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Commando

NES

NES

The player takes control of a soldier named Super Joe, who starts by being dropped off in a jungle by a helicopter, and has to fight his way out singlehandedly, fending off a massive assault of enemy soldiers. In the NES version, there is a more powerful machine gun upgrade, as well as "glasse...

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Developer
Capcom

Released on
1986

Size
1–2 Players

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The player takes control of a soldier named Super Joe, who starts by being dropped off in a jungle by a helicopter, and has to fight his way out singlehandedly, fending off a massive assault of enemy soldiers.

In the NES version, there is a more powerful machine gun upgrade, as well as “glasses” to let the player view all the hidden bunkers and an unlimited grenade upgrade (the player will lose these upgrades after losing a life).

Commando

Overview & History

Released by Capcom in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Commando is a pioneering vertical-scrolling run-and-gun shooter ported by Michitsuna Takahashi from the immensely popular arcade original. Players step into the camouflage boots of Super Joe, a lone elite soldier dropped deep behind enemy lines to dismantle a ruthless, heavily fortified army. Unlike many arcade conversions of its era that suffered from severe downgrades, the NES version retains the frantic tension, iconic military-green aesthetic, and relentless pacing of the coin-op classic, cementing its legacy as an early benchmark for the action genre on home consoles.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The gameplay revolves around advancing continuously up an aggressively scrolling battlefield while dodging waves of enemy infantry, dodging mortar shells, and infiltrating hostile camps. Super Joe’s primary objective isn't just survival; he must actively rescue captive prisoners of war tied up along the margins of the jungle pathways, which awards crucial bonus points. The action is frantic, requiring precise positioning to avoid converging gunfire. Players possess two primary offensive capabilities: a directional submachine gun capable of firing in eight different angles, and a limited supply of high-explosive grenades that can arc over obstacles and decimate clusters of enemies or fortified blockhouses. Navigating narrow bridges, dodging relentless sniper fire, and timing grenade tosses against shielded turrets demand absolute reflexes and memorization of enemy spawn patterns.