Time Commando

So, this is Time Commando. I first read about this game in a PC Magazine in 1996 and it had a rather mixed review and also it was highly recommended to have a fast CD-ROM drive.. like 7x Speed. I was a huge fan of Action adventures like Alone in the Dark or Ecstatica- and this game just looked rad back in the days. The story resembles somehow Matrix. An important military computer has been infected with a virus and you have to wipe it out completely by travelling through all simulated epochs. The impressive thing on this game is how combat and weapons change as time progresses. You start with clubs in stoneage, progress to swords in middle age aso. Also the music fits to each time zones. Anyways... we live in soon 2020... THE TIME THIS GAME TAKES PLACE!!!! :) How does it hold up? Please consider these points. Graphics: It used to be awesome on a 14" CRT in 640x480. Now, while the sprites are somewhat ok, the pre rendered backgrounds look horrible and sometimes you have a hard time finding out where to look up for hidden objects or you just die by falling off a cliff. Technics: Be aware that it is a 3rd person action adventure... and from 1996... even nowadays these types of games suffer of weird camera angles and it was way worse back then. Also, the background is prerendered and scrolls automatically. So, if you miss picking up items or entering hidden rooms you cant go back, they're lost. The controls are clunky, you can jump quickly sideways and back but NOT to the front. A front jump takes like 5 seconds so it's not useable for an attack. Then, the difficulty. I played it through in 1996 so I thought... well start with medium... but even this is so hard that I restarted with very easy. Final thoughts: My resumé is that if you are an early 90s gamer- then you may like it because you know the flaws, which honestly almost all games back then had. This game certainly didnt age very well but it's still fun for those that know the time it was developed.

That could the entire plot of this game summarize from someone that did play this version of the game and didn't read the manual ( Which is still not that far from the truth!). Time Commando is one of those game that you play just to enjoy for its ingenuity and uniqueness experience that the game gives it to you. Its story is something that sounds rare and well thought and the combat system is, oh boy, really good.. but also a bit of a mess. Speaking of story, you are a trained anti espionage agent working for a megacorporation and gotta save a super computer, designed to simulate different human eras and, specifically, for combat, from a virus that could disable and let the rival get a hand on the market. And you can save it going through the PC's program and fight your way through the simulation, fighting from futuristic mutant aliens to ninjas or conquistadores, or caveman and bears from the prehistory. MIND BLOWN... Try finding something similar on the market. Gameplay Wise... it's complicated: a mixture of arcade action, adventure with beat'em up ( really well developed and unique) and shoot'em up scenes with a pinch of puzzles in between. So, this is, ironically, the last of the Adeline Software International's game that I've played but the first to be ever made from that particular company and, like the other games made from them, is an unquestionable masterpiece. However, Compared to the rest of the games made from Adeline S., it does suffer from certain problems that already its successor did suffer ( although not in this amount): Camera angles, the tank controls of the characters, ambiguous level designs ( Twinsonia be damned ;) the modern levels are something that only a maniac could come up with).... and they manage to put in the classical damsel in distress (Although, with Adeline S. is something to be expected). I could spend hours talking about this game but, since I can't write any longer, I'll tell what you need to know: BUY this flawed masterpiece

Time Commando will hit hard for those used to clunky, tanky controls from the 90s. Hidden in the rough is a challenging, beautiful DOS gem with a kick-butt soundtrack containing clever audio triggers. Those that have played Little Big Adventure / Relentless: Twinson's Adventure, this game is by the same developers! If it's your first time playing, my advice is to take advantage of the strafing as much as possible and try to find the right weapon to counter the enemy types you face. Projectile weapons can be aimed off screen by seeing a enemy damage meter pop up. God speed, Time Commando.

WARNING: this is not a full release. The narration has been cut from the intro video which was supposed to explain the story, making it incomprehensible. It is very disappointing that GoG is selling a cut-down version of the game without any sort of notice on the store page. If you want to see the correct intro, search for "Time Commando Intro Talkie Version" on Youtube. Purchase at your own risk!

My entire childhood i played this game, and after so much time, i managed to remember its name, and ive been since 2006 trying to bring this epic game, to GOG.COM, and after so much time, damnit, i cant even, describe, how happy i am, now getting to the game, its awesome, there is some contras, yes, but c'mon its a 1996 game, dont try to compare to today's strandards, give it a try, you'll not regret it.