REVIEW – The stakes are high, and so is the tension: this is a real-time strategy where even a small action can lead to massive failure, which means you have to do everything in a refined, calculated way, because the game is ruthless. It’s not recommended for the impatient, so it will definitely narrow down its audience, but since the new installment of the franchise doesn’t even try to deviate much from the elements of the older titles, it makes sense.

Stealth will save lives. If we don’t learn that, we won’t stand a chance.

Quick save, test, quick load

We already talked about the first part of Commandos here, and this outlines what to expect. The three expressions mentioned earlier were no coincidence, as iteration is heavily required. That is: you’ll need to experiment, which means trying something after saving, it goes wrong, then you reload, and maybe mess up because of something else. So the experience can be a little repetitive, but when everything clicks, it feels damn good. It was like this 22 years ago, too (let’s not count Strike Force, which was an FPS, and ignore the remasters), and this is one of the game’s positives, which takes place during the early years of World War II. At first, only the Green Beret is in your team. Later, the others will join (Driver, Sniper, Spy, Marine, Sapper), and the playthrough, which will definitely take around twenty-some hours with all the trial and error, will gradually bring them into the team. Naturally, each character has their own unique ability.

For example, if someone needs to be shot silently in the head, our spy has a silenced pistol. Proper and efficient use of abilities will be absolutely necessary. The more thoughtful gameplay also applies to the game’s pacing, as it felt a bit slower compared to previous entries. This is why even a single mission can take several hours to complete, as each one can be considered downright massive. In many cases, you’ll need to plan, or you’ll mess everything up after the fact, and that can happen in an instant. At times, it’s not a shame to scan the map for several minutes to see what’s where and what’s coming. This way, you can overcome challenges, and only at the very beginning, in the strongly recommended tutorial, will CO hold your hand. After that, it lets go immediately. That’s when we rely on points of interest. The game’s pacing is slow for a reason: you constantly need to think ahead. It’s like playing chess and having to be a few moves ahead of your enemies. A guard turns around, and there’s no one nearby? Stick a knife in his back and hide the body before someone notices. These are the little “openings” you have to look for, and from those come the plans. And when the plans come together, it’s damn atmospheric watching the Nazis drop while we stay alive.

Plan, plan, plan!

CO could be described as if you were trying to break a hundred-kilo rock with a small hammer in prison. It only starts to move slowly over time. It can really be scary when you launch a mission and everything spreads out in front of you like a shock. Of course, there’s another core gameplay element: you pause the game to issue orders. Then they get executed. And that’s really good to see. It might not last long, but that’s fine. You need to plan slowly, step by step, and yes, this might be preceded by a few (dozen) failures. But that’s okay. It might get frustrating, but it’s part of the gameplay. A well-executed maneuver can put a real smile on the player’s face.

It’s not as large-scale as any installment of Command & Conquer, but the depth of planning can match that. Precise gameplay really matters here because sometimes, if you’re just a few pixels into a guard’s line of sight, the alarm goes off, and from there, you’re doomed. CO is predictably unpredictable. It’s not that easy. There’s no shortage of stealth, but you need to treat it more like a tactical game. However, the franchise’s weakness remains. The game is overly rigid. You can’t really improvise. You absolutely can’t approach it with brute force. At least the menu system is clear now (which wasn’t the case in older entries), so that’s an improvement. Visually and audio-wise, the game is solid, so there’s nothing to complain about there either.

But where’s the end?

Sometimes this question may pop into the player’s head because Commandos Origins tests their patience. If someone gets fed up, they won’t give it a high rating either. Let’s give it a 7/10. It’s good, but probably won’t be remembered in the long run. Fans of the franchise can take that score as 8/10. The point is that the game can be entertaining after a lot of experimentation, and it’s hard to stop once you get into it. That’s why the game is good, but not excellent. It’s worth checking out the gameplay, and beyond that, it’s safe to call it a recommended purchase.

-V-

Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: Claymore Game Studios
Genre: Real-time strategy, stealth
Release Date: April 9, 2025