Platoon
| Developer: Choice Software | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Ocean | Sound: |
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| Year: 1988 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
4/10 | |
Oliver Stone’s film, Platoon (1986), inspired a Commodore 64 adaptation in 1988 that’s now considered a classic—faithful to the spirit of the film and innovative—despite a punishing difficulty level that probably stopped most players from making it past the first stage…
This Amiga version is practically identical to the original (or rather, to its Atari ST port), but it was dismissed as a lazy rehash, making no real use of the young computer’s superior capabilities. Its choice of clashing colours, an interface that feels half-baked, and—above all—a lower frame rate than the Commodore 64 version can’t go unnoticed. This last issue makes dodging enemy fire in the first level almost impossible.
That infamous first level involves navigating a jungle while avoiding being killed by Vietcong soldiers. Contrary to appearances, this isn’t an action game like Contra, but rather an orienteering challenge. You’re expected to arm yourself with a sheet of paper and a pencil to draw a map (and later mark the location of traps), and perhaps consult the manual to figure out what you’re supposed to be looking for (a crate of explosives, then a bridge, then a village…). The catch is that you’re relentlessly harassed by soldiers who can’t wait to kill you. The game doesn’t let you pause, and you’ll be dead in less than a second—sometimes before the enemy even appears on screen! Progressing under these circumstances means dying repeatedly for hours on end.
If you have the courage and patience to reach level two (emulator save states being your friend), you’ll earn the privilege of exploring underground tunnels in first-person view and real time. This part is genuinely innovative, quite well done, and sadly overlooked by almost everyone.
The following levels continue to experiment with different styles but lose much of their appeal: a bare-bones take on clay-pigeon shooting (à la POW), followed by a messy overhead-view segment (resembling Cabal, but playing more like Commando when it comes to controlling your character).
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