How to play Commando online
- Move your soldier: arrow keys
- Shoot: Z (left button)
- Throw a grenade: X (right button)
- Choose players and difficulty: on the title screen, up and down pick one or two players, left and right pick Novice, Standard, Advanced or Expert. F2 (Select) also steps through the options.
- Start a game: F3 (Reset) or Z
- Pause: F4. Back to the title screen: F2 during play
Gameplay
You are a lone soldier pushing through enemy territory. The screen scrolls upward as you advance, and rebel troops pour out of caves, trenches and strongholds to stop you. Your goal is to get through the Iron Walls and destroy the enemy base at the end. Trees and other obstacles give you cover from bullets and grenades.
Besides enemy fire, watch the ground: walking into a river or pond costs a life, and so does being run over by a motorcycle or jeep. Dynamite trucks can be blown up with a grenade. Grenades are limited, and the counter at the top of the screen shows how many you have left. Each supply box you find at a defeated outpost adds one. A pillbox takes two grenades to destroy. You rescue prisoners by shooting the guards who lead them.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Enemy soldier | 300 |
| Vehicle | 500 |
| Pillbox | 500 |
| Grenade box picked up | 1,000 |
| Prisoner rescued | 2,000 |
| Enemy officer | 2,000 |
| Area completed | 5,000 |
| Mission completed | 10,000 |
You earn an extra life every 60,000 points.
Tips
- Keep moving forward. Standing still to trade shots lets more soldiers gather around you.
- Collect every grenade box. Each is worth 1,000 points and you need grenades for trucks and pillboxes.
- Throw grenades to search. Their blasts reveal hidden underground enemy camps.
- Free the prisoners. A rescue is worth 2,000 points, more than six ordinary soldiers.
- Watch the roads. Jeeps and motorcycles kill on contact, so step aside before they reach you.
The story behind Commando
The original Commando was a 1985 Capcom arcade game designed by Tokuro Fujiwara. In the USA the Commando name was a Data East trademark, and the 7800 cartridge was made under licence from both Data East USA and Capcom USA. Sculptured Software did the conversion, with Dwain Skinner credited as programmer, and Atari released it in 1989.
Atari could get games like this because of a loophole in Nintendo’s licensing rules. A company that made an NES version could not make a competing version for other consoles, but the owner of the arcade original could still license home versions to other systems. Commando, Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors and Kung-Fu Master all reached the 7800 this way.
Commando also sounds better than most 7800 games. The console’s built-in sound chip is the same TIA chip used in the Atari 2600, but cartridges could carry Atari’s extra POKEY sound chip. Commando is one of only a few official releases that do. Activision also made a separate version for the Atari 2600.
