Dungeon Crawlers have been making a comeback in recent years, but what if you took a Dungeon Crawler and mixed it with an over the top 80s action movie? Well, the answer would be Eye of the Commando, a game that takes turn based dungeon crawler RPGs, and mixes in Contra. It sounds like a disaster in the making, but somehow it works well.
Eye of the Commando is not a fast paced action game, but very much a slow and methodical game like many classic dungeon crawlers. That being said, the plot is straight out of classic 80s action movies with a plot of terrorists and a single muscle bound commando taking them down. It is safe to say that Eye of the Commando runs on absurdity, but after playing for a while, I would not want it any other way.
Eye of the Commando takes an interesting approach to combat and the RPG elements. You will pick a class at the start, like with most RPGs, but the real impact occurs when you find items like flamethrowers and ability boosts that enable you to do more. Given the random item drops in each run, Eye of the Commando ends up feeling like a roguelike dungeon crawler in how each run does feel different, even if it is not quite a roguelike given how the stages are crafted. I guess you could say it has roguelike elements while leaning more to traditional dungeon crawling, but then again Eye of the Commando is not a traditional game in any sense of the word.
I need to note that Eye of the Commando is still an Early Access game, and things are still changing as development continues. There is more to be done with making builds feel unique and meaningful, and it is my hope that the developers expand on this feature more. Eye of the Commando is not a particularly long game as is, and while I like that the game has a very unique flavour to it, I just wish there were more. It could use more bosses, and a big more of a challenge, but what is here is a very good start
What is here is a good variety of enemies, interesting creatures and combat that feels satisfying. Eye of the Commando manages to take classic dungeon crawler turn based gameplay and combine it with run n gun / fps action, and you need to approach combat from the mindset of both. This includes dealing with enemies with miniguns and grenades and you will need to strategize to not get killed.
The levels are very well designed in general and you can do some creative actions, but be aware that you cannot rely on the same tactics over and over. I also noted some issues with hit detection when fighting enemies and this can throw off the turn based combat a bit. There is an aim assist option, but it still needs work as it can actually get in your way more than anything else.
With all this said, Eye of the Commando is something different and it knows this. There is so much potential here and the developer has been adding to the game and perfecting things. Eye of the Commando may not be perfect just yet, but it has the potential to be one of the best indie RPGs in a long time. This is a brilliant spin on dungeon crawlers that fully embraces its aesthetic with great visuals and music. I cannot wait for more as Eye of the Commando is something very special indeed.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
