Commando (video game)

Capcom

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	May 30, 1979 (1979-05-30) in Osaka, Japan
Founder	Kenzo Tsujimoto
Headquarters	Osaka , Japan
Products	Commando, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Mercs, Bionic Commando

Commando, originally titled in Japan as , is a vertically scrolling run and gun video game launched in 1985 by Capcom for arcade systems. The game was designed by Tokuro Fujiwara and distributed in North America through Data East, while in Europe it was released by Capcom, Deith Leisure, and Sega, S.A. SONIC. It also saw releases on multiple home computer platforms and gaming consoles. This title is unrelated to the 1985 film sharing the same name.

Achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success, Commando ranked among the top-grossing arcade games of 1985 and was one of the best-selling home video games in 1986. Although not the pioneer of military-themed run and gun games, it played a significant role in popularizing the genre and sparked a wave of imitators during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The game has been reissued on various platforms including Capcom Classics Collection, Activision Anthology, Wii's Virtual Console, and Capcom Arcade Cabinet for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Its follow-up, Mercs, was released in 1989.

Gameplay

Players assume the role of Super Joe, a soldier deployed into a jungle environment tasked with combating successive enemy forces. Equipped with an assault rifle featuring unlimited ammunition and a limited supply of grenades, Joe can shoot in eight directions. Grenades are thrown vertically to clear obstacles and inflict damage on multiple foes simultaneously.

At the conclusion of each stage, players face a group of soldiers emerging from a gate led by an officer who attempts to escape; eliminating this officer awards bonus points. Throughout the game, rescuing prisoners of war transported across the screen is possible. Certain home console editions include concealed underground shelters accessible only by using grenades; these areas contain prisoners along with items such as weapon upgrades and unlimited grenades, which are forfeited upon player death.

Additional lives are granted at every 10,000 points initially and then at every 50,000 points up to a maximum score of 960,000. Gameplay continues until all lives are exhausted or players complete 140 stages. The arcade version features eight distinct levels, whereas the NES edition cycles through four level designs with escalating difficulty to create a total of sixteen stages.

Development

Created by Capcom under the direction of Tokuro Fujiwara, Commando was developed concurrently with Ghosts 'n Goblins. Both titles enjoyed strong sales upon their release for Capcom.

Ports

Capcom produced a home adaptation for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was ported to the Atari 2600 by Activision, while INTV handled its release on the Intellivision. Sculptured Software published an Atari 7800 version in 1989.

In November 1985, Elite Systems developed versions for multiple home computers including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Amstrad CPC. The BBC Micro and Acorn Electron ports were created by Catalyst Coders under contract, with Elite managing adaptations for Amiga, Atari ST, Acorn Electron, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64 systems.

The Commodore 64 version featured an extended rendition of the arcade soundtrack composed by Rob Hubbard, completed in less than twelve hours, demonstrating efficient production techniques.

The arcade original was re-released on the Virtual Console under the title Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando in Japan (October 2010), North America (December 2010), and PAL territories (December 2010).

Unreleased versions

In 1989, Sculptured Software developed a version for the Atari 8-bit computers, intended for launch by Atari Corporation on the XEGS platform. Although it appeared in Atari's official catalogs, this edition never made it to retail despite being completed. A prototype cartridge eventually emerged during the 2000s.

Arcade

During June 1985, Senjō no Ōkami was ranked as the leading arcade game in Japan for two consecutive weeks. By November of the same year, it held the top position on the RePlay chart for upright arcade machines in the United States. In London’s West End test venues, it achieved significant popularity, resulting in thousands of orders across the UK. Similarly, Commando experienced widespread success throughout Europe and was regarded as the world’s premier arcade title at that time. By mid-1985, over 15,000 arcade PCB units had been sold.

By the end of 1985, Commando was the highest-grossing arcade game in the United Kingdom, overtaking Track & Field, which had dominated in 1984. In the United States market, it ranked within the top three highest-earning arcade games for that year alongside Data East’s Karate Champ and Kung-Fu Master.

Mike Roberts from Computer Gamer commended its animation and visual quality. Meanwhile, Computer and Video Games emphasized its rapid gameplay, fluid character movements, captivating soundtrack, and cartoon-like visuals despite noting limited color usage. Cash Box magazine described it as "fierce and strategic," praising its realistic graphics and explosive weaponry that provided both excitement and challenge.

Ports

Home computer adaptations of Commando led the UK software sales charts in December 1985, ultimately ranking as the seventh best-selling title of that year within the country. It reclaimed chart-topping status again in January 1986 and went on to become one of the three best-selling games in the UK during 1986. In the United States, these home computer editions earned two Gold Awards from the Software Publishers Association in 1987 for surpassing sales of 200,000 copies.

The Nintendo Entertainment System version released in 1986 achieved approximately 1.14 million copies sold worldwide.

In January 1986, New Straits Times lauded versions for BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum as essential war simulations featuring "fast and furious" gameplay. By 1988, Computer Gaming World remarked that few NES titles matched Commando's relentless pace. However, in 2017, the iOS adaptation received a modest rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars from TouchArcade.

According to NintendoLife, some later ports enhanced the original arcade experience by incorporating power-ups, richer musical scores, and more complex gameplay elements.

Accolades

The original arcade edition of Commando earned Computer Gamer magazine’s award for best coin-operated game of the year, surpassing competitors such as Paperboy and Marble Madness. Following its home computer releases, it secured best arcade-style game at the 1986 Golden Joystick Awards and was voted best shoot 'em up by readers of Crash. In a 1996 ranking by GamesMaster, it placed 57th among their "Top 100 Games of All Time."

Legacy

The influence of Commando on the run-and-gun shooter genre and military-themed shooters is considerable, shaping shoot 'em ups throughout the late '80s and early '90s. Described by Your Sinclair as "the great grand-daddy of the modern shoot 'em up," it also marked Capcom’s breakthrough into 8-bit success in 1985, closely followed by titles like Ghosts 'n Goblins.

Its popularity spawned many imitators and clones on home computer platforms such as Who Dares Wins and Rambo. The most prominent successor was SNK’s arcade hit Ikari Warriors (1986), which generated two sequels. Additionally, Konami adapted this run-and-gun style into a side-scrolling format with their release of Green Beret (also known as Rush'n Attack) later that year.

Sequels and successors

The follow-up to Commando, titled Mercs (known as Senjō no Ōkami II in Japan), arrived in 1989 but failed to replicate either its own or Ikari Warriors’' commercial success. Tokuro Fujiwara expressed regret over not producing a sequel sooner since by then numerous imitators had saturated arcades with similar gameplay. A second sequel named Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 was digitally released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2008.

Internationally, the arcade version of Bionic Commando was marketed as a sequel to Commando, with its main character referred to as "Super Joe" in American advertising materials. This character later appeared as a supporting figure in both Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy versions of Bionic Commando, as well as in Bionic Commando: Elite Forces. In the 2009 iteration of Bionic Commando for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Super Joe—renamed Joseph Gibson—is one of three playable characters originally from Mercs.

Elite Systems Ltd initially named their game Duet as "Commando '86" before changing it to "Commando '87."

See also

• Front Line
• Gun.Smoke
• Ikari Warriors