The Lone Ranger (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Lone Ranger is an action-adventure
video game released by Konami
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
exclusively in North America
in . It is based on The Lone Ranger
radio and TV franchise, the latter which was still rerunning in syndication when the game was released. The player takes the role of the Lone Ranger himself as he engages against outlaws in side-scrolling, overhead, and even first-person segments. The Lone Ranger theme music is played prominently during the game, which includes a DPCM
-coded voice clip of the ranger shouting his catch-phrase "Hi Yo Silver".
, the game's ultimate goal involves rescuing the U.S. President from Butch Cavendish and his gang. One particular stage in the game (Area 6) involves the Lone Ranger saving his former fiancée Clara (a character created for the game) from a gang of ninja
s working for Cavendish.
giving him advice on where to go next. On the map, the player can the move the Lone Ranger to various towns, caverns, mountains, bridges, and other locations, as well as run into wandering gangs of outlaw
s who will attack the Ranger. Sometimes new locations will be revealed by a blinking Sheriff's
star on the map after the player has fulfilled certain achievements. The locations in the game vary between top-down, side-scrolling
, or even first-person
exploring segments.
The Ranger's main weapon is a six-round revolver
which can be loaded with standard or silver bullet
s (which cost twice as much, but have twice the firepower and can cut through targets). TNT sticks and even the Ranger's own fists can be used as weapons as well in the side-scrolling and top-down segments. The player can also obtain money bags and heart icons from defeated enemies to increase their cash and replenish their health respectively. If the player loses all of their energy the game will be over and the player must restart at the beginning of the Area. After completing an Area, Tonto will provided the player with a password which can be used to continue where the player has left off.
All of the game's towns, as well as other stages, are played from a top-down perspective. At the towns, the player will talk to townsfolk on the streets or inside houses, who will provide clues on where to go next. The player can buy more ammunition
and TNT at a gun shop or restore their health at the doctor's office by using the cash obtained from enemies. The gunsmith can also upgrade, or even downgrade if desired, the shooting range of the player's revolver by equipping it with a short, medium, or long barrel. The player can also play minigames in certain places to win extra cash. The player will face enemies in the top-down segments as well. If a woman is killed during a gunfight, the player will be penalized with the lost of half of their cash and some of their energy. The controls don't differ much in the side-scrolling segments aside for the fact that the player can jump over platforms or climb down from them, as well as crouch or climb stairs.
Most of the first-person exploration stages have the player exploring a maze-like corridor trying to reach a certain objective (i.e: find the fragment of a treasure). The player will occasionally be attacked by outlaws from all four directions during these stages. During these battles, a radar indicator is located below the screen to indicate where the enemies are attacking from. Unlike the other types of stages, the player can only use their revolver in these segments, although certain enemies will drop additional bullet
s. These battles can also be played using the NES Zapper
light gun or the LaserScope
headphone controller in addition to the standard controller.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game released by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
exclusively in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in . It is based on The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
radio and TV franchise, the latter which was still rerunning in syndication when the game was released. The player takes the role of the Lone Ranger himself as he engages against outlaws in side-scrolling, overhead, and even first-person segments. The Lone Ranger theme music is played prominently during the game, which includes a DPCM
DPCM
Differential pulse-code modulation is a signal encoder that uses the baseline of pulse-code modulation but adds some functionalities based on the prediction of the samples of the signal...
-coded voice clip of the ranger shouting his catch-phrase "Hi Yo Silver".
Plot
The game follows the basic premise of the Lone Rangers mythos. The player takes control of the Lone Ranger, a former Texas Ranger whose comrades were murdered by an outlaw named Butch Cavendish. While the game's instruction manual deviates from the original radio serials and TV series by claiming that Dan Reid was John Reid's father, the game itself remains true to its source material by identifying one of the murdered rangers as the Lone Ranger's brother. Using an overall storyline that is similar to the film The Legend of the Lone RangerThe Legend of the Lone Ranger
The Legend of the Lone Ranger is a 1981 British-American western film directed by William A. Fraker and starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd....
, the game's ultimate goal involves rescuing the U.S. President from Butch Cavendish and his gang. One particular stage in the game (Area 6) involves the Lone Ranger saving his former fiancée Clara (a character created for the game) from a gang of ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s working for Cavendish.
