Commandos is one of those classic franchises that would lay the groundwork for what would come next. With its unique approach to gameplay, strategizing, and level design, I would find myself playing for hours to achieve the best outcomes per mission. With the last true entry of the franchise released way back in 2003, it seemed like the light of this once-prominent franchise was out. Games like Company of Heroes would let the spirit of what Commandos was live on, but it could never replace the classic franchise in my mind. Then, as I was heading to an appointment with Kalypso Media at E3 2019, I encountered a huge Commandos banner featuring the series iconic Green Beret, Tiny. It turned out that when the original Commandos developer Pyro Studios went under in 2017, Kalypso had purchased the rights to its classic franchises, including Commandos. I was then shown early concept work for a Commandos 2 HD Remaster and now, it is available for purchase!
Story
The world is gripped in uncertainty as World War II marches on. To end the war as quickly as possible, unconventional means must be employed. A small strike team consisting of the best of the best soldiers will pull off missions no other unit could ever hope to. As the officer in charge of this unit, it is up to you to utilize each of your squad member’s strengths to accomplish your mission.
Gameplay
Commandos 2 HD Remaster is nearly a 1:1 recreation of the original 2001 release. All of the game's missions are included and controls are identical to that of the original release. There are a few glaring omissions though. First, the original version of Commandos 2 featured a co-op mode that has been removed in this new HD package. Second, the game has been censored of Nazi and Japanese imagery. For a game that is supposed to be set in World War II, the omission is a glaring one and one that can be basically chalked up to today's outrage culture. Now, the removal of Hitler and Swastikas literally have no effect on gameplay, and to be perfectly honest, if you never played the original you are not likely to notice a difference. The removal of co-op, on the other hand, is quite unfortunate. Back during the original days of Commandos 2, this feature was a favorite, and it's removal does impact the overall package in my eyes.
Drop the boom!
But rather than discuss just these 2 negative aspects, let's get into the great parts of the Commandos 2 HD Remaster. The core gameplay of what made the original so great is all here. Going through each mission and using your allotted number of different Commandos to perform various tasks is as fun as ever. The different strategies that can be employed are the cornerstone of Commandos gameplay. Tiny the Green Beret can stealthily dispatch foes and hide in non-paved areas to get the drop on enemies. The Sapper is an explosives master who can employ grenades to take out concentrated clusters of troops. The Sniper is good at taking out enemies from afar without being in the direct line of fire. The thief can loot supply crates and pickpocket enemies. The Seductress can, well seduce. Then there is the Diver and the Driver. Last is the Spy who can disguise himself as an enemy soldier to infiltrate locations or poison troops.
Each of the game's main missions and bonus missions has a different optimal approach and I love experimenting with them as much now as I did all those years ago. Just remember that if one of your men dies they will be unavailable to use the rest of that mission unless you happen to have a med-pack. To increase your chances for success you can activate an eyesight cone to let you see an enemy’s effective sightlines. Most enemies also have a scripted patrol route with times they will be alone. Noise is a huge factor in the game and quick movements and loud noises will produce a noise shockwave to effectively outline if an enemy could hear what you have done. Being too loud can often set off an alarm amongst the enemies who will then swarm and kill you. Outright combat can be a blast, but it usually isn’t the most effective course of action since your men can die very quickly.
Heal me!
In total, there are 12 missions (2 tutorial missions and 10 main missions) to play through. Missions can span both the European and Pacific theaters of war which gives a much better variety to the game compared to the previous entry. Each mission is also loosely based on a classic WW2 war movie which is just a fun reference to try and figure out. In addition to the main missions, 10 extra bonus missions can also be unlocked. These missions can range from a harder version of the tutorial to a mine filled boat race. Some of the hardest missions of the game are found in the bonus levels, so be sure to try and unlock them all! Now, when the game first released I read about a number of bugs that plagued the early build. By the time I received my review code, the game had already been patched to 1.08 and I didn't encounter any egregious errors. The play felt as it should to me and I was able to sink 7 hours of gameplay in before I had realized it. The controller support added to the game was also a nice touch and reminds me of when I first played the game on OG Xbox.
Visuals
The visual improvements are likely what I was most looking forward to with Commandos 2 HD Remaster. Results in the final product are slightly hit and miss, however. While the game now runs in a full 4K presentation, the prerendered backgrounds that make up a majority of the game's visuals don't look vastly better than the original games running at 1280x720. Thankfully, character, enemy, interiors, and most 3D elements have gotten a substantial overhaul that looks great over the original.
Audio
Audio work for the Commandos 2 HD Remaster has been fairly solid to my ears. The chatter of enemy soldiers in their native tongues lends authenticity to the battlefield. Hearing your commandos respond to your orders, or getting shot, with their own quips is likewise as enjoyable as ever. I will state that there were a few times audio would cut out before a piece of dialog finished. It wasn't often enough to make it a massive concern though.
Replayability
The main replayability feature of the Commandos franchise has always come from mastering its missions and that is no exception for Commandos 2 HD Remaster. I am always drawn back to replaying older missions to figure out new ways to accomplish them more effectively. Nothing is worse than when you let one of your men die in the field. Unlike other RTS games, the loss of a commando always left me with a sense of guilt that I felt the need to rectify.
What It Could Have Done Better
Honestly, when it comes to the Commandos 2 HD Remaster my biggest complaints come down to the lack of co-op and censorship. Hopefully, in the future the co-op might be able to be patched back in. Rather than beat a dead horse though, you can see my thoughts on the censorship above.
Verdict
Should you play Commandos 2? Without a doubt! Should you buy the HD remaster? It depends on how you feel about censorship. In the end, Commandos 2 HD Remaster has turned out to be an acceptable alternative to the original release rather than a superb one. While the core gameplay remains intact and as great as ever, the overall package is brought down by a missing mode and what seems like unnecessary censorship for the time frame the game is supposed to be set in. Even still, it is great to see such a classic franchise get another shot at life and I hope that Kalypso will give the rest of the franchise an HD treatment, minus censorship of course. Kalypso has also previously stated that a new entry in the franchise will be worked on in the future, so even if this re-release doesn’t quite hit all the marks, it is building to something more down the line.
