COMMANDOS: ORIGINS REVIEW - WHEN YOUR WAR HEROES RETURN WITH PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
Ever wondered what would happen if your fondest childhood memories stormed back into your life, only to immediately trip over the rug, spill beer on your console, and then have the audacity to charge you 50 bucks for the privilege? Well, Commandos: Origins is here to answer that question with a resounding, glitch-fueled "Ja, mein Kommandant!"
A Nostalgia Trip Through a Minefield
Let's get one thing straight: when this game works, it feels like Commandos. The moment I heard the classic voice lines, from the Green Beret's "Consider it done" to the Sapper's cheerful recklessness, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia so powerful it could knock out a panzer division. The art style is a fantastic modern take on the classic look, with large, detailed maps stretching from the frozen Arctic to the sun-scorched deserts of Africa.
There’s still that unmatched satisfaction of lining up a perfect, multi-pronged attack. Watching a plan come together as the Sniper, Sapper, and Marine execute their orders with split-second timing to clear a patrol is the kind of tactical dopamine hit the series was built on. It’s a real gift for anyone who misses true tactical strategy and the joy of breaking an seemingly invincible enemy formation by finding that one weak link.
The Ghosts in the Machine (And I Don't Mean the Spy)
Unfortunately, that "when it works" part is doing some seriously heavy lifting. And while the developers have been frantically deploying patches like they're dropping supplies behind enemy lines, the game is still haunted by more bugs than a forgotten corpse in a swamp. I’ve seen enemies fly out of the map, my harpoon simply vanish into the digital ether, and my own commandos decide to take an impromptu stroll away from my control, usually directly into a guard's line of sight. In one particularly memorable moment, my sniper didn't just climb a watchtower; he proceeded to crawl across the entire sky on an invisible wire, as if ascending to a new level of tactical nirvana right before the game crashed.
And the performance? It runs about as smoothly as a tank trying to do ballet. My frame rate bounces more erratically than a thrown grenade, plummeting from a buttery smooth 150 to a slideshow-esque 10 FPS the moment things get even slightly busy. The technical state is so rough it feels less like a finished product and more like a cry for help.
Quality of Life? More Like Quality of Strife
What’s truly baffling is how Commandos: Origins seems to exist in a vacuum, completely ignoring the last decade of advancements in the stealth-tactics genre. There’s no fast-forward button, leaving me to stare at the screen, aging in real-time while waiting for a guard to complete his agonizingly slow patrol route.
The pathfinding is a special kind of hell. I’ll order my Green Beret to sneak behind a crate, only for him to decide the most logical path involves a brisk jog in front of three machine-gun nests. And don't get me started on entering buildings. Sometimes, finding the exact, microscopic pixel that lets you see inside feels like a harder puzzle than the actual mission. It’s unforgivable when other games solved these problems years ago. All the developers had to do was look at what games like Desperados 3 or Shadow Tactics did and... you know... do that.
Big Maps, Small Ideas
The mission areas are massive, but that size often feels like wasted space. You'll find huge sections of the map you have absolutely no reason to visit. The gameplay loop quickly becomes tedious, as you realize most enemy placements have an obvious blind spot. Deal with that one guard, and the whole area unravels. Repeat this ad nauseam for two hours, and that's the mission.
There’s also a distinct lack of tension. If you trigger an alarm, there are no reinforcements. A few enemies run around for a bit, and then everything just… goes back to normal. I could literally gun down a few guards, hide in a bush until the alert wears off, and then do it again. Failing doesn't present a greater challenge; it just presents a minor delay.
The Verdict
Commandos: Origins is like meeting your childhood hero, only to discover he’s let himself go, reeks of desperation, and his war stories are full of inconsistencies. The spirit of the legendary series is in there, buried under a pile of bugs, baffling design choices, and a stubborn refusal to learn from the present. Hardcore fans will find glimmers of the old magic, but it’s hard to recommend a full-price ticket for this chaotic reunion.
Score: 5/10 - A tactical retreat is advised until heavy patching reinforcements arrive.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.