Airborne Ranger
Microprose · 2022 · Action, Simulation, Strategy, Third-Person Shooter, Wargame
PC
Mixed63% · 16 📉 Recent reviews down 40%
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About Airborne Ranger
Alone behind enemy lines, equipped with your elite Ranger training, small arms, and strategically placed cases of ammunition, you must complete twelve challenging missions and earn your promotion to full bird colonel.
Welcome to the re-release of Airborne Ranger, one of Microprose's most critically acclaimed war games.
At the start of each mission you go through a proper pre-combat briefing session, and then select a Ranger from your company that has what you think are the right skills for the job ahead. You start each mission by piloting the brand new V-22 Osprey and picking locations to drop three ammo crates deep in enemy territory (Airborne Ranger was released in 1988, the Osprey first came into active service in 1989, so this is some real black ops business). Each supply crate contains ammunition, time bombs, first-aid kits, grenades & LAW rockets depending on your briefing. Choose locations wisely: you can only carry so much ammo, so resupply is critical.
Then parachute behind enemy lines and get to work. .. and this is no easy drop, you will need to steer your parafoil to a safe landing. Missions range from destroying military targets and sabotaging installations, to rescuing POWs and stealing secrets. You’ll need to navigate enemy troops and officers, minefields, foxholes and bunkers. Switch between stealth and surgically accurate combat to succeed. At times you might even need to steal an enemy uniform. And you better get back to the LZ for exfil in time, or you will get captured. If you get captured, welcome to your next mission – you are going to need to mount a rescue attempt before you can complete the primary objective.
Understanding the environment is critical to success. In the arctic missions you can lure enemies onto unstable ice, in the jungles and forests you can hide under water. Do you use your knife? Your M4? Or a delayed time bomb? Sprint across the open field, or crawl in a trench to avoid detection? It is all up to you.
Practice mode lets you try individual missions, and then step up to Veteran mode and you will have to complete all 12 missions as a campaign. You’ll rank up with each successful mission, all the way to a full colonel in the U.S. Airborne Rangers.
Twelve missions, winter, desert and jungle terrains, and four difficulty modes will keep you playing again and again.
A mix of strategy and arcade action
An accurate 80s menu of weapons
Choose from your squadron of Rangers for every mission
12 timed missions
Randomly generated maps for endless replay
Airborne Ranger was lauded upon release for a number of reasons. Compute Magazine called it “an excellent game from beginning to end,” and warned "the violence and action are graphic and highly realistic.” Computer Gaming World praised the level of detail after they noticed that gunfire sounded differently if you are inside a building vs outside. Retro enthusiasts have called it a “stealth shooter” and a pioneer of the genre.
Welcome to the re-release of Airborne Ranger, one of Microprose's most critically acclaimed war games.
At the start of each mission you go through a proper pre-combat briefing session, and then select a Ranger from your company that has what you think are the right skills for the job ahead. You start each mission by piloting the brand new V-22 Osprey and picking locations to drop three ammo crates deep in enemy territory (Airborne Ranger was released in 1988, the Osprey first came into active service in 1989, so this is some real black ops business). Each supply crate contains ammunition, time bombs, first-aid kits, grenades & LAW rockets depending on your briefing. Choose locations wisely: you can only carry so much ammo, so resupply is critical.
Then parachute behind enemy lines and get to work. .. and this is no easy drop, you will need to steer your parafoil to a safe landing. Missions range from destroying military targets and sabotaging installations, to rescuing POWs and stealing secrets. You’ll need to navigate enemy troops and officers, minefields, foxholes and bunkers. Switch between stealth and surgically accurate combat to succeed. At times you might even need to steal an enemy uniform. And you better get back to the LZ for exfil in time, or you will get captured. If you get captured, welcome to your next mission – you are going to need to mount a rescue attempt before you can complete the primary objective.
Understanding the environment is critical to success. In the arctic missions you can lure enemies onto unstable ice, in the jungles and forests you can hide under water. Do you use your knife? Your M4? Or a delayed time bomb? Sprint across the open field, or crawl in a trench to avoid detection? It is all up to you.
Practice mode lets you try individual missions, and then step up to Veteran mode and you will have to complete all 12 missions as a campaign. You’ll rank up with each successful mission, all the way to a full colonel in the U.S. Airborne Rangers.
Twelve missions, winter, desert and jungle terrains, and four difficulty modes will keep you playing again and again.
A mix of strategy and arcade action
An accurate 80s menu of weapons
Choose from your squadron of Rangers for every mission
12 timed missions
Randomly generated maps for endless replay
Airborne Ranger was lauded upon release for a number of reasons. Compute Magazine called it “an excellent game from beginning to end,” and warned "the violence and action are graphic and highly realistic.” Computer Gaming World praised the level of detail after they noticed that gunfire sounded differently if you are inside a building vs outside. Retro enthusiasts have called it a “stealth shooter” and a pioneer of the genre.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
I love this game but cannot stand the graphics. I played it on my Commodore 64 and Amiga all of the time. Wish they would redo this game and make the graphics better.11 found this helpful
Fantastic throwback to C64 time! One of my favorite games as a kid. Nowadays this might be quite simple game, but back in late 80's this was ground breaking. All the options, to gear up your guy like you wish and possibility to advance with very different tactics in the field. The supply drop plane scene and variety in weapons to use. Graphics were so cool and you can move in "all" directions! This was really a development step in games. To fix the speed and sound, you need to adjust a config file. Info about the fix in the forum comments. Really easy! Game usually runs ridiculously fast at first and sound can be weird too. I strongly recommend this game for retro game enthusiasts and nostalgia seekers. Good game! One of the best games from 80's!10 found this helpful
Sadly unplayable in this form. To difficult even on easy settings. Game moves to fast.8 found this helpful
cant figure out how to make it not go super fast. cant even play this game its way too fast. wish i never bought this.8 found this helpful
Airborne Ranger, developed by MicroProse and released in 1987, stands as a pioneering title in the realm of tactical action games. Set against the backdrop of Cold War-era conflicts, the game places players in the boots of a U.S. Army Ranger tasked with executing high-stakes missions behind enemy lines. Its blend of strategic planning, real-time action, and stealth elements distinguished it from contemporaneous titles, offering a unique gaming experience that emphasized both cerebral and reflexive gameplay. The game's structure is divided into three distinct phases: mission briefing, insertion, and execution. During the briefing, players are presented with objectives such as rescuing prisoners, sabotaging enemy installations, or gathering intelligence. The insertion phase involves selecting equipment and strategizing the drop zones for supply caches. Finally, the execution phase sees players navigating varied terrains, from dense jungles to arid deserts, employing stealth and combat tactics to accomplish their missions and reach extraction points. This tripartite design introduced a level of depth and realism that was uncommon in action games of the era. Graphically, Airborne Ran…3 found this helpful
This is a Dos-Box release. Nothing is added or fixed. The sound won'¨t work and the game is far too quick to be playable on a moden system. It can be tweaked but for the asked price this is lazy and poorly executed. On the other hand, this is the game that I loved as a kid and worth it - if nothing more - for the nostaliga. Make of it what you want.1 found this helpful
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