Trog

Maze Arcade Classic Playable Now 1990 🎮 Keyboard / Gamepad

Trog is a 1990 arcade maze game from Midway, released under the Bally Midway label. Up to four players control the dinosaurs Rex, Bloop, Spike and Gwen across 49 islands in the land of Og. Each dinosaur collects eggs of its own colour while avoiding the Trogs, a tribe of one-eyed cavemen. Once all the eggs are gathered, you head for the exit marked Home. The characters were made with claymation, which gives the game a distinct look among arcade titles of the time.

Midway maze game claymation four player 1990 dinosaurs arcade Arcade

Controls

Arrow Keys - Move
Z - A Button (Jump / Attack)
X - B Button
A - L Shoulder
S - R Shoulder
Enter - Start
Shift - Select
Gamepad - Full support

What Trog is

Trog takes its core structure from Pac-Man: clear a maze of collectables while enemies chase you, and grab a special item to turn the tables. Here the special item is a pineapple, which turns your dinosaur into a full-grown T-Rex that can eat Trogs for a short time. Other pickups include red flowers for speed, ice cubes that freeze enemies, and a firebrand that lets you breathe fire.

The Trogs get smarter as the islands go on, using fire pits, rolling wheels, springs and catapults against you. Those hazards hurt the cavemen too, which leads to some funny moments. Many islands have no walls, so walking off the edge drops you into the sea. Acclaim later ported Trog to the NES and MS-DOS with two-player support.

How it plays in your browser

This page runs the arcade original, including its claymation graphics and four-player design, through an emulator. There is no download required.

Single-player works well, and if you have extra controllers you can bring in more players.

Use the arrow keys to move and Z to punch. Insert a coin with the Select key listed above, then press Enter to start.

Tips worth knowing

  • Watch the edges of each island. With no walls on many stages, a careless move sends your dinosaur into the sea.
  • You can punch Trogs at any time without a power-up, which helps when one blocks a narrow path.
  • Save the pineapple for when several Trogs are near, so you can eat as many as possible while it lasts.
  • Lure Trogs into their own traps. Wheels, pits and fire can knock out the cavemen just as easily as you.
  • Only your own colour of eggs counts, so plan a route before heading out rather than wandering across the island.

Frequently asked questions

Who made Trog?

Midway developed Trog and released it in arcades in 1990 under the Bally Midway label.

How many players can play Trog?

The arcade version supports up to four players at once. The NES and MS-DOS ports cut this to two.

What does the pineapple do in Trog?

It temporarily turns your dinosaur into a full-grown T-Rex that can eat the Trogs, similar to a power pellet in Pac-Man.

How many levels are in Trog?

There are 49 islands to clear in the arcade game.

More games like this

Bubble Bobble, Gang Busters, GunNail. You can also browse the full games library or read the guides on the blog.