Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

Commandos Behind Enemy Lines is one of those games that is ignored by many, but loved by a few. This is a truly amazing game and when it was released in the late 90s, it was a game I spent a great deal of time with. For some reason, it has been kind of lost to time and it is a title that not many people talk about, well I am here today to try and showcase just why you need to play this game.

Taking Down The Nazis

The game is set during World War II and you play as a dude in charge of an elite team of commandos during World War II. Commandos Behind Enemy Lines tells the story in a very interesting way. First of all, you get a bit of backstory about the events of World War II and then you get a briefing on the particular mission, what you have to do, an idea of how to do it and so on.

It is done in a really cool way and makes great use of black and white to really get that World War II presentation over. The game looks great, each mission has its own look and I like the way the game has a more 2D sprite look than forcing crappy 3D polygons like many games of this era would do.

No Commando Is Left Behind

Talking about the gameplay is kind of hard. If you look up this game online, most of the time it will be referred to as a real time strategy game, but I would not pigeonhole this game just into that category. It has action and it also has a lot of puzzle-solving. This may sound strange, but I would kind of compare it to a game like The Lost Vikings as each of the commandos you are in charge of has their own set of abilities.

The marine can use boats, swim, and has a harpoon gun. The green beret can climb up things, hide bodies, and lure enemies. The driver can operate vehicles such as tanks and also use turrets. This is just an example of the commandos in Commandos Behind Enemy Lines you have at your disposal and moving them in the right position and making them make the most of their abilities is how you get through the game. You have six commandos and depending on the mission at hand, you will have access to a certain group of them at any one time.

One And Done

There are 20 missions in the game and each one gives you an objective and a way to get out once you are done. Most of the time the missions are about either saving a hostage or blowing something up. There are different types of enemies and even though this game is over 20 years old, the AI is pretty smart. If they see a dead body they will react, if you fire off your gun, they will react. So, there is a real emphasis on thinking before you act.

I loved my time with this game and I have played through it a few times over the years. The thing is for most people this will be a one and done kind of game. You play through it once and then that is enough.

I freaking love Commandos Behind Enemy Lines! It is a great game and a game that has its own style and the way it mixes strategy with action and puzzle-solving is very clever. It is a game that is just a great deal of fun to play from start to end. I get that some people may see this as a game with not much replay value. However, even in that case, I feel that this is a game that is worth playing through at least once!

Pros:

• Each commando has their own set of abilities
• I love the way the game looks
• The old school mission intros are really cool
• The game makes you think about what you are doing
• It mixes many different gameplay styles together

Cons:

• It does not have a ton of replay value
• It is a damn crime that not enough people know about this game