Commando is a vertical military shooter with run-and-gun gameplay mechanics. This game was developed by the gaming titans at Capcom and published in North America by Data East. Commando hit arcade cabinets in 1985. Coincidentally, an unrelated film of the same name was released six months after the game’s launch.
In Japan, Commando is known as Senjō no Ōkami, which translates to Wolf of the Battlefield. Commando was an incredibly popular arcade game when it was first released. It topped the sales charts in every region that it released in and managed to be the highest-grossing arcade game in 1985. Commando maintained its popularity when it was ported to home consoles like the NES, Atari 2600, Amiga, Atari Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64.
Commando Premise
©Screenshot of Commando – Original
Like many other military shooters, Commando follows the story of a soldier fighting for his life through waves of enemies. Players are equipped with an assault rifle that has unlimited ammo and a limited supply of hand grenades. With these weapons, players will mow down legions of enemy soldiers and find secrets hidden in each of the game’s eight unique levels.
Commando Main Character
In Commando, players will take control of Super Joe, an elite soldier. Super Joe has been dropped off in a hostile jungle by a helicopter and now must fight his way out. During Super Joe’s trek through the jungle, he will take over enemy fortresses and defeat their cowardly commanding officers. By using grenades, Super Joe can also find hidden shelters and free the prisoners of war inside. Super Joe is a classic 80s action hero.
Commando Series
©Screenshot of Commando – Original
The success and popularity of Commando resulted in many imitators, but there wasn’t a direct sequel until 1989. The sequel, known as Mercs, sadly didn’t do as well as the original Commando. A third game called Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 was released on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2008. The protagonist, Super Joe, has also made many appearances in the Bionic Commando series.
Commando Cheat Codes
©Commando Start Screen – Original
As with many of the games from the 80s, Commando has a number of cheat codes that players can access. The NES, Commodore 64, and PC version of the game each have their own cheat codes with unique inputs. With these cheat codes, active players will be able to give themselves extra lives, select which stages they want to play or put the game in slow-mo mode. We’ve broken down each of these cheat codes in the tables below.
Players that own a Game Genie can add even more cheat codes to the game. When players enter these special codes, they can give themselves infinite items, make their weapons fire faster, and much more.
PC:
| Code | Effect |
| Stage Warp | Hold Ctrl and a number from 0-7 before dying to warp to that stage where 0 = stage 1 and 7 = stage 8. |
Commodore 64:
| Codes | Effect |
| 1691 Lives | Enter your name as EUGWNGOPWTMDC |
| Cheat Mode | Reset or load the game then enter the following BASIC command before restarting: POKE 2180,250 |
| Unlimited Lives | Reset or load the game then enter the following BASIC command before restarting: POKE 2454,173 |
NES:
| Codes | Effect |
| Display Secret Passages | At the title screen use controller 2 and press Left, Left, Left, B, B, A, A, A, A, Right, then press start on controller 1. |
| Level Select | At the title screen, press Left, Right, A, B, A, Down, and Up on Player 2’s Controller, then hold A on Player 1’s Controller By pressing the Select Button, you can select the desired level. |
| Slow Motion/Palette Editor | At the title screen, press B, Down, Up, A, Left, Left, and Right on the 2nd Controller. Now, during the game, press or hold Select on Controller 1 to move frame by frame. Press one of the directional keys on Controller 2 to open a palette editor. |
| Secret Ending Message | At the title screen, press B, Down, Up, A, Left, Left, and Right on the 2nd Controller. Now, during the game, press or hold Select on Controller 1 to move frame by frame. Press one of the directional keys on Controller 2 to open a palette editor. |
Game Genie:
| Effect | Code |
| Area Modifier | AEPETG |
| AEK Both Players Start With 1 Life | AEKKIILA |
| Both Players Start With 6 Lives | TEKKIILA |
| Both Players Start With 9 Lives | PEKKIILE |
| Get Items From Anywhere | AAEIEYGP AAKIAVKI |
| Hit Anywhere | AENTTLLI AAETTGLG |
| Infinite Grenades | PEZATK |
| Infinite Lives | PEPEGK |
| Invincibility | ATNITPSA |
| P1 & P2 Have All Power Ups | OVZELK |
| P1 & P2 Rapid Fire | AAYAGA |
| Start With Double Rations Of Grenades | AOSGIIIA |
| Start With Infinite Grenades | XVULASXK |
| Start With Infinite Lives | EZEGNOVG |
| Walk Through Anything | AEELGNPA AASLLYTA |
Commando Cheat Code FAQ
Does Commando have any cheat codes?
Yes, there are multiple in-game cheat codes available in Commando. These cheat codes will allow players to select levels, earn extra lives, and find secret locations. Players who own a Game Genie can add even more cheat codes to the game with unique codes.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Commando Box Art.