Micro Commandos

Remember that old phrase about seeing the enemy and it is us? Well (micro)Commandos takes that idea and runs with it.

The game, a PC release from Monte Cristo, is essentially a civilization game, with the pretense of being a strategic warfare game. The program spins around the idea of a tiny race of aliens intent on taking over the world. It is up to the game player to expand the world of the micro commandos, help them fight off the various threats to their civilization, while trying to find the ultimate weapon to take over the world.

There are actually two races to choose from, the Scales and the Roughbacks and 11 settings upon which the game plays out ­ such as a basement, cabaret, pizzeria and subway.

As for the enemies of these diminutive creatures, there are enemy commandos, rats, beetles and even hamsters. Of course, humans are the ultimate enemy, and the commandos are looking to take over the world.

Each race is broken down into three unit types: collectors, engineers and soldiers. Resources, both unlimited and limited, come in three types as well ­ food, material and energy. Collectors snag up discarded food items (leftover sandwiches, slices of pizza) and march it to the food silos for storage. As for material, discarded newspapers, cards, and even pens can be used as building material. Energy is needed to power your outpost. Batteries are one example of a limited energy source while electrical outlets supply unlimited power. Only collectors can gather the resources though both engineers and soldiers can help transport it.

A nice touch to this game is the on/off switch for the buildings. If a building, such as a dormitory, is not in use, you can conserve your limited energy supply by switching it off.

All this information is in the manual, which you will have to read in order to understand the nuances of the game. When you launch (micro)Commandos, there are three game options available ­ a training mission, plus two conquer-the-world quests. Of course, not wanting to wade through the manual (which isn’t all that big), the training mission is initially launched. The first objective seems quite easy ­ collect 8,000 units of food. But wait, this isn’t exactly a tutorial. There is no voice-over guidance through the fundamentals of the program. Nope, in order to understand all that, you have to delve into the manual.  That was disappointing, and somewhat confusing.

Graphically this program is lush and features bright colors. The micro commandos are interesting, and nicely animated. The environments can be intriguing and frustrating (that sandwich up on that bench is so inviting, but getting up there presents a problem).  The game camera rotates and zooms in and out for a close-view of your units. If you have ever played a civ game before, you will be familiar with this game's use of grouping units, as well as the point-and-click commands. If you have a unit selected, you can pass your cursor over objects to see if interaction with that object is possible.

Your units will also let you know if they are hungry or sleepy. Icons will appear above their heads, or you can click on a unit and view its statistics. Meters there will indicate if the unit is in need of either food or sleep.

Sound-wise, this game doesn’t offer much that will turn heads, but the audio portion does support the video well.

Control elements are mixed between keyboard and mouse-driven elements. You can point and click to select and deploy a unit, but when it comes to other in-game functions, like camera controls, you will have to use a variety of keys to achieve the optimum viewing angle. This is standard for this genre of game.

(micro)Commandos is a game with some clever ideas, but the game labors in terms of a player-friendly interface (which is accessible, just not well explained), and lack of the stock in-game tutorial.  However, once past those obstacles, the program itself, while somewhat average in terms of game play, is fun to look at.

The European Leisure Software Publishers Association rates this game for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7
Even the introduction, or training mission, is fast paced, and players may need to run through it several times to get the feel of the game’s pacing. The game does offer campaigns with 14 missions. You can only unlock the next mission once you’ve completed the task put before you. In terms of how the game actually plays, some elements ­ such as moving from one map board to another ­ do not transition as smoothly as they could, but generally the elements are stock to the genre.

Graphics: 7.5
The animations are well done, and the overall look of the game is bright and colorful. The movable camera allows players to get up close with the commandos.

Sound: 6.8
This is merely average and though it does support the graphical elements, don’t expect to be knocked over.

Difficulty: Medium
The game seemingly has only one difficulty level, and what passes for training is merely a non-campaign exercise. The player interface could be fleshed out a bit more with more descriptive explanations of what each button does.

Concept: 7.5
This game looks good and the commandos is a nice twist on a familiar genre. Transitioning from one map board to another could have been smoother.

Overall: 7
This is a familiar genre, and while (micro)Commandos does offer a nice twist, the program falters explaining the nuances of the game play. The game looks good, and has some nice touches.