Commandos (series)

Lore & Background

The series began with Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, released on 1 July 1998, featuring 20 missions in an isometric view. A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version with the first 5 missions was made by Russian homebrew programmers but lacked sound and certain features. Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, a standalone expansion with 8 missions, was released on 31 March 1999, set in locations including Yugoslavia and Greece. Commandos 2: Men of Courage (2001) rebuilt the game with a 3D engine, more interactive environments, and new characters such as a thief named Paul "Lupin" Toledo, a dog called Whiskey, and a shot-down pilot named Wilson. Commandos 3: Destination Berlin (October 2003) introduced mouse wheel rotation and a true 3D engine but was criticized for short missions and lack of hotkeys. Commandos: Strike Force (2006) shifted to a first-person perspective with only three playable characters—the Green Beret, the Sniper, and the Spy—and received negative reactions from fans and critics. A prequel, Commandos: Origins, developed by Claymore Game Studios and published by Kalypso Media, was released on April 9, 2025.

Reader's Guide

The Commandos series is notable for pioneering stealth-oriented real-time tactics gameplay within a World War II setting. Its first two games established a challenging isometric formula, while Commandos 2 expanded the series with a 3D engine and greater interactivity, earning even greater praise. The series' shift to first-person in Strike Force was seen as a departure that alienated fans, leading to overwhelmingly negative reactions. After Pyro Studios discontinued the series, fan mods such as Commandos: Strike in Narrow Path (2010) and Commandos 2: Destination Paris added new missions. Kalypso Media acquired the series and published HD remasters of Commandos 2 and Commandos 3 in 2020 and 2022 respectively. A Spanish-language book, Boinas Verdes: De Commandos a Pyro Studios, un turbulento viaje del estrellato al olvido, published in 2021, documents the studio's history and development challenges. The series' legacy includes its influence on tactical stealth games and its enduring fan community.

Did You Know?

• A Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines was made by Russian homebrew programmers but lacked sound.
• Commandos 2: Men of Courage added a dog named Whiskey as a playable character.
• Commandos: Strike Force was the first game in the series to use a first-person perspective.