There’s something inherently charming about playing as toys in a human world. The Micro Machines games are a great example of this. Army Men takes the concept of playing with little green army men in a variety of genres, with Sarge’s Heroes being a third person shooter. Micro Machines managed to pair up the charm with extremely solid gameplay, so was Army Men capable of doing the same?

Unfortunately, no. Being an early third person shooter, Sarge’s Heroes relies on very heavy auto aim. As long as your gun is in the general direction of an enemy, you’ll hit them. This is something that is mainly necessary due to the game’s controls and camera, which take ages to catch up with your character – you’ll spend a decent amount of time firing randomly just in case an enemy is there, as your camera looks at Sarge in the face for 10 seconds before turning around.

It’s a shame, as the levels themselves are quite enjoyable, especially those set around the house. A lot of the game takes place in the world of Army Men, which sadly doesn’t look quite enough like a toy world, yet the levels themselves are still well designed. The plot is cheesy in a good way, involving portals to another world (the house), and you have to rescue your kidnapped squad, who sadly are a bit of a pain to escort and don’t have their own big moment, with them getting ready to rescue you right after you finish the game.

Sarge’s Heroes is a fun, colourful game, but the core gunplay doesn’t really hold up, and the controls and camera are a nightmare. I also found that 3DO referencing themselves so much in the game was a bit off-putting (interestingly, they replaced it all in the Dreamcast version). I would be interested in seeing this franchise return, though.

Fun

Sarge’s Heroes is packed full of neat ideas, and the move from the world of Army Men to our world is inspired. It’s just that the game is hobbled by maddeningly imprecise controls, an awful fun-killing camera and drab, basic, foggy graphics. So, despite its promise, Sarge’s Heroes is never more than mildly diverting.

Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #36. Review Score: 67%

Remake or remaster?

It would be nice to see a remake of Sarge’s Heroes (or perhaps both games combined), with graphics that make the Army world levels look more like army toys, and some modernised control options so you can aim would make it a lot of fun.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes