Commandos Origins: How to revive a saga without betraying its essence

The legendary Commandos from Madrid-based studio Piro Studios. Its strategy and stealth left their mark on us in the late 90s and early 2000s. And now the saga returns, albeit in new hands, with Commandos Origins.

It can't have been easy to carry the weight and legacy of such a legendary saga, and even less so doing so from Germany. But even before playing during a small presentation I saw of the title, I was clear that its new managers knew how to show their affection for the brand. You can already see it in these images, from the aesthetics to the animations. Commandos Origins feels very obviously commando-like. Personally, I've never been a fan of sequels that strayed from a top-down perspective. And seeing that classic point-and-click strategy is the basis of Origins, even if it's the most basic and what you'd expect from the game, demonstrates the intentions of staying faithful to the titles we've been so fond of.

The commando DNA is clearly present here but not only in the most superficial or obvious aspects also in the gameplay because it is clear that seeing and playing are two completely different things So I'm going to talk about how Commandos Origins feels with the controller or well in my case keyboard and mouse in my hands. In my time with the game I was able to try the first mission of the same, the tutorial that has you play with Jaohara, let's say the green beret of a lifetime to escape from a British base with the help of the sapper

Strategic and tactical design

And this first playable presentation was more than interesting If the introduction and the pre-play talk made it clear that there was a desire to make a game truly faithful to the roots of the saga, this first contact shouted "This is the commando game that should exist in 2025, I said it before and you're seeing it." The top-down perspective returns, the traditional point and click and the strategic stealth attitude for which the saga is famous Within the strategy genre there is always a somewhat strange and interesting mess due to the multiple ways there are to approach it And here what prevails is that more tactical ingenuity that is perhaps more similar to a succession of puzzles than to a Starcraft game, for example. What do I mean by this? That beyond the superficial, the gameplay and the commando attitude remain intact in Origins

Faithful to the classic characters

There are new features, yes, but there are no strange inventions that seek to divert the trajectory of the saga or change it in a more radical way to make it different. If you liked the originals, your first moments with this prequel will make you feel right at home. Obviously, Commandos wouldn't be Commandos without, well, Commandos, right? And the six originals are returning, and they will be perfectly differentiated from each other. Climbing poles is not the same as breaking through a fence, clearing areas with sniper fire, or pretending to be an enemy soldier to infiltrate the base. In this saga, using all the characters and their tools correctly is the key, and that's what Origins aspires to.

Of course, although the classic games remain very, very good, when it comes to releasing a new installment in 2025, some new features had to be included. And the first one may sound very basic at this point, but it will literally give the title more dimension. I'm talking about the move to 3D, which in other games in the series didn't arrive until the controversial change of perspectives. In Origins, all the levels are three-dimensional to give depth and tangibility to the scenarios. This It translates into a new way of playing that gives more substance to the action. Being able to rotate the camera becomes another strategic component that at first glance may not seem so important but that gives more life and points of interest to the scenarios, in addition to later coming into play when planning your strategy.

The last thing to comment on has to do with the most criticized aspect of the remasters of classic games and that is the censorship of, let's say, politically sensitive elements. Origins does not want to sugarcoat its political themes and that is why it has included the option to apply this censorship or not. To put it more directly, we can play it without erasing the symbolism of the Second World War if we want. And well, the truth is that I was worried that Comandos Origins would not live up to the legacy of Piro Studios, but after having played it, these doubts have dissipated. Climor Game Studios are devoted to the original games and they not only have respect for the saga but also for their native audience, us. Now that I know that they understand what made these games special, I am very eager to see if their commitment holds up throughout their entire duration.