Lemmings 2: The Tribes

"A worthy successor to the original."

Introduction

After all the hype about this game, I was pleased to be able to get this game at a considerably reduced price. However, I would likely have paid the full price for this game because it is very good in comparison to the original.

Gameplay - 9/10

Bigger levels and more skills are the main differences here. The blocker is virtually phased out and substituted for the attractor, who plays music that the other nearby lemmings will dance to. The attractor can occasionally be glitchy, and lemmings sometimes appear to walk past for no reason, but that's only a small gripe. There are a vast number of ground-removing skills, though many give no real advantage, and are only there to increase the challenge. There is a fun "fan" option that is required to finish many of the levels by moving around lemmings who are performing certain skills. There are twelve tribes, with varying difficulty levels, and this includes a "Classic" tribe featuring classic-style levels. The classic levels seem rather more puzzle-based than many from the original, which makes them fun and interesting to solve. There are a couple of new skills that do, however, seem nearly useless. The skater (used to overcome ice) is only needed on two levels, and the planter (a lemming who grows plants) is hardly needed at all. There is also a skill known as the "skier", which makes a few appearances and is - as far as I can tell - totally useless. Some of the skills seem to take a while to get the hang of - for example, I took many tries to use the "Archer" skill properly, so thank goodness that there is a Practise mode in this game.

Another new feature of the game that I found interesting was that if you get a single lemming into the exit, you progress to the next level - with all the lemmings you saved, forcing you to replay levels to save more lemmings, in order to finish with a gold medal.

Overall, the gameplay is generally enjoyable.

Story - 6/10

There is some semblance of a story, with an explanation that the lemmings have to escape from their island, and that tribes have settled into their lands, and one lemming mentioned "the one who saved us before". It wasn't totally necessary to add a story, but it's quite fun anyway. There is a lot of great deadpan humour in the final credits.

Sound - 8/10

The music is generally good, with just one caveat - and that's the fact that the same music plays on every level of any one tribe - so, in every Space level you play, you listen to "The Blue Danube" (I guess Psygnosis are fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and during every shadow level you hear what sounds like a variation of the Mission: Impossible theme. It's just as well that all the tunes are so well-played, otherwise there is the risk of it getting annoying (at least you can switch tribes when you want). Oh, and the peal of thunder at the start of the cave levels is a great idea.

Graphics - 8/10

These are a slight improvement on the original, which each tribe being given its own identity. For example, bright colours are seen in the Circus levels, while the Cave levels feature drab shades of grey and green. Traps in the game are well-designed, ranging from obvious ones (a giant alien that drills your lemmings to bits) to obscure ones (one of the traps is visible only by the red eyes in the background that can be missed easily if you don't look closely). I also like the innovative designs for some of the entrances and exits (the Highland lemmings enter through a beer barrel and exit through a red telephone box, for example). Some of the lemmings have their own unique design, although none are anything like as impressive on the box; the Highland lemmings are the most obvious as they all have red hair; the Shadow lemmings appear to be skinheads (although the picture on the box appears to show them as ninjas).

Unlike the original, there are varying background styles, such as the blue sky featured in the Beach Levels, but the only problem is the tendency to occasionally stick large objects in the background that appear to be obstacles in the lemmings' path until you try to dig through them and your lemmings simply walk past; most notable are the large suns that appear in the Beach levels. Although it is nice, and makes the game look less drab, these can be confusing at times.

Play Time/Replay Value - 10/10

You are likely to take a considerable amount of time figuring out just how to save every lemming you can (and even 10 years after getting the game, I'm still having people point out better ways to complete levels). This game is one that will definitely last you a long time.

Final Recommendation

Buy this game. It is definitely up to the standard of the original.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/05