'Commandos 2 - HD Remaster' Nintendo Switch Impression
Last month, the Nintendo Switch received yet another port in its ever-growing portendo library. 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. 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. 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.
For 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). 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.
As 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. 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. 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. With their combined skill set, missions take a sandbox approach that can get very interesting as you let your creativity loose. 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.
But back then, I was playing on a PC with the classic keyboard+mouse combo. 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. There’s a ton of buttons and shortcuts to memorize that don’t feel intuitive, especially given the point-and-click aspect. I’ve had to frequently refer to the control scheme to refresh my memory regarding how to access certain actions. 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.
For a good Switch port of such a game, touch controls would be a no-brainer as it would make everything much more user-friendly. 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. Even simple actions like zooming or changing camera angles require a few hoops which could have been performed easier with touch controls.
Another persisting aspect in this remaster are the bugs. Visual and gameplay glitches are commonly encountered where characters and NPCs get stuck in the environment, preventing you to properly interact with them or some instances where commandos don’t respond to some actions. I even had an experience where Thief would just slide all the way back when I was aiming with his rifle. While it’s certainly a funny glitch, it attests to a poorly optimized port of a decades-old game. Then there’s the interminable load times whether you start a mission or restart after you die. Kalypso has apparently addressed some bugs with an upcoming hotfix, and hopefully these come to the Switch as well and make the experience more enjoyable.
As for being an HD Remaster, the visual improvements are mostly fine, with the commandos and NPCs looking sharper, especially in handheld mode on the Switch (of course, the graphics don't compare to a contemporary game). There’s also a reworked UI and tutorial but the latter doesn’t really help with the confusing control scheme.
Considering the current price tag of $30, a more polished work would be expected out of Commandos 2 - HD Remaster. Controls are a pain, as are the load times and numerous bugs, but if I look past these, I can still find the game I was hooked to decades before but in a poorly optimized form that doesn’t justify the price. I hope that new updates will bring much-needed fixes to the game so as to deliver, in addition to touch controls, a more enjoyable and memorable experience that does Commandos 2 justice.
Commandos 2 - HD Remaster - Nintendo Switch Release Trailer