Developer: Colossal Games
Publisher: KISS ltd
Platform: PC, Mac, iOS, Android
Commando Jack – Review
Today, we will take a closer look at another tower defense game, called Commando Jack. Initially, this game was only available on mobile devices like iPhones and Android tablets, but recently, Commando Jack saw a release on the popular PC platform Steam. As a fan of the genre, I’m always thrilled to try out new tower defense games, hoping that they surprise me in a positive manner. Commando Jack succeeded a couple of times in doing that but couldn’t really convince entirely.
Story
Please move along. There’s no story to be found in this game. It would’ve been nice to know a reason for these alien invasions, even if it was a simple: they want to destroy Earth. The only thing we know for certain is that Commando Jack likes to kick some alien butt.
Graphics
Commando Jack can’t conceal its origin as a mobile game. The graphics are far from what you could expect for a modern computer game. Objects and characters in the game are very basic. There’s not much detail brought in the world and in general, Commando Jack looks like a video game that should have been released quite some years ago. This might put some potential buyers off so if you know that looking at dated characters and world models is something you’re not comfortable with, you might want to look elsewhere. However, before deciding just yet, please read on as some gameplay elements might interest you enough to give this game a try!
Sound
Same here, there’s nothing to get overly excited about. There’s a basic soundtrack which does the job but other than that the game doesn’t really impress sound wise. After some time, you might grow tired of hearing the some tune over and over again. A little more variation here would’ve been pleasant.
Gameplay
The gameplay is certainly the most exciting aspect of this title. Although staying true to the “ways” of the tower defense genre, Commando Jack has some cool features which let it stand out from other TD games.
First of all, let’s talk a bit about the general game mechanics of this game. The primary objective is to defend your base by putting towers in the best places possible to fend of alien intruders. Some tower defense games give you certain spots where you can choose to plant a tower; others let you build defenses wherever you want. Commando Jack makes use of the latter game “rules”. You can build pretty much wherever you want aside from where obstacles have been put down. These obstacles have three purposes. One, of course, you can’t put a tower where something is blocking the way (take, for example, a parked car). Two, aliens can’t magically walk through objects in their path, so they’ll have to go around it. Three, if you switch to first person mode, obstacles will prevent you from shooting all over the place. And yes, you’ve read it right: first person mode.
That brings us to one of the more innovative parts of Commando Jack. In this game, it’s possible to switch from a top down view (like any regular TD game) to first person. In first person, the player has a machine gun to him/her disposal which can be used to kill (duh) alien scum. It’s really fun to jump in the action yourself and take it up against hordes of enemies. Some aliens can only be killed when you switch modes. For example: alien snipers will give you no rest while taking out ground troops as they possess the ability to climb houses in the background and shoot you point-blank. An icon will appear on screen to warn you of their presence and then it’s all a matter of acting fast and taking out those annoying buggers.
While playing through the levels, you’ll earn coins which can be spend in the items shop. Here you can upgrade your towers, buy new first person gear (like flamethrowers, among others) or even buy all sorts of ammo. There’re different kinds of towers which should be used on particular enemies and it’s important to keep that in mind when planting your towers. Coins are very easy to come by as you get a whole load of them after completing each level. Like this, it didn’t take that long to unlock everything in the shop. It’s feels like the items could’ve been pricier which would give a player more satisfaction for unlocking new gear.
Although the game plays pretty smooth, it would’ve been nice if a player could just select a certain tower and place down as many as he/she wanted without having to select the tower every time again when you’ve put it down somewhere. It feels awkward and when the time (after which another wave of opponents arrive) runs out, you don’t want to lose precious seconds by having to select the same thing over and over again.
Conclusion
When you first take a look at Commando Jack, you might think you’ve gone back to the good old days, where graphics didn’t matter much and gameplay was the key to entertaining gamers. Well, for today’s standards, this game certainly isn’t as polished as it should be but all in all, you can have a pretty good time playing this title.
Commando Jack - Review,
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