Classic Games Database
ClassicGames DB

Platoon

Review

Control five soldiers in jungle and tunnel missions, switching characters to survive combat and complete objectives.

The NES version of Platoon was developed by Ocean Software and published in North America by Sun Corporation of America in 1988. The original arcade game was released by Data East in 1987.

About Platoon

Platoon is an action game adaptation of the film, set during the Vietnam War. Players manage a squad of five soldiers, switching control between them as each individual can sustain three hits before being eliminated.

The experience shifts between different gameplay perspectives. One segment uses a side-scrolling view for navigating jungle terrain, where characters can jump, duck, and move in multiple directions to avoid hazards. Objectives here include destroying a bridge and investigating a booby-trapped village.

Another portion employs a first-person view for exploring underground tunnels. Control methods change contextually, shifting to a targeting crosshair during combat. Later, a defensive sequence in a bunker requires using limited flares to spot and eliminate approaching enemies at night.

The game recreates specific film events, such as evading a jungle airstrike within a time limit by moving north with a compass. The final confrontation pits the player against Sergeant Barnes from a foxhole, requiring five grenade hits to defeat him.

Platoon Screenshots

10 images
Title
Enemies jump out of trees
you can move through the bush
watch out for the trip wire
wounded
your history
You've found the bag of explosives, you must set it in the bridges that give access to a FNL village.
The explosives are set, run for it!
At the FNL village, you must avoid harming the villagers.
Inside this house, you've found a trapdoor. To enter, you must find a torch and a map.