G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

Developer: KID    Publisher: Taxan    Release: 01/91   Genre: Action

I was a huge fan of Transformers and G.I. Joe growing up. I am talking owning the toys, watching every episode of the cartoons and holding mock battles with the action figures. So it is actually pretty amazing that somehow the G.I. Joe NES game flew under my radar. Video Game magazines were still in their infancy and so I relied on marketing, of which I saw none. The fact that G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero slipped by me is one of my biggest regrets during childhood. This is an excellent, excellent game and what all licensed games should aspire to.

There is very little story although what is there drives the action. General Hawk has assembled a team of five Joes to destroy five of Cobra’s bases around the world to end their threat once and for all. Aside from the main cast of heroes the Cobra roster is an all-star gallery of the most popular characters in the series. There are some incredibly deep dives here and the way the game is structured allows them to toss in so many as bosses. But we all know the Joes themselves are what kids came for.

I don’t envy the developers as they had to make some hard choices in terms of the heroes. For the most part they’ve picked some good choices but some are baffling. Duke is of course front and center; next to Flint he might as well be the main character. The fans would riot if Snake Eyes were missing so of course he is in. Blizzard, Rock & Roll, and Captain Grid Iron round out the cast, with General Hawk available at the end. I am not one to begrudge anyone their favorite character but really? Blizzard? Captain Grid Iron? He’s a guy in a fucking football helmet! And they picked him over Roadblock or Shipwreck or Sgt. Slaughter! But I digress.

Each Joe has ratings in multiple categories such as jumping, punching power, stamina, and weapons. They also have their specialties. Snake Eyes jumps the highest and his sword is very powerful. His weapon power is low but does not use ammo. Captain Grid Iron is physically the strongest but is subpar in every other category.  Rock & Roll has the strongest weapon but like the Captain sucks at everything else. Blizzard is the worst and should be avoided at all costs. Meanwhile Duke is overall great. Some attributes can be power up like weapons and health but certain characters require to heavy an investment to be worth it. 

G.I. Joe does things differently than most action games. Each level is a three man affair, with one character selected as leader. It doesn’t mean you have to use them, thank god, as some characters are awful. Like the first Ninja turtles game you can switch characters at any time, with each having a separate life bar.  Certain attributes can be upgraded like weapons and health but some characters require too heavy an investment to be worthwhile. Blizzard I’m looking at you.  Even though I make the comparison G.I. Joe is much more refined than TMNT, thank god. The three man setup works in the game’s favor rather than being a liability.

Just like its character setup each mission also has three parts. There is the initial infiltration, which plays out like a level in Contra. It is not as fast paced and there is more platforming involved but generally this portion of the game is excellent as you would hope/expect. They utilize the full cast Cobra characters as generic henchmen although it might be hard to recognize their 8-bit sprites. There are vehicles to commandeer and generally this aspect of the game is good. The third part plays along similar lines as you escape from the Cobra base and face the final boss.

The second half of each mission is the most interesting. Here you are tasked with placing bombs throughout the Cobra base in set locations. Each map is progressively larger than the last and the non-linearity is great. These segments are the best place for upgrades as they are hidden everywhere. The game is generous with time, one to allow you to explore but also because the maps are absolutely massive. Unfortunately it also suffers a bit. You do not know how many bombs need to be placed nor is there a map. It is frustrating to wander aimlessly with no indication of completion only to find the exit and learn there is more. The maps toward the end are gigantic and some UI indicator of progress would have helped tremendously. It’s not a deal breaker but this would have been perfect if these flaws didn’t exist.

With its character switching G.I. Joe is median in its difficulty. Health items don’t drop frequently but managing your team negates that. While it is possible to pick a “bad” team you can still make it work. Boss battles are challenging with predictable yet fun patterns even if you can zerg them. Planting bombs can be frustrating but even with no map can be overcome with perseverance. For those that want more G.I. Joe has a second and third quest like Low G Man that ups the difficulty significantly. There’s something for everyone.

In Closing

G.I. Joe is a fantastic game and one of the best licensed titles for the NES.  It is also a great action game in general. G.I. Joe remains one of the better titles in the NES library even after all this time and is a good way to kill an afternoon.