill of outsmarting patrols and executing perfectly timed manoeuvres is central to the experience. Not only that, but it’s hard not to wonder what the outcome might have been if you had chosen to take a different option. As such, these daydreams can be easily rectified with the ability to execute quicksaves and quickloads respectively, allowing you to replay earlier parts of the game with ease.

The Art of Covert Ops

The mechanics in Commandos: Origins are deeply rooted in the real-time tactics genre. Players must navigate large, interactive isometric maps, utilising the unique abilities of each commando. The Green Beret excels at close-quarters combat and climbing, the Sapper handles explosives, the Sniper provides long-range support, the Driver operates vehicles, the Marine handles aquatic environments, and the Spy can infiltrate enemy compounds in disguise.

As mentioned above, stealth is crucial, with mechanics such as enemy vision cones (which can be evaded by crawling in the outer third of their range), bush hiding, and environmental distractions becoming vital to your success and survival alike. You must study patrol routes, hide bodies, and be mindful of footprints to avoid raising alarms. A significant new feature is the “Command Mode,” borrowed from other titles in the genre, which allows you to pause the game and assign simultaneous actions to multiple commandos. Playing in this way enables you to execute complex actions across your entire team, such as synchronised takedowns and manoeuvres to gain an advantage in the most efficient way possible.

Environmental interactivity is also present, with a simple example being able to use bushes to both hide enemy bodies and also hide yourself alike when sneaking past enemies. There are three difficulty levels, including a tutorial for new players, while later missions are genuinely challenging, pushing tactical skills to their limits.

War-Torn Beauty

Striking a balance between modern aesthetics and classic appeal, Commandos: Origins delivers impressive visuals. These graphics have a distinct artistic flair while still honouring and maintaining the authentic look of the series that began almost three decades ago.

The isometric perspective with zoom and rotation capabilities allows for detailed views of the larger maps, which feature diverse biomes, from snowy tundras to arid deserts. While character models may lack intricate facial animations, the overall aesthetic is vibrant and functional and is no way unpleasant.

On the audio side, Commandos: Origins’s soundtrack builds atmosphere and tension, appropriate for a World War II setting. Despite its notable repetition, the voice acting actually sounds quite good. This repetitive quality, though at times approaching tediousness (or even becoming cringeworthy), surprisingly develops into a distinct comedic element that feels entirely authentic to the period when the first games in the series were released.

Re-enlist for Another Tour

Commandos: Origins offers substantial replay value. The game’s design, with its large, detailed, and interactive environments, provides multiple paths to victory for each of its fourteen missions. You can experiment with various tactical approaches, from pure stealth to more aggressive, though still calculated, methods, or even somewhere in between. The combination of six unique commandos, each with their own abilities, ensures that different team compositions and strategies can be explored in subsequent playthroughs. The two-player cooperative mode further enhances replayability, offering a distinct experience when coordinating with a friend.

Conclusion

Commandos: Origins successfully revives the beloved real-time tactics genre, delivering a challenging and rewarding experience that largely honours the legacy of its predecessors. The return to the isometric perspective, combined with modernised mechanics like “Command Mode” and expanded environmental interactivity, provides a fresh yet familiar feel. While some aspects, such as voice acting becoming tedious after a short time, the core gameplay loop of strategic planning, precise execution, and coordinating your elite team remains incredibly satisfying! For fans of the original series and newcomers alike, Commandos: Origins offers a compelling journey into the origins of one of gaming’s most iconic tactical forces and is definitely worth checking out!

Grade: 8/10 – Very Good