We were recently invited to a press event for Commandos: Origins during which we got to see an exclusive sneak peek into the upcoming Commandos: Origins. Currently under development at Claymore Game Studios, a studio founded by publisher Kalypso Media for the development of the Commandos franchise after they acquired it, Commandos: Origins is a brand-new entry in the Commandos franchise after ages. The last original title in the series was a failed FPS called Commandos: Strike Force back in 2006 but before that, we saw Commandos 3: Destination Berlin, the final title that remained true to the original isometric RTS formula of the franchise. The first two titles in the franchise are the true showstoppers in the series. We are now very close to the full release of Commandos: Origins and this preview of the game has nothing but praise for the upcoming title.
The press event kicked off with the two members of the development team taking the lead. We had Studio Director Juergen Reusswig and Art Director Thilo Gebhardt who showcased two separate missions from the game and discussed the different aspects of the game. The session kicked off with the first mission of the game which also serves as the Tutorial mission of the game. During this mission, we have two playable characters Jack O’Hara ‘The Green Beret’ and Thomas ‘The Sapper’ Hancock. The Green Beret was under custody for subordination and the Sapper arrives in a Willy Jeep to bust him out. The first half was Narrative and did not feature any action and it was actually until we got Green Beret out of prison that we got full control of the game.
From here, Studio Director Juergen Reusswig played through the mission showcasing to us some of the key mechanics of the game. During the first half of the mission, we went along the lines of a pacifist run as Reusswig chose to neutralize the enemies by opting for non-lethal methods. Commandos: Origins is set after 1940 during the WW2 era and it offers three difficulties. You can choose the one that suits your gameplay style. The tutorial mission was set in a British outpost in a desert environment and the complete architecture of the mission displayed the correct era as well. At one point during the presentation, Reusswig pointed out that the developers took extra care to ensure that all vehicles and important landmarks represented the real ones as accurately as possible. This goes for the overall architecture in each level as well.
The tutorial mission gave us a very good idea of how the upcoming game is sticking as close as possible to the original trilogy by Pyro Studios. One thing that Reusswig detailed was that apart from connected interiors and exteriors, there is also a certain level of verticality. You will be able to climb ladders, or other large objects in order to avoid contact or gain an edge over enemies who are at the lower grounds. Apart from this, you can also take advantage of the advantage in many explosive ways as well. If you find red barrels, you can move them around or put them in strategic locations to take out small vehicles or groups of enemies with one hit. Basically, if something is red in Commandos: Origins, you can shoot it to explode it. The explosions are gorgeous to look at thanks to the Unreal Engine 5 running under the hood this time around.
The constant threat of a mistake leading to mistake failure can be reduced by a handy Quick Feature which is tied to the F5 key. If you are playing through the game for the first time, you will need to reach out for this key quite a lot of times. Reusswig also detailed at one point that the missions are designed with pacifists in mind as well so if you prefer not killing anyone, you can complete the entire game without a single kill. There are 14 unique missions in the game and each area is set in a different location bringing unique challenges and scenery for you to explore. We only got to see two different missions where the first one was set inside the tutorial map which was a desert-based mission while the second one was inside a German-controlled railyard where the mission was to destroy a bridge. Throughout these two missions, we were completely sold out on the game.
There are plenty of mechanics that are present in the modern Commandos: Origins found in the original game. Probably the most recognizable is the green field of view of enemies which shows you where that particular enemy is looking at, at any particular time. Then you have character abilities as well such as The Sapper can cut through wires and the Green Berret can place down Sound Decoy machines to distract enemies. Consumable items can be picked up again once they have served their purpose. During the press event playthrough of the first mission, we saw the complete mission scenery change after the Germans attacked the outpost and at this point, Reusswig changed his tactics from non-lethal to lethal because why not? When these events happen, you will need to adapt to the new paths and devise a new strategy to complete your objectives and escape.
After playing through the mission a little bit, Reusswig showcased the crown jewel of the new features coming to Commandos: Origin in the form of Command Mode which allows you to pause the game and assign different commands to multiple units who then follow them once you exit the Command Mode. Without going too much into detail at this point, the press preview event was a rather impressive one. With side missions atop the main missions, each mission will require a hefty 2 or more hours to complete and could take even more if you want to explore every nook and cranny of the map. An interactive mini-map will allow you to strategize your next move. For the first time in the franchise, the game will also feature a two-player online or couch multiplayer which we are really keen to try out with the full version of the game.
During the presentation, the developers mentioned several times that they have tried their best to retain the original DNA of the Commandos franchise in Commandos: Origins. This was not a blank statement as well because we saw it in the gameplay showcased at the press event as well. The sandbox-level design, multiple approaches, and hardcore RTS elements along with the constant threat of failure highlighted the press demo as well. While the developers were cheeky enough to use some cheat codes to show us the missions quickly, we asked them if players will get this facility as well if they get stuck or just want to have fun, but they detailed that the full release will not have any sort of cheat codes. This means that you will need to use your mind and RTS skills to clear each level. All six iconic commandos are coming back to the franchise and we cannot wait to play to go behind the enemy lines with them once again.
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Commandos: Origins seems to be bringing back everything that this iconic franchise was famous for. The visuals appear to be beautiful and the RTS depth coupled with plenty of new features are surely going to appeal to a wider range of players. We are looking forward to jumping into the full version of the game as the press event showcased an impressive title that seems to have nailed every right aspect of this iconic franchise. While the development team may be new, they seem to be heading in the right direction with its development. We are looking forward to playing its full version. You can check back here to see our final impressions of the game.
This preview of Commandos: Origins is based on a preview build showcased to us during an official press preview event by Kalypso Media. Read our Review Policy.
