The remastered graphics of the background scenery and buildings is fantastic and looks great at high resolutions.
The first two missions act as tutorials, and even though gameplay elements are explained, it still took alot of trial and error to actually learn the mechanics as they are so detailed. I never played the original games so I was glad to have these in-depth tutorials to guide me. You cannot go in guns blazing as the game emphasises players to avoid direct confrontation, rather using various commando abilities to progressively take down enemy forces in order to achieve the mission objectives.Ĭommandos 2 HD Remaster adds new visuals, reworked controls, an updated user interface and revamped tutorial missions to help ease veterans and new players alike into this classic Commandos experience. Each mission requires careful planning with a combination of stealth, positioning, sabotage and strategy. Your squad of British commandos is constantly outnumbered and outgunned, but this is the way. Set in the backdrop of World War II, you’ll go behind enemy lines in 10 missions across 9 different environments with night, day and weather effects, using authentic weapons and vehicles from the period. Even simple actions like zooming or changing camera angles require a few hoops which could have been performed easier with touch controls.The original Commandos 2: Men of Courage graphics With the current controls, executing some fine actions properly such as climbing a pole, defusing mines or shooting enemies often proves challenging and this persists throughout the game. What would feel intuitive would be touch controls and I was hoping this would be an option in the Switch port but was sorely disappointed to see that this is not the case.įor a good Switch port of such a game, touch controls would be a no-brainer as it would make everything much more user-friendly.
I’ve had to frequently refer to the control scheme to refresh my memory regarding how to access certain actions. There’s a ton of buttons and shortcuts to memorize that don’t feel intuitive, especially given the point-and-click aspect.
However, on the Switch, even if Kalypso Media touts that the controls have been optimized for the Joy-Con and Pro Controller, the reality is that the controls are a hot mess.
As a fan of stealth games, Commandos 2’s gameplay also appealed to me in my youth as the stealth mechanic is an integral part of the gameplay and strategy to tackle some particularly tough missions.īut back then, I was playing on a PC with the classic keyboard+mouse combo. With their combined skill set, missions take a sandbox approach that can get very interesting as you let your creativity loose.
For example, there’s the tough Green Beret who can lift heavy loads, the Driver who’s the only one capable of driving tanks and the Spy who can disguise himself as the enemy and even issue certain commands to lower-ranking officers. You will have a set number of commandos in each mission, with each member hiding in a different location on the map waiting for your command to put their specific abilities to the best use. Set during the World War II period, it puts you in control of a small but elite group of commandos tasked to complete a series of intricate missions within enemy territory in various locations above and under water.Īs the genre suggests, it’s not a fast-paced game and will require you to study the enemies’ positioning, behaviors and strategize accordingly while making use of environmental features whether it’s to conceal yourself or sneak into a building.
I have best memories playing Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines but since only the sequel was coming to the Switch, I was still looking forward to it.įor those who haven’t played or heard about Commandos 2, this real-time tactics game was originally developed by Pyro Studios (while the HD Remaster was developed by Yippee! Entertainment and published by Kalypso Media Group).
Upon hearing the news, I was personally excited at the chance to play this game on-the-go given that I have fond memories playing it on PC when I was younger. This time, it was the HD Remaster of Commandos 2, a game first released in 2001 as Commandos 2: Men of Courage and as an HD Remaster in January 2020 on other platforms. Last month, the Nintendo Switch received yet another port in its ever-growing portendo library.