1980s
Rampage
1986 · Action · Arcade
Overview
Rampage is a classic 1980s action game developed by Brian Colin & Jeff Nauman for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Rampage is a classic 1980s action game developed by Brian Colin & Jeff Nauman for Arcade.
Developer Story
Rampage was designed by Brian Colin and Jeff Nauman at Bally Midway in 1986. Three giant monsters — George (gorilla), Lizzie (lizard), and Ralph (werewolf) — destroyed cities while being shot at by the military. The three-player simultaneous format let friends each control a monster and compete to eat the most food and destroy the most buildings. The game's anarchic destruction fantasy was immediately popular.
Did You Know?
- Rampage's monsters were legally distinct from King Kong and Godzilla, but their designs were clearly influenced by those characters.
- Players could eat soldiers, people, and even each other — friendly fire between monsters was not only allowed but encouraged.
- George, Lizzie, and Ralph were originally humans transformed by scientific experiments — a nod to the monster movie genre.
- A feature film adaptation was released in 2018, starring Dwayne Johnson — 32 years after the original game.
