Lemmis

Lemmis: A Divisive Lemmings Clone That Struggles to Find Its Footing

Lemmis presents itself as a modern take on the classic Lemmings formula, but early player experiences reveal a game caught between nostalgic charm and frustrating execution. The core concept remains familiar: guide suicidal creatures through obstacle courses using specialized skills like digging, jumping, and climbing to reach safety. While this foundation sparks moments of genuine puzzle-solving satisfaction, significant technical issues and limited content prevent the experience from reaching its potential. Players find themselves torn between appreciating the faithful homage and lamenting its numerous shortcomings.

The game's presentation receives mixed reactions. On the positive side, the implementation of OpenGL gives the visuals a clean, modern sheen that distinguishes it from older entries in the genre. The soundtrack emerges as a consistent bright spot, with multiple players noting its catchy, upbeat quality that enhances the atmosphere. However, this praise comes with caveats about repetition, as the limited selection of only four tracks becomes noticeable during extended play sessions. The sound design also features amusing effects that complement the on-screen action, particularly the darkly comic splatter sounds when creatures meet their demise.

The music adds to the games' atmosphere and there are amusing sound effects when the lemmings meet their demise.

Rekall

Gameplay proves to be Lemmis' most divisive aspect. The faithful recreation of classic Lemmings mechanics provides genuine moments of strategic satisfaction when puzzles click into place. The non-linear level progression stands out as a welcome quality-of-life feature, allowing players to skip particularly challenging stages without restarting their entire journey. Yet these positives are undermined by punishing design choices and technical flaws. The instant-death mechanic - where creatures splatter on impact after even minor falls - creates frustration rather than challenge. This is compounded by a glaring spelling error in the failure message ("YOU LOOSE") that multiple players found immersion-breaking. While the ten included levels offer decent variety, their limited quantity leaves the experience feeling insubstantial.

Technical execution remains Lemmis' most consistent criticism. Beyond the spelling errors, players report performance inconsistencies and stability concerns, particularly regarding the different versions available. The choice between music-enabled and music-disabled clients addresses bandwidth concerns but creates fragmentation in the experience. More fundamentally, the game's identity as a straightforward clone without significant innovation leaves many players questioning its value proposition, especially when compared to the original titles that inspired it.

When you loose, a big box appears on the screen saying "YOU LOOSE." The bad thing is, when the lemmings falls for at least an inch, they splatter on the ground.

Anonymous