The Lone Ranger is an Action-Adventure game made by Konami for the NES in 1991, and was the only video game tied into the franchise until the release of the 2013 movie, which was followed by two mobile games. It is set across eight chapters, each with different objectives, and uses three types of play perspective: Side, top, and FPS "dungeon crawler" view. Most are on foot, but a few are set on horseback, such as when attacked during the fourth and fifth chapters. The game is backed up by a password feature.
The plot is relatively basic for a Lone Ranger story. Butch Cavendish, the man who murdered the Lone Ranger's brother and wiped out the Texas Rangers he rode with, has kidnapped the President of the United States. Needless to say, the Lone Ranger cannot stand idly by, and sets out to rescue the President, with the chance to gun down the man who destroyed his life as a bonus.
Weapons available to the player in the course of the game are a gun with standard or penetrating Silver Bullets (available later on in longer ranges), dynamite to throw, or the good old fist which unfortunately is unusable in the FPS areas.
This game provides the following tropes:
- Broken Bridge:
- A literal bridge in chapter 1, which is not broken but merely drawn. Clear out some riff-raff in the towns and you'll have the blessing to have it brought down and get back with Silver who'd wandered across it beforehand.
- The fort in chapter 7 has a back gate calling for keys which must be fetched from its three posts.
- Ceiling Cling: In chapter 6, the boss in the mine will start out hanging on the ceiling, and getting him down requires the one bullet you may fire if doing a run where they're not to be otherwise used outside of FPS areas. Also utilized by some mooks in the chapter's later hideouts.
- Confronting Your Impostor: The subject of the entire fourth chapter.
- Injun Country: The fifth chapter. While riding in, you're treated to not one, but two areas where you're riding Silver through some cliffs festooned with a pretty hostile tribe, despite what Tonto assures you at the start. Visiting the village chief, you'll learn they attacked you because Butch told them the Lone Ranger was coming to do it to them first. He'll send you to fetch an egg from a giant bird's nest atop another cliff to prove your credibility.
- Keep the Reward: After beating down the gang in chapter 3, The Lone Ranger rides off with the wanted poster blowing away behind him, shown to bear a $5000 reward... Which he doesn't accept.
- Light Gun Game: One of only a couple licensed NES gamesnote that may be played with the Zapper (though only in the FPS areas).
- Locomotive Level: The besieged train from Laredo to Silver City at the end of the third chapter. This is the one time the ride is on the house (in other places trains function as a shortcut system and cost money), seeing's one of the chapter's gang hopped it as well.
- Recycled In Space: It's basically Ganbare Goemon in the Wild West.
- Throw Down the Bomblet: The dynamite. Load up on ten sticks of it for yourself, or pick up and throw back the ones carried by some enemies. Functions as a Smart Bomb if used in the FPS areas as well.
- Video Game Cruelty Punishment: The (always armed) boys are fair game, but striking down the ladies in the towns (or on the train) will cost the player energy and money.
