Reviewed: June 9, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer
Team17 Software
Released: May 23, 2006
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
7
9
6
8
8.2
Supported Features
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
I still remember playing the original Lemmings game more than 15 years ago when it made its PC debut. This was quickly followed up by numerous sequels, holiday booster packs, and almost as many system translations as Tetris. I can remember spending hours after countless hours with this totally addictive game, often on just one level trying to figure out the particular “hook” for that particular puzzle that would let me advance to the next.
Lemmings faded into gaming oblivion around the time console games started to steal the PC thunder and I managed to shake off my addiction, but now Team17 is back to pick up where DMA Designs and Psygnosis left off, and once again I find myself hopelessly addicted to those mindless, green haired, self-destructive urchins.
At least with the PSP version of Lemmings I can fuel my habit and stay mobile at the same time, but then again, that’s like an alcoholic trading his keg in for a hip flask. At least I’m ready to admit I have a problem, and that is the first step, or so they say at "Lemmings Anonymous". Team17, known for their Worms games, took over the Lemmings legacy and have created something quite unique, and while Lemmings is still rooted in classic (retro) gaming concepts, the PSP gives it an added touch of next-gen flair and much-need portability.
For those of you who have no idea what a Lemming is, shame on you. Lemmings is one of the building blocks in the Jenga tower of gaming history – one of the bottom blocks. Remove the Lemmings and gaming, at least puzzle games, would be set back drastically.
Basically, you are in charge of anywhere from one to 100 tiny creatures who are dumped into side-scrolling 2D levels and will march from left to right until: A: they die, or B: you re-task them. Sometimes the Lemmings trickle in and sometimes they pour in. It all depends on the “rate meter” which you are free to change, but can never lower below the level’s minimum setting. Usually, there is only one trap door that deposits Lemmings into the level, but a few fiendish designs have multiple hatches forcing you to micromanage two or more independent groups of Lemmings.
Some levels require you to save all Lemmings, but most have a minimum quota required to pass the level. Sometimes it’s not even possible to save 100% of the Lemmings, but when it is you are almost compelled to try, even if it means hours of planning and replaying. So just how do you save a Lemming from killing itself?
Each level has a preset group of skills and a variable number for each of those skills. You can pick the skills by scrolling right and left with the triggers, then highlight any Lemming and press X to assign that skill. Some skills activate immediately like Diggers, Blockers, and Miners, while others like Floaters and Climbers will “stick” to the assigned Lemming until needed.
There are more than 150 increasingly challenging levels that will require a lot of planning, quick reflexes, and a lot of trial and error. Solving each level first requires that you figure out the optimum path from the entry hatch to the exit and then you have to take inventory of the various skills made available for that level and how many of each you have. The game allows you to pause and scroll around the levels at any time to figure all this out.
Sometimes it's as easy as creating a Blocker to reverse the flow of Lemmings, but often you will need to orchestrate complex teams of Lemmings who will climb, dig, and punch their way to the end and hopefully clear a path for the rest of the bunch. My personal favorite tactic is to use as few Lemmings as possible to do the actual work while keeping the main group clustered together between Blockers or natural impasses. You can change assignments on the fly so one Lemming could climb a high obstacle, float down the other side, then build some stairs to the exit, simply by changing his skill at the proper time.
Levels can take hours to solve but only minutes to complete once you figure out what to do. This makes it the perfect game for the handheld mentality. There were a few levels where I studied and tried various tactics during multiple 15-minute breaks and then solved during a lunch hour or later at home, and other times I was able to knock off multiple stages in a single session.
Fans of the series will instantly recognize most of the levels, which have been carried over from the original game, albeit, with serious visual enhancements. Even after 15 years I was amazed (and a bit scared) at how quickly I was able to remember the solutions for the first batch of 30 levels. It was like something snapped in my brain and I had total recall.
The PSP version obviously had to reinvent the controls. With no mouse we now must use the D-pad to move a target box around the level and select Lemmings. It certainly isn’t as fast or as accurate as a mouse, but you can pause the game, pick your skill and highlight the target Lemming before resuming real-time.
