Fun blasting action
Unrelated to either the movie or the classic vertically scrolling arcade shooter of the same name, this is actually a fairly crazy little platformer/scrolling shooter that features a whole heap of blasting action and makes for an entertaining diversion. Produced by the same developers as the equally enjoyable A Game with a Kitty and Reactor09, this is well worth digging out. The plot is a familiar one and involves terrorists hijacking a truck transporting nuclear weapons through Texas and which must now be returned. This requires players to jump into the shoes of the titular commando and do what is usually done in this kind of situation: blast those terrorists to hell. This translates into a side scrolling shooter, in the vein of Contra, The Untouchables, or Ghosts & Goblins, only with more jumping to add to the variety. As you would hope, there is a nice range of weapons to use, including grenades and the game takes you through a good variety of environments. Commando is certainly simple enough, but no less enjoyable for that fact. The platform shooting requires swift responses and a fast trigger finger, and the game provides a fair level of challenge even to retro veterans. The graphics, while similarly simple, are decent enough, with a good use of colour in the environmental design and with that cool, old-school look for its chunky sprites and which give the game a good sense of personality. The soundtrack is worthy of mention too, with a great theme and plenty of meaty effects to add to the atmosphere. Overall, this is a bit of an unexpected treat for platform fans and is thoroughly deserving of investigation.
