Reptilian Rising is a whacky, time-warping tabletop journey brought to you by developers Gregarious Games, Robot Circus and Hyper Luminal Games and publisher Numskull Games. Teaming up with a super eclectic bunch of quirky characters, players take to the tabletop to prevent a reptilian takeover.

The premise of the game sounds ridiculous, and it absolutely is, which sets Reptilian Rising apart from the usual doom and gloom settings of turn-based strategy games. There’s campy chaos in the way Reptilian Rising presents itself, with so many ideas merged into one small package; all the pieces are there, but the whole game doesn’t feel quite as complete as I would like.

Reptilian Rising has an unmistakable retro feel, capturing the 80’s heyday of tabletop games and fusing it with references throughout time and space. Essentially, time is fractured with, of all things, reptiles disrupting timelines to gain total domination of the planet.

I wasn’t entirely sold on the game’s plot early on, but once I gave in to the absurdity a bit, I enjoyed it for what it was. While the plot isn’t particularly deep, the gameplay is where Reptilian Rising shines.

Reptilian Rising is turn-based; characters are tabletop miniatures that move across a grid-based board with a set number of actions each round. Heroes are inspired by different eras and icons, like a hoverboard-riding teen called “Matilda McFly” (a not-so-subtle nod to another 80’s teen icon), historical figures like Cleopatra and fictional icons like Robin Hood, amongst others.

Stages vary with different layouts and settings, whether it be a sci-fi London or a village set during the Crusade, each zone is fused with elements of different timelines, blending different periods and genres into something else altogether.

The key to victory is maintaining control of a Time Gate, which, when held, allows the Time Gate holder to summon reinforcements whilst simultaneously blocking their enemies’ access to their own. Not only can holding the Time Gate allow the player to call in additional heroes, but it also creates Time-Energy to turn the tables and perform powerful abilities.

Both additions are a nice, welcome change to the tabletop genre, making it feel much more tactical, as players need to manage moves efficiently to prevent additional enemy call-ins. Squad positioning and efficient use of each character’s in-game actions (interacting with objects, defending or attacking) are crucial to success and making the most of the Hero Phase before the reptiles get their turn can make or break a run.

Reptilian Rising can still feel repetitive at times. I wasn’t a big fan of the gameplay loop as it mostly felt very rinse-and-repeat, but I can see some fans of tabletop turn-based titles enjoying trying out new strategies on the battlefield.

Board game aficionados may enjoy a little extra challenge with reinforcements having a limited number of lives per campaign, meaning a few wrong moves might result in the loss of a valuable ally for a time. The inclusion of hero perks and passives gives players a bit more freedom to make their minis in their own vision.

I did find the dialogue and voice acting particularly grating. The voice acting can be summed up as “so bad it’s good”. There’s no doubt personality is at the forefront for the characters, but at times I wish there was a little more “edge” rather than cringe in crucial moments for a bit more dimension. The music usually fell into an 80’s synthwave sound but wasn’t overly notable.

Visually, the stages are pretty minimal with a few set-pieces on the boards amongst the miniatures, and the assets are pretty low-res, but it kind of works by resembling board game pieces. I had some performance issues that hindered my heroics. At times, the game felt unoptimized, with frame drops and low-quality textures and the UI was obscured by other UI elements, making it difficult to interact with the button prompts, resulting in unnecessary frustration when taking turns.

For those looking for a silly, casual game that can handle the overly campy vibes, Reptilian Rising might scratch the tabletop nostalgia itch. For others, the strange story and sometimes repetitive gameplay might not be a smash hit. Reptilian Rising doesn’t take itself seriously, and it really comes down to the player to decide whether this one is a hit or a miss. 

Written by: Yasmin Noble