Lemmings

"100 green haired little creatures are more than enough to drive you nuts!!!"

I first started playing this game so long ago. Some time in 1994 or something, I had my Genesis for a while now, and I was starting to pile up an awesome collection of games, and to that very day hadn't played any puzzle, point 'n' clicks, or any other kind of mind benders like Lemmings, until my cousin asked me if I wanted to borrow Lemmings. At the time I was seven, I didn't even know what a Lemming was. So I just said 'ok', and received the cartridge about half an hour later. And after a first play, I was already addicted to it. I never knew that leading and army of blue-dressed, green-haired dumb little suicidal creatures could actually be so much fun!

After several hours of mashing my thumbs into a pad just scrape every digger through the pillars, to drive every basher through each block, or even laugh at the sight of a cluster of them falling to their death to mush, I had forgotten pretty much everything that had came into my mind before. Like my name, where I lived, who my brother was, everything. You want to talk about addictive, Lemmings is going to be for you, if you have a Genesis and are really into these frustrating puzzle games. This is the best tactics game ever, in my opinion, along with Worms.

The game was released (I think) in 1991 on the Amiga and ZX Spectrum which I also owned, although the Genesis version was the first version I ever played. In it, you are controlling a certain amount of Lemmings, and using your wits and brains, you have to save a certain amount. By SAVING, I mean, get them to the exit, but you must avoid obstacles, and at times, booby traps, like stompers, falling rocks, bear traps, and whatnots. It's really easy at the start, but as you get into those Taxing and Sunsoft difficulties, you can become enraged as you fail for the 437th time when your bridge is too short and your Lemming senselessly walks off and lands in a pool of water. He is then swept to his death while he writhes in agony like a worm in bleach, or like me after eating a vindaloo curry.

This game has its easy stages and its more difficult ones. It is extremely addictive, but also frustrating and puzzling. But I've never been bored with this game once. There are 180 different levels; so I do think it would last for a while, yes? And they have all those popular little tunes, including London Bridge Is Falling Down, and O' Little Town of Bethlehem, all in instrumentals, which sounded great, and I quite loved. Its challenge factor is through the roof, and the fun factor is bursting with steam. Here's a run-down of the review:

Gameplay - 10/10

The controls of Lemmings are so simple, basically ANYBODY can get used to them in minutes. All you do is just select an option, and get a Lemming to do that particular command, which is obviously rather simple. You have diggers, who can go through scenery straight down, bashers, who can take out chunks of the scenery horizontally, builders to make little staircases, blockers, and several more.

But the controls can get more complex as you make more progress through the game. You can combine skills together, for instance, you can have two blockers on each side of the door which the Lemmings exit to keep them all in one spot, and you can get a couple of other Lemmings to do stuff, or build a bridge into a pillar then instantly mine through it as the bridge comes in contact with the pillar so you can get to the other side and reach the exit.

And then it gets more difficult. As you get into the Taxing levels, you'll get really infuriated with all the multiple commands you must make, and it can be really difficult. Come to think of it, as of my whole 9 years playing this game, I have never gotten past the ''Temporary Peace level'' on Taxing, which is the second level of 30, in that difficulty group. That's challenge for you. All in all, it's very fun and enjoyable and doesn't disappoint.

Story - N/A

There was a story in this game? Nope, I don't think there was, but I'd probably guess a herd of Lemmings are venturing for something...otherwise that'd make their quest pointless, no?

Audio/Video - 9/10

The graphics in this game are viewed from a fairly distant angle, but are clear in terms of perspective. The lemmings don't have much detail on their bodies, but you can see their moves clearly, and the animation is very smooth, and is worthy of a high score.

The backgrounds blend well with the foregrounds, and each different object or obstacle portrayed in the levels look realistic, like bubbles, spider webs, bars of metal, every thing. And there is different music to match the mood of the levels you play in.

To talk about the music; there is a decent range of soundtracks that can sound either dull or jolly. Like nursery rhymes, christmas carols, whatsoever, but all instrumental. The composition is not bad, but I can really get annoying with those ''do doo doo do doo doo doo do do doo'' sounds sometimes. Really. But one great feature is you can knock Music off if you get ticked off with it! Yay!

The sound effects are amazing. The lemmings even have cute little squeaky voices, like when you start a level, they say ''Let's go!'' Oh man I love that. And the sound effects are decent too, like the guts of a crushed Lemming spilling as a rock falls on him, or as builders create staircases with their tiles, or when they jump through the exits. So all in all, Music and graphics are overall great, and rarely annoying, but you can choose to have them muted if it does start to get on your nerves.

Replayability - VERY HIGH

Never mind how long the game is, but how addictive it is. First of all, you have instant replayability because of the challenge and fun of the overall game itself. There are several ways to have a go at finding out for rescuing your lemmings, or new strategies to figure out for levels you haven't completed yet. Second, the 2-player mode, for competition. These 2-player levels are not in 1-Player mode, so you should check this out as well, as it's well great to play with a friend. And the lastability of the game, which could be from a few hours, or 9 years, in my case =P.

Buy or Rent? - BUY

This is a very coveted title to have in a Genesis collection. For those who like puzzlers or brain teasers, then THIS IS FOR YOU, no questions asked. It's still one of the most popular puzzlers in the world, and is more enjoyable than a bag of chips underwater. You could probably find it on eBay, in a local old-school store, or at Funcoland, most probably. It is well worth it to have Lemmings as part of your game collection.

Good Things/Pros
- Very fun.
- Addictive.
- Simple controls.
- Nice sound & sound effects.
- Huge life span / lastability.
- Chanllenging, but simple at first.

Bad Things/Cons
- Uh...

Overall - 10/10

Being released on several different systems it could depend, but overall, I think this game is the best of all puzzlers. And the Genesis version is great, as I'm sure it was on the Amiga, which version I think I've played a few times before. This game is very addictive, and I am sure it won't disappoint.

THE CONCLUSION
The greatest puzzler of all time, and one of the most addictive games of all time, truth be told.

End of Review

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/15/03, Updated 06/19/03