As someone who typically gravitates towards larger-scale real-time strategy games, Commandos: Origins marks a bit of a departure from my usual games, but this is Steam Next Fest so its an opportunity to try something different. My preferences lean towards managing armies and resource management, so getting hands-on with the demo of this smaller-scale, tactical stealth game was an interesting change of pace.
In Commandos: Origins, the gameplay focuses on controlling small squads of elite soldiers during WWII, sneaking behind enemy lines to complete missions. Unlike the expansive battles I’m used to, this game is all about precise, methodical action. The demo offers a taste of this, with a mission set on the Channel Islands, where you control the Green Beret and Marine as they work together to sabotage a radar station.
The small scale of the operation took some getting used to. It’s a very different experience from commanding large armies and planning out broad strategies. Here, every move counts, and you’ll often find yourself waiting in cover for the perfect moment to strike or sneak past.
The Positives
- Tighter Focus: One of the standout elements of Commandos: Origins is its attention to detail. While the scale is smaller, the environment is interactive and offers creative ways to eliminate enemies or bypass them entirely. Using environmental elements to hide bodies or perform silent takedowns adds a satisfying layer of depth to the gameplay.
- Refined Interface: As someone new to the series, the interface felt approachable. The controls are intuitive enough to quickly get the hang of stealth, with tools like visual cues for noise and vision cones. The demo’s mission does a solid job of easing new players into the mechanics.
- Modernized Graphics: The graphics are impressive, with detailed characters and environments. It doesn’t have the sweeping visuals of a large RTS battlefield, but it’s still aesthetically pleasing, especially for a stealth game.
The Downsides
- Limited Tactical Options: Coming from an RTS background, I missed the ability to approach objectives from multiple angles or choose between a wide variety of unit types. The demo offers only two characters, the Green Beret and Marine, with a limited set of abilities. The full game will have more characters and mission types, but the demo left me wanting more flexibility in how I tackled the mission.
- Missing Non-Lethal Options: It felt odd not having non-lethal ways to deal with enemies, especially in a game focused on stealth. You’re limited to lethal force in most situations, and that lack of variety in how to approach enemy encounters detracts from the tactical depth I was hoping for.
As a player who’s more accustomed to large-scale RTS games, Commandos: Origins offers a very different, more intimate tactical experience. The demo showed promise in delivering a solid stealth-based game with a good attention to detail and some fun mechanics, but it also lacked some of the strategic depth and variety that RTS fans might be looking for.
If you’re open to smaller, more focused gameplay and enjoy outsmarting enemies with a limited set of resources, Commandos: Origins could be worth your time. However, for those used to large-scale battles and multiple layers of strategy, it may feel like a step back in complexity.
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