Rampage (Rev 3, 8/27/86)

Rampage is a 1986 Bally Midway arcade action game that puts the player on the destructive side of a monster-movie city attack. This record represents the original arcade game’s Rev 3 program, dated August 27, 1986, rather than one of the many home conversions or later sequels. Designed by artist Brian Colin and programmer Jeff Nauman, Rampage turns a straightforward coin-op premise into a gleefully chaotic contest of climbing, smashing, eating and surviving.

One to three players choose George, Lizzie and Ralph, humans altered into gigantic creatures by separate experimental accidents. George is a gorilla-like scientist changed by experimental vitamins, Lizzie is a reptilian monster exposed to radioactive pollution, and Ralph is a huge werewolf created by an unknown food additive. Their goal is not to save a city but to tear it apart, a playful reversal of the usual arcade hero fantasy and a major part of the game’s enduring appeal.

Each stage presents a North American cityscape built around tall, climbable buildings. Monsters scale the sides, punch out windows and pound the structures until they collapse into rubble. Tanks, helicopters, police vehicles and other armed forces answer the attack, while hazards such as gunfire, explosives, electricity and falling debris steadily drain a monster’s health. A player who takes too much damage reverts to human form, making survival as important as destruction.

The buildings are packed with quick decisions. Breaking windows can reveal food that restores health, cash for points, civilians to grab, or dangerous surprises including bombs and electrical appliances. Players can also attack enemies and interfere with one another, so cooperative play naturally shares space with friendly rivalry. The clear controls and immediately readable action make the game easy to join, yet its shifting hazards keep a three-player session lively.

Rampage moves through a long sequence of cities, beginning in Peoria, Illinois, and its city cycle encourages players to see how far their monsters can survive. The arcade hardware’s limitations helped shape its distinctive design: repeated city structures and dramatic dust from collapsing buildings support the illusion of a nationwide rampage. Colin drew on classic monster cinema, particularly King Kong and Ray Harryhausen-style creature films; Lizzie was inspired by the Ymir of 20 Million Miles to Earth rather than Godzilla.

Bally Midway’s game became a major arcade success and later reached numerous computers and consoles, helping establish Rampage as a recognizable monster-game series. Its simple fantasy of demolishing a skyline, combined with three-player simultaneous action, made it a natural fit for arcade collections decades later. The original 1986 release remains the foundation of that legacy: a compact, humorous arcade game where the monsters are the stars and every city is an invitation to make a mess.