Every once in a while, a game comes along that catches you completely off guard. For me, that game is Terrible Lizards. After spending several hours exploring its strange world, solving puzzles, and trying to stay one step ahead of the dangers lurking around every corner, I can honestly say this is probably the most fun I’ve had playing a game this year. In fact, it might even be my pick for Game of the Year.
My first experience with Terrible Lizards was at PAX West 2025, where I had the opportunity to try its demo. Even then, I was intrigued by what WDR Studios was putting together. The concept was fun, the setting caught my attention, and I wanted to see where the full experience would go. Now that I’ve played through the game, I’m happy to say it delivered an adventure that was even more enjoyable than I expected.
Terrible Lizards takes place at Dalton’s Dinos, an abandoned dinosaur-themed roadside attraction along Route 66 in New Mexico. Set in 1992, the story begins after your car breaks down, leaving you stranded with few options for getting help. Once inside the attraction, you discover that the staff have disappeared and a mysterious voice on a telephone asks you to help find a missing child. What starts as an unusual roadside detour quickly turns into something much more dangerous.
The premise is entertaining, and the game does a great job of keeping the adventure moving as you uncover more about the attraction and what lies beneath it. There’s a nice balance between exploration, mystery, and the occasional moment when you need to move quickly because something is chasing you. I particularly enjoyed the puzzles, which give you reasons to pay attention to your surroundings rather than simply rushing from one area to the next.
One of the biggest highlights for me is the parkour. Terrible Lizards isn’t just a horror game where you walk through dark environments waiting for something to jump out at you. Movement is a major part of the experience. Running, jumping, climbing, wall-running, and navigating obstacles all contribute to the adventure. These mechanics add another layer to exploration and make the chase sequences more exciting. There’s a real sense of satisfaction when you figure out how to navigate an area or escape a pursuing creature.
The presentation is another area where I think the game gets things right. The graphics aren’t especially detailed or technically impressive, but that never became a problem for me. The environments have enough personality to make the attraction interesting, and the overall visual style supports the experience. I would much rather play a game with an engaging world and enjoyable mechanics than one that looks amazing but isn’t particularly fun. Terrible Lizards understands that sometimes the experience matters more than the technical details.
There is one area where the presentation can be a little inconsistent: the voice acting. Some performances sound quite professional, while others feel more like they came from someone with less experience behind the microphone. The difference in quality is noticeable, and there are moments when it can take you out of the experience. It isn’t enough to ruin the game, but it is something I noticed as the story progressed.
I was also surprised by how much game there was to enjoy. I expected the adventure to be considerably shorter, but completing it took longer than I initially anticipated. I streamed Terrible Lizards over three separate nights, with each stream running approximately three hours. That’s a substantial amount of time spent with the game, and I never felt like I was simply trying to get through it. There was always something else to discover, another puzzle to solve, or another part of the story to experience.
Another thing I appreciated was the game’s approach to pop culture references. Terrible Lizards clearly pays homage to some familiar pieces of entertainment and nostalgia. These references aren’t particularly subtle, but they also aren’t constantly shoved in your face. I think WDR Studios found a nice balance that lets players recognize and enjoy the tributes without making them the entire focus of the experience.
I also think Terrible Lizards has the potential to appeal to a surprisingly wide audience. The combination of exploration, puzzles, platforming, humor, and horror gives it more variety than you might expect from its premise. You don’t need to be a hardcore horror fan to appreciate the adventure, and the parkour mechanics provide plenty of entertainment beyond the scares. That variety makes it an easy game to recommend to people who enjoy a good story-driven experience.
Perhaps the best endorsement I can give Terrible Lizards is how much I enjoyed sharing it with viewers. I had a great time playing through the adventure, and the audience seemed just as invested in watching the story unfold. It was one of those games where the experience of playing and streaming it felt equally rewarding, with plenty of moments worth reacting to and discussing along the way.
Terrible Lizards is an excellent example of how a game doesn’t need cutting-edge graphics or a massive production budget to deliver something memorable. WDR Studios has put together an entertaining adventure with a fun premise, enjoyable puzzles, satisfying parkour, and a world that kept me interested from beginning to end. The inconsistent voice acting is a minor blemish, but it doesn’t change how much I enjoyed the overall experience.
I went into this game curious about what had changed since that first demo at PAX West 2025. I came away genuinely impressed and with one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year. It’s absolutely in the conversation for my personal Game of the Year, and I hope more players give it a chance.
Terrible Lizards is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.