Rampage (1986 video game)

Bally Midway

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	1986
Key people	Brian F Colin (lead artist), Jeff Nauman (programmer), Sharon Perry (artist), Jim Belt (tester), Michael Bartlow (composer)
Products	Rampage (arcade game)
Parent	Midway Games (at time of Rampage release)

Rampage is an arcade game released in 1986 by Bally Midway, drawing inspiration from classic monster movies. Players assume control of three giant creatures—George, Lizzie, and Ralph—who were once humans but transformed due to experimental accidents. The objective is to wreak havoc on urban environments and confront military opposition while maintaining survival. The gameplay unfolds over a span of 128 days in various North American cities, repeating the cycle five times. Players engage in demolishing buildings, consuming civilians, and evading damage.

The title spawned five sequels and inspired a 2018 movie adaptation. Following its acquisition of Midway Games, Warner Bros. holds the intellectual property rights.

Gameplay

Up to three participants control humans altered into enormous monsters by experimental mishaps: George, transformed into a gorilla-like being through vitamin experiments; Lizzie, mutated into a reptilian creature after exposure to radioactive waste while swimming; and Ralph, turned into a giant werewolf after ingesting a hot dog with an unknown chemical additive. Players must demolish high-rise structures in urban settings to progress, while fending off attacks from helicopters, tanks, taxis, police vehicles, boats, and trolleys.

Monsters climb buildings and strike them until they collapse. Non-player characters can be punched or grabbed, and food items are available to restore health. Monsters sustain damage from bullets, explosives such as dynamite, shells, attacks from other monsters, and falls. When health is depleted, the monster reverts to a naked human form and exits the screen; in this vulnerable state, players can be consumed by other monsters. Continuing allows the player to either transform back into the monster or respawn via a blimp with full health but no accumulated points.

Breaking windows uncovers objects or civilians that may assist or hinder players. Beneficial items include food and money; harmful ones comprise bombs and electrical appliances. Some items have conditional effects—for instance, a toaster is dangerous until it ejects toast. Civilians signaling for help increase points rapidly when grabbed.

The game covers 128 days across cities in North America, beginning in Peoria, Illinois, and concluding in Plano, Illinois. At the final city, players receive a "mega vitamin bonus" that fully restores all monsters' health and awards substantial points. This sequence repeats five times over 768 days before restarting. Developer Brian F Colin noted that hardware limitations prevented extending beyond this cycle.

Certain home versions start in San Jose, California, and end in Los Angeles after traversing multiple U.S. and Canadian locations. Of the 50 states in the U.S., only Connecticut, Delaware, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont are absent from the game's city lineup.

Development

Lead artist Brian Colin and programmer Jeff Nauman—both not typical arcade enthusiasts—designed Rampage with the philosophy of "no wrong way to play," steering clear of conventional objectives like high scores or character death. Additional development contributors included artist Sharon Perry, tester Jim Belt, and composer Michael Bartlow. The idea of demolishing skyscrapers emerged from technical constraints permitting only rectangular background shapes. Due to hardware restrictions, cities share similar appearances; Ralph and George are essentially palette swaps with swapped heads; dust effects were employed to conceal animation imperfections. Initial management was doubtful about the unconventional concept of monstrous city destruction but support increased under new leadership. After release, extra levels were added to raise difficulty. In the introductory cutscene, Colin portrayed George; his wife Rae appeared as Lizzie; and Nauman took on Ralph.

Colin drew creative influence from monster films such as King Kong and 20 Million Miles To Earth to produce impressive visuals within Midway’s arcade hardware constraints. He clarified that Lizzie was inspired by the Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth, rather than Godzilla, whose size would have been impractical for the game’s scale. Colin preferred the work of Harryhausen and Willis O’Brien over traditional kaiju cinema.

Release and ports

Originally launched in arcades in 1986, Colin promoted Rampage through press announcements sent to the cities depicted within the game, formatted as warnings about forthcoming devastation.

The title was adapted for a wide range of systems such as Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, and Tandy Color Computer 3. The Lynx edition introduced an additional character, Larry, a giant rat; meanwhile, the NES version excluded Ralph, featuring only two monsters.

Epyx developed the Lynx port, which initially started as an independent clone named Monster Demolition before officially becoming part of the Rampage series.

The arcade original has been included in numerous collections: Arcade Party Pak (1999 for PlayStation), Midway Arcade Treasures (2003 on GameCube, PS2, Xbox), Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play (2005 for PSP), as a bonus feature in Rampage: Total Destruction (2006), and Midway Arcade Origins (2012).

In 1997, Tiger Electronics released a handheld LCD version. Later, in 2017, Basic Fun produced a mini arcade version of the NES port including Ralph, as part of their Arcade Classics series (#10).

In the 2015 title Lego Dimensions, Rampage is available as an unlockable game.

By July 2000, Midway licensed Rampage for inclusion in Shockwave’s online applet collection created by Digital Eclipse. The game was also adapted for iOS through Midway’s arcade application.

In 2018, Arcade1Up launched a 4-foot tall miniature replica of the original arcade cabinet.

Reception

The game achieved strong financial results in arcades and stood as one of Bally/Midway’s final major successes.

The MS-DOS adaptation received acclaim from Computer Gaming World, particularly when played on faster PCs with EGA graphics, highlighting that IBM-compatible games could hold their own in the entertainment software market.

According to Your Sinclair, the game offered initial enjoyment but suggested its appeal might diminish unless experienced with multiple players or by enthusiasts of the original arcade version.

Lynx

In March 1991, CVG Magazine awarded the Lynx edition a score of 60%. Later, in 1999, Robert A. Jung from IGN rated it 9 out of 10, describing it as a fun and lighthearted multiplayer experience.

Legacy

In 1997, Rampage World Tour was released by Midway and developed by original creators Brian Colin and Jeff Nauman. This was followed by console-only sequels including Rampage 2: Universal Tour, Rampage Through Time, and Rampage Puzzle Attack. The last Midway installment was Rampage: Total Destruction.

The franchise received an arcade reboot in 2018 developed by Adrenaline Amusements for Warner Bros., inspired by the 2018 movie. It debuted exclusively at Dave & Buster's venues and incorporates redemption-style gameplay elements.

Film adaptation

A feature film loosely inspired by the game was produced jointly by Warner Bros and New Line Cinema. Directed by Brad Peyton and starring Dwayne Johnson, with producers John Rickard and Beau Flynn, the movie portrays George, Lizzie, and Ralph as mutated creatures rather than humans transformed into monsters. It premiered on April 13, 2018.