Commando 4-29-88

This is a completely different version of Commando that was being done by programmer Don Heiden at Draudt and Associates.  Although no actual prototype for this version of Commando has been found, the source code for it was discovered on some old Atari disks.  According to internal memos this version of the game was ultimately canceled around September of 1988 with no further work having been done on it since July (the game was due September 30th).  It's unknown why work was stopped but ultimately Dwain Skinner from Sculptured Software was tapped by Atari to port the game.  Sculptured Software also programmed the unreleased Atari XE version of the game.

This prototype is nothing more than an early  gameplay demo.  The player can move left, right, and forward (but not backward), and shoot/throw grenades.  Although there are enemy soldiers and buildings present, there so no collision detection so feel free to walk right through them.  After advancing through several screens of scenery, the graphics start to look funny and are missing parts (cliffs with no grass for instance), there will also be large areas filled with nothing, and eventually the whole thing will reset.  

The player/enemy graphics look very different in this version.  Everyone looks as if they're wearing a veil or something to cover their face (desert warfare?).  The background graphics are also missing, making everything look rather odd.  The player is controlled with the second player controller, not the first.  It is unknown if this is intentional or not.