Lemmings (computer game)

Lemmings, a computer game developed by DMA Design (now Rockstar North) and published by Psygnosis in 1991, was one of the most popular computer games of its time. Several games magazines of the time awarded the game maximum review scores. more...

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Psygnosis, also known for the Wipeout series, had its greatest success in Lemmings. Famously, the concept for Lemmings came from an animation created by Mike Dailly over a lunchtime, to prove a point about how small a character could be on screen.

The game was unique and based around a concept previously untried. In the original Commodore Amiga version, there are 120 levels, and on each level, the player must guide a group of up to 100 lemmings (or 80 in many versions, such as DOS and Windows) home by giving individual lemmings various commands. The \"lemmings\" of the game are small, green-haired humanoid beings that mindlessly walk en masse into any danger in their path, following the popular myth that real lemmings behave in a similarly suicidal fashion.

Of the numerous sequels the only one to achieve the success of the first was Lemmings 2: The Tribes, which added twelve specialist tribes of lemmings, each with their own type of level and specialist workers.

The game briefly gave rise to a new genre, described in magazines at the time as the \"save 'em up\", a joking reference to other popular genres like beat 'em up and shoot 'em up.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Lemmings was radically new for its time. Rather than directly controlling the actions of the tribe of lemmings, the player must choose from a list of preset actions called \"skills\". Individual lemmings continue to do whatever they are doing until instructed otherwise. That is, a walker will continue to walk until he is assigned a skill (or dies).

The main difficulty in surmounting the puzzles of Lemmings is not only in solving the puzzles, but also in executing them in an efficient way. Some levels are easy to see and plan but when actually attempted become more formidable than first expected.

Each level starts off with the lemmings coming out one by one from one or more entrances. When not executing a skill, a lemming is a Walker that simply walks along the floor it is on. If it walks off a cliff, and the fall is not high enough to kill it, the lemming continues walking in the same direction after it lands. When it walks into a wall, it will turn around and walk the other way. Lemmings generally do not interact with each other (with the exception of Blockers as explained below); for example, two lemmings walking towards each other will pass by each other and keep walking.

There are 8 skills which can be given to lemmings:

Climber: For the remainder of the level, the lemming will climb up any walls it encounters, instead of turning around as it normally would. Any overhang encountered on the wall whilst climbing will cause the lemming to fall back down and, assuming survival, to proceed in the opposite direction.; Floater: For the remainder of the level, the lemming will gently parachute down falls, allowing them to survive falls from any height. (Non-Floaters die if they fall from too great a height.) A lemming can simultaneously possess both the Climber and Floater skills, and is called an Athlete if it has both.; Bomber: A number 5 will appear above the lemming's head and count down while the lemming carries on doing whatever it was doing. After about five seconds the countdown finishes, the lemming exclaims, \"Oh No!\" and explodes, killing the lemming and carving out a small chunk from the most types of surrounding terrain. The explosion does not affect nearby lemmings.; Blocker: The lemming will stop at its current position and cause each lemming approaching to turn around. The lemming will remain a Blocker for the rest of the level, unless the Bomber skill is issued on it or the ground underneath it is somehow removed. If made a Bomber it will continue to act as a Blocker until it blows up.; Builder: The lemming will build a ramp upwards at 45° by laying out small bricks forming a staircase. It will stop building if it reaches an obstacle, or when a total of 12 bricks have been placed. On most versions the last three bricks make a \"click\" sound when laid down, giving the player a chance to prepare for re-assigning Builder on the lemming when it finishes building. Once the last brick has been laid the builder will shrug his shoulders, then turn back into a normal lemming and walk again in the direction he was building (i.e. off the end of his bridge). If the lemming instead hits an obstacle (in front of or above him), he will instead turn around after stopping building. They also turn around and continue building in the opposite direction if they encounter a Blocker.; Basher: If the lemming is facing a nearby wall, it will start bashing out a horizontal tunnel through it, until it reaches open air or an object it cannot bash through (such as metal materials).; Miner: The lemming will mine downwards at 45° through the floor it is on, using a pickaxe, until it reaches open air or an object it cannot mine through (such as metal materials).; Digger: The lemming will dig vertically down through the floor it is on until it reaches open air, and will then fall down to the floor underneath and start walking again (or die on impact). Like the Basher and Miner, a Digger will be stopped by hard materials.;

Each level has a quota (a fixed limit) for the number of times each of the 8 skills can be issued. Some skills may be unavailable (i.e. a quota of 0) for some levels, as part of the challenge. For example, on an early, easy level, the player may be given a quota of 20 for each of the eight skills, but only 1 or 2 are actually needed to complete the level. On a later, harder level, the quota of available skills may be set such that the player needs to use them all in a planned sequence to complete the level.

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