Platoon

Platoon

Overview & History

Released by Sunsoft in 1988, Platoon for the Nintendo Entertainment System adapts Oliver Stone's harrowing Academy Award-winning film about the Vietnam War. Breaking away from standard run-and-gun formulas, the game is split into four distinct chronological phases reflecting a tour of duty. Players control a lone green soldier navigating the psychological and physical horrors of the jungle, starting from the treacherous infiltration phase through Viet Cong tunnel networks, culminating in a tense nighttime base camp defense and a final confrontation with the corrupt Captain Barnes. Its gritty atmosphere, stark color palettes, and unforgiving difficulty capture the bleakness of the source material, making it a memorable, albeit frustrating, piece of late-80s licensed software.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike typical action titles, Platoon shifts its perspective and mechanics dramatically across its four stages. Stage one is a side-scrolling jungle trek where players dodge snipers, punji traps, and landmines. Stage two forces players into a top-down, claustrophobic maze representing the enemy tunnel networks. Here, armed only with a flashlight, combat knife, and a pistol, players must navigate pitch-black corridors while managing limited oxygen and fighting off rats, snakes, and guerrilla fighters. Stage three returns to the side-scrolling jungle for a frantic base camp defense, and stage four is a maze-like bunker shootout. Combat controls are notoriously stiff: your soldier can walk, duck, punch, knife, and shoot, but the hit detection is notoriously strict, requiring pixel-perfect positioning to survive the relentless enemy onslaught.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move / Aim Flashlight
• Action Keys: Attack / Jump / Shoot
• Enter: Start / Pause