Partisans 1941 Is The Commandos Remake We’ve All Wanted

Daedalic Entertainment’s Partisans 1941 follows the battle-trodden footsteps of Commandos and Desperados, but shakes up the stealth tactics formula by adding base building and RPG layers to the game. It’s not the first attempt to recreate Commandos, the first title in the genre which dates back to 1998. Released in 2020, Partisans 1941 hit the market the same year as the more popular Desperados 3.

Both are polished real time tactics games, but it’s the new elements in Partisans 1941 that make it stand out, showing that there’s still exciting directions for a game style dating back nearly 25 years. These innovative additions are creative and functional, but the game has to play well besides. Partisans 1941 does, using many of the same game mechanics as its predecessors.

Like Commandos, there are options for quietly sneaking around, knifing enemies, or pulling out guns and going loud. These same tricks and strategies work in Desperados 3, and choosing the latter option is risky in both games. To have this game take place on the Russian front of World War II is an excellent homage to Commandos, and organically lends itself to both the desperation and the hopelessness of the rebels’ cause.

Gameplay In Partisans 1941 Feels Like A Remake Of Commandos

Base building and resource management are other facets of the game that serve to both layer the experience and illustrate the losing battle the partisans are waging. The partisans don’t have it easy, having to scrounge around the battlefield and make do with whatever they can find. There’s even an option to steal valuable food and ammunition from the locals, but this lowers morale for the unit. In Commandos the squad is working for the government, given all the supplies they need since the video game takes place in Nazi Germany, and their missions are funded by the Allies.

Dodging one of the more frustrating aspects of its predecessors, characters in Partisans 1941 can trade their weapons and equipment with each other. There’s also some overlap with the skills they can acquire. It makes sense that any character could hold a knife, but that only some can are inherently trained in hand-to-hand combat. In this way, specialization is encouraged, but never restricts a player’s options.

It’s these choices that make Partisans both replayable and strategic. Similar to other games in the genre, each character offers unique talents to the team, in the form of disguises, throwing knives, area-of-effect attacks, and lures. Partisans 1941 borrows this tactical element from its predecessors, but takes it to the next step with a branching RPG system. Players can choose to level up the characters in different ways, improving their accuracy with their weapons, their durability and speed, or leaning into their unique traits.

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