You knew this Commodore 64 game as Commando — but in Germany it was released as Space Invasion. Elite Systems swapped the enemy soldiers for white android robots that look a lot like Star Wars Stormtroopers (and made the vehicles more futuristic) in an attempt to avoid Germany’s strict youth protection rules. It didn’t work — the re-skinned version still ended up on the index. This short video explains why and what actually happened.

2/6 Platoon on the C64 was split into four distinct stages that felt like completely different games: 1. Side-scrolling jungle & village — Navigate paths, avoid traps and snipers, find explosives to blow the bridge, then search huts for a torch, map and trapdoor. 2. First-person tunnel system — This is the standout. You move through a dark Viet Cong tunnel network in a first-person view (static corridor images rather than free-look 3D). A map on the right shows your position and facing direction. When you hit an enemy or enter a room the controls switch to a crosshair so you can aim and shoot or search. You have to locate two sets of flares and a compass before you can exit — an impressively ambitious early proto-FPS style experience on the C64 in 1987. (See image below) 3. Night-time foxhole — A fixed-screen shooting gallery. Use limited flares to light up advancing Viet Cong and gun them down before they reach you. 4. Timed final jungle confrontation — Race through the jungle (2-minute limit) to a shelter while dodging traps and enemies, then lob five grenades into Sergeant Barnes’ foxhole to finish him. The tunnel section in particular felt years ahead of its time for an 8-bit film tie-in, would you agree? The game also had a hidden 👾Space Invader game 🧵👇