Rampage (1986). Play online

Summary

Rampage drops you into the shoes of giant, mutated monsters—George the gorilla, Lizzie the reptile, and Ralph the were‑wolf—who rip through city skyscrapers, munch civilians, and blast away military hardware. The core thrill comes from tearing down every building while peering into smashed windows for random bonuses like fruit or hidden explosives.

The arcade adventure is mapped over a 128‑day tour of North American metropolises, kicking off in Peoria and wrapping up in Plano with a “mega vitamin” healing bonus; the route repeats five times for a total of 768 chaotic days, sparing only seven tiny U.S. states from destruction.

Lead designer Brian Colin insisted there be "no wrong way to play," crafting a game around simple rectangular sprite logic and even sending fake press releases that labeled each real‑world town in‑game as "slated for destruction." That tongue‑in‑cheek promotion helped the title stand out during a skeptical development period.

Decades later Rampage resurfaced on dozens of home systems, in modern retro compilations, as a Mini‑Arcade cabinet, and even earned a nod in Disney's *Wreck‑It Ralph*, proving the love for pixel‑perfect monster mayhem never truly crumbles.

Storyline

Inspired by monster movies, Rampage puts players in control of three mutated creatures—George, Lizzie and Ralph—who were once humans. An opening cutscene shows their transformation, even using photos of the game’s developers for the characters. The monsters embark on a 128‑day rampage across North American cities, beginning in Peoria, Illinois. They smash buildings, devour civilians and clash with the military as they move toward the final stop in Plano, Illinois. Reaching Plano triggers a “mega vitamin bonus” that fully heals the trio and awards a huge point bonus.
After the bonus the entire 128‑day circuit repeats five times, totaling 768 days of destruction. When the full cycle ends the game resets to Day 1, starting the havoc anew.