Oddly enough, the analog pad is used for minimal camera pans around the level. I can’t help but think the A-pad would have been faster and more accurate in reproducing the mouse control of the PC game. There is also a very handy Zoom feature you can use to close in on the action and select Lemmings a bit more accurately when they are bunched together.
Other PSP enhancements include a fast-forward mode that rapidly accelerates the action (complete with VCR-like screen interference) for as long as you hold down the button. This is a great way to speed things up if you have one Lemming punching through half the level or building long sections of stairs. And once you have rescued all the Lemmings possible you can use the auto-complete to clean up any loose ends like Blockers.
Even though I knew the solutions to the first 30+ levels, I can barely remember what this game looked like back in 1991. I’m sure it was pretty – Psygnosis was known for great looking games – but I know it couldn’t have come close to the gorgeous, almost high-def quality of this new PSP version, which is amazing given the limitations of the 2D gameplay.
Levels are stunning for their simplicity. Textures are rich and colorful and pop off the screen. There are only a few repeating themes that all the levels share, but within those, there are some truly remarkable designs, which is good since the backgrounds are pretty much the focus of the puzzles and gameplay. The wide screen also gives you a much broader view of what is mostly a horizontal game.
The Lemmings themselves are mere blips on the screen; even when you zoom in there is only a minor increase in detail, but you really only need to see their blue body and tuft of green hair to know which direction they are headed. The persistent skills are indicated with an update to the individual Lemming that might include a hat or an umbrella.
Everything about the game and presentation is razor sharp including the menu along the bottom that features colorful icons for each of the skills and legible numbers for various Lemmings stats and the ominous timer that ticks away the seconds in the corner. Even the level editor with its seemingly complicated build menus is made intuitive by clever and functional design.
There are a handful of songs that make up the Lemmings soundtrack and these will start to annoy you about 20 levels into the game. Some aren’t so bad while others will have you mashing the volume button. If any game demanded a custom soundtrack, this is it. It would have been so much better to play this game while listening to the MP3’s on my PSP.
The rest of the sound experience is minimal at best. Most of the skills like digging don’t make any noise, but the stair builders do have a very useful “click” for their last three steps indicating you might need to reassign them. Bombers make a “popping” sound, but other than the occasional “YIPPEE” that you hear when Lemmings go home or the “GURGLE” when they drown, the game is a pretty silent experience.
On an interesting note, all sounds are “captioned” with comic book style wordings that pop up on the screen, effectively allowing you to play the game with no sound at all. Of course this could be dangerous if you have a stream of Lemmings all walking into their demise off camera.
For veterans of the PC version, you might think you’ll race through this game. I know I did when I polished off the first batch of 30 stages in a single sitting, but things started to get tough and I even had to consult some online strategy guides near the halfway point. I went from 20-30 levels an hour to 2-3 levels per hour near the end. But most of this is just figuring out what to do. The actual act of saving the Lemmings once you know the strategy takes less than 3-5 minutes for any given level.
While I haven’t finished all the levels, I can safely estimate a solid 20+ hours to complete this game, probably more if you are compulsive like me and want to “Storm” the levels or get a “Perfect” whenever possible. Unfortunately, there is no grading system in place, and all levels are either pass/fail. There is also a comprehensive level editor that gives you all the tools to create your own levels, which can easily be just as good as the built-in stages if you have any design or puzzle skills. You can then share these levels via the wireless connection.
Sadly, there is no multiplayer support despite the PC and other systems already proving how much fun two players can have rescuing Lemmings. There is a Game Share mode that allows you to “beam” a demo of the game and three levels to another PSP using the wireless connection, and there are online rankings and ladders so you can see how your performance stack up against other Lemmings players.
Even after 15 years Lemmings holds up as a fantastic puzzle game that turns out to be perfectly suited to the handheld format. And while I have to question the illogical decision to use the D-pad for targeting, the game still manages to work and looks great doing so. Just turn down the volume to save your sanity.
Veterans of the series will enjoy the trip down memory lane just as much as they will enjoy the new PSP-exclusive levels and the ability to create their own with the level editor. And with more level packs available for download, there is no end in sight for this latest generation of Lemmings. Prepare for a whole new level of addiction.