I’ll be honest, all I knew about Terrible Lizards going into the review was that one of the screenshots for the game reminded me of an early 90s screenshot ripped straight out of one of the many interactive CD experiences that defined that era.
In practice, I wasn’t far off, at least as far as the vibe WDR Studios has gone for in bringing Terrible Lizards to life. For the uninitiated, Terrible Lizards is a 3D action platformer with an emphasis on parkour and fluid movement. In the game, players assume the role of Jordan, a hapless second-year Engineering student whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, which just so happens to be the location of Dalton’s Dinos, a creepy old relic of a sideshow on Route 66.
To kill time, Jordan decides to check out the derelict old Dinosaur attraction, which, of course, leads to increasingly dire situations for our hero. Terrible Lizards is an eclectic experience that goes for humour and scares in equal measure, even if it sometimes feels a bit uneven in what it wants to present itself as.
“Terrible Lizards is a fantastic 90s-inspired romp through nostalgic environments that anyone of a certain age will surely appreciate.”
The game starts simple enough: Jordan, the ever-curious student, is stuck waiting for someone to help him with his car, which leads players to explore Dalton’s Dinos, where it quickly becomes apparent that the attraction is seemingly devoid of people, replaced in its place with a creepy, foreboding atmosphere and the uncanny feeling of being stalked by someone or something.
The early opening hours of Terrible Lizards scratch that primordial itch or intrusive desire to go beyond the threshold or barricade put in place at attractions and museums, giving the player the freedom to climb and scamper all over prehistoric animatronics on display at Dalton’s Dinos.
Things eventually start to become less about killing time and more about not getting killed, as Jordan discovers strange happenings inside the derelict attraction centre, culminating in him getting stuck in the subterranean network of caverns right under the shabby sideshow. From here, players must guide Jordan to safety in the hopes of escaping the clutches of the strange creatures that lurk deep within the Earth. Terrible Lizard’s story drops cassette tapes during its roughly eight to 10 hour adventure, in addition to banter between Jordan and a faceless woman via a mic players find early on.
The cassette system fits well into the early 90s setting of the game, made better with live-action cutscenes that evoke the feeling of playing an FMV PC game from the same era. There is an undeniable campy charm to Terrible Lizards that makes it endearing throughout its short but sweet runtime.
Gameplay in Terrible Lizards consists of restoring power to downed facilities, solving environmental-based puzzles and lots and lots of parkour. This formula works well for the most part, giving players the freedom to climb, swing, jump and even wall-run across precarious platforms as they make their way deep into the subterranean labyrinth.
Terrible Lizards relies on the old-faithful yellow paint and marker system, making it easy to discern where to go next without feeling too out of place or obvious, as most of the environments and levels in the game seem to be set in active dig sites and under-construction zones that fit the aesthetic of the world.
“The early opening hours of Terrible Lizards scratch that primordial itch or intrusive desire to go beyond the threshold or barricade put in place at attractions and museums…”
My biggest gripe with Terrible Lizards is more about the level variety and some repetitive sequences, which, despite its relatively short playtime, started to get old, with the same structure to most puzzles and an overreliance on stalking sequences. I wish the game would have changed things up or featured more running and parkour sections, as those were the most fun I had with my time with the experience.
Saying that, overall, Terrible Lizards is a fantastic 90s-inspired romp through nostalgic environments that anyone of a certain age will surely appreciate. For PC players wanting to try the game, thanks to its reliance on the Unreal Engine, I played Terrible Lizards entirely in VR, something that translated out of the box without much issue and made the experience that much more immersive.
Ultimately, if you’re a fan of games like Mirror’s Edge or enjoy analogue horror, Terrible Lizards is a solid outing and worth checking out for those in the mood for a tenser yet humorous 3D platforming adventure.