Gameplay
There is a total of eight areas in the game, where the player must accomplish a different objective on each one before moving to the next one. Each area begins at a large overhead map with the Lone Ranger's partner TontoTonto
Tonto may mean:* Tonto, a band of Apache native Americans.* Tonto, the fictional sidekick to the Lone Ranger.* "Tonto", a song by the American math rock band Battles, from their album Mirrored.** "Tonto+", the EP centered around said song....
giving him advice on where to go next. On the map, the player can the move the Lone Ranger to various towns, caverns, mountains, bridges, and other locations, as well as run into wandering gangs of outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s who will attack the Ranger. Sometimes new locations will be revealed by a blinking Sheriff's
Sheriffs in the United States
In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of...
star on the map after the player has fulfilled certain achievements. The locations in the game vary between top-down, side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
, or even first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
exploring segments.
The Ranger's main weapon is a six-round revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
which can be loaded with standard or silver bullet
Silver bullet
In folklore, the silver bullet is supposed to be the only kind of bullet for firearms that is effective against a werewolf, witch, or other monsters...
s (which cost twice as much, but have twice the firepower and can cut through targets). TNT sticks and even the Ranger's own fists can be used as weapons as well in the side-scrolling and top-down segments. The player can also obtain money bags and heart icons from defeated enemies to increase their cash and replenish their health respectively. If the player loses all of their energy the game will be over and the player must restart at the beginning of the Area. After completing an Area, Tonto will provided the player with a password which can be used to continue where the player has left off.
All of the game's towns, as well as other stages, are played from a top-down perspective. At the towns, the player will talk to townsfolk on the streets or inside houses, who will provide clues on where to go next. The player can buy more ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
and TNT at a gun shop or restore their health at the doctor's office by using the cash obtained from enemies. The gunsmith can also upgrade, or even downgrade if desired, the shooting range of the player's revolver by equipping it with a short, medium, or long barrel. The player can also play minigames in certain places to win extra cash. The player will face enemies in the top-down segments as well. If a woman is killed during a gunfight, the player will be penalized with the lost of half of their cash and some of their energy. The controls don't differ much in the side-scrolling segments aside for the fact that the player can jump over platforms or climb down from them, as well as crouch or climb stairs.
Most of the first-person exploration stages have the player exploring a maze-like corridor trying to reach a certain objective (i.e: find the fragment of a treasure). The player will occasionally be attacked by outlaws from all four directions during these stages. During these battles, a radar indicator is located below the screen to indicate where the enemies are attacking from. Unlike the other types of stages, the player can only use their revolver in these segments, although certain enemies will drop additional bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
s. These battles can also be played using the NES Zapper
NES Zapper
The NES Zapper, also known as the Beam Gun in Japan, is an electronic light gun accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Japanese Famicom. It was released in Japan for the Famicom on and alongside the launch of the NES in North America in October 1985...
light gun or the LaserScope
Laserscope
The Konami LaserScope is a head-mounted light gun used with and licensed for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. Konami originally released the peripheral in 1990, in Japan for the Famicom under the name Gun Sight...
headphone controller in addition to the standard controller.
See also
- Sgt. Saunders' Combat!Sgt. Saunders' Combat!is a Super Famicom war-related video game based on the 1960s television series originally broadcast on the ABC Television Network.-Summary:The player can play either as Sgt. Saunders or as one of the Axis forces that fought in Europe and North Africa during World War II...
- based on an old television program - The Adventures of Gilligan's IslandThe Adventures of Gilligan's IslandThe Adventures of Gilligan's Island is a single-player Nintendo Entertainment System video game by Bandai that is based on the 1960s sitcom of the same name...
- also based on an old television show - The Adventures of Bayou BillyThe Adventures of Bayou BillyThe Adventures of Bayou Billy, released in Japan as , is an action game by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System composed of fighting, driving and shooting segments...
- Laser InvasionLaser InvasionLaser Invasion, released as in Japan, is a multi-genre first-person action game released by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System in . The player takes control of a military operative who pilots an attack helicopter in order to infiltrate various enemy bases and fulfill his mission...