When we first booted up Reptilian Rising, it felt like a fever dream—something pulled straight out of a 1980s basement. In this turn-based tactical game, we found genocidal, time-traveling lizards fighting history’s heavy hitters. The more we played, the weirder it got, a feeling doubly emphasized by the Saturday morning cartoon vibes. If you, like us, are going in expecting a lighthearted romp, you’re in for a treat: Reptilian Rising is a genuinely mean tactical RPG that likes to slap you around the moment you get lazy
What you’ll find in this toybox:
Every attack can trigger an immediate enemy counter-move.
A limited resource spent on cloning, teleporting, or calling in historical reinforcements.
You have to hold specific map points to stop the lizards from spawning infinitely.
Combining powers from icons like Winston Churchill and Cleopatra to create combat synergies.
Plastic Miniatures, Brutal Tactics
The combat is highly reactive—easily our favorite part. If you take a potshot at a Laser Raptor, it bites back immediately. We found out the hard way that spamming attacks just gets you killed. Unlike most games in the genre, we had to prioritize our upgrades and plan for the counter-swing every single time. Otherwise, we weren’t going to make a meaningful dent in this chaotic can of fun.
A game of inches on a very unforgiving plastic board
To survive in Reptilian Rising, you burn Time Energy, which allows you to manipulate the turn order. For example, you can drop a time-gate to warp a unit across the board or clone a hero to set up a crossfire. When we actually pulled one of these plans off, we felt like tactical geniuses—it’s incredibly rewarding. That feeling is addictive, and you constantly strive to make the right decision. But sooner or later (for us, it was always sooner), the odds stopped working in our favor—especially when the enemy held the high ground.
Hey, did you know that:
The “Everybody shoot the dinosaur” tagline is a riff on the 1987 Was (Not Was) hit “Walk the Dinosaur.”
Dictatorsaur is a three-headed lizard fueled by the souls of three of history’s worst villains.
The devs specifically used a “claymation” filter to mimic 1980s fantasy films.
Founder Greg Hall is from the family famous for Newcastle United’s “Entertainers” era and the Metrocentre.
Rewarding Experience
Reptilian Rising is a bizarre, frustrating game that knows exactly how to push our buttons—but it’s also kind of brilliant. The UI definitely takes some getting used to, and the frame rate will dip on lower-end rigs, but if you’re hanging around Dev ‘n Play, you probably know a good tactical puzzle is worth a little suffering. If you have the patience for some rough edges and brutal luck, this is a toybox worth cracking open.
8/10
ID Card
- Developer: Gregarious Games, Robot Circus, Hyper Luminal Games
- Publisher: Numskull Games
- Engine: Unity
- Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch
- Release Date: April 23, 2026
- Genre: Turn-Based Strategy RPG
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