Life in plastic really can be fantastic especially in the world of ARMY MEN – Sarge’s Heroes where size truly doesn’t matter…! This is real combat between toy soldiers – a battle between good and evil – between green and tan, where green are the good guys and the tans are bent on conquest and domination. 

Of course players assume the green role (the good guys always win anyway) but these mini heroes are only two inches tall, (that’s about 5 centimetres for you youngsters) so how can tiny plastic soldiers fight, to all intents and purpose, a real battle? The answer is they can’t – it is only a game you know – but what it does do is bring those plastic soldiers to life with some good animation techniques and a lighting effect called ‘Plastosheen’?. This lets them still look like toy soldiers, all shiny and smooth, but move, bend and fight like U.S. Marines. 

There are two different worlds for Sarge’s Heroes to conquer. In their ‘Plastic’ world these little guys are full size, making their environment pretty easy to navigate. But in the ‘Real’ world they go back to being small again while all about them is giant-sized. This movement between worlds seems to have origins similar to the Stargate series where circular portals, like a shimmering pool, link different dimensions. Those in ARMY MEN – Sarge’s Heroes, however, become the source for the Tan army’s secret weapons such as fireworks, exploding rockets, and deadly giant magnifying glasses that have the ability to literally melt the green forces in their tracks. 

Gameplay moves between these two totally diverse environments with a series of missions, each containing several objectives for success, but Sarge and his men are well equipped to handle all that the Tans can throw at them. Assault rifles, bazookas, grenades, mortars, flame-throwers and explosives are just a part of their arsenal which is aided by a first-person zoom facility used to take a sight on the enemy before blowing them away. Your men can also kneel, crawl and lie prone as they pick off the tans one by one or take control of heavily armoured tanks for a bit of extra firepower. 

Shells, ammunition, weapons and first-aid packages can all be collected by walking up close to them but in the real world it’s not just enemy soldiers you have to watch out for…! As well as the huge dimensions of everyday furniture and toys you’ve got to watch out for creepy spiders and other things that, to a two-inch hero, are just plain dangerous.