Lemmings

If you’ve heard of the Lemmings, chances are you managed to catch it in some form or another on a computer and gaming console that ranges from the Commodore Amiga to the likes of the 3DO. For the past 15 years, this puzzle/platform game has developed quite a following and the simple reason is that the game is just plain addictively fun. Of course, it didn’t take long for the Lemmings to show up on Sony’s PSP and having been playing this game for various hours straight it just proves that the game is still just a fun then as it was back in the day and even more so on the PSP.

The concept behind the Lemmings is simple. A horde of these small green-haired suicidal creatures is spawned from a starting point and they stumble along a series of platforms trying to make it to an exit point. It sounds simple enough but each level throws a number of obstacles that result in the creatures plunging to their death, being ripped apart by twirling blades, burning to cinders in lava pits or drowning in raging rapids. It is your job to assign your green-haired creatures tasks to help them reach their goal without sacrificing too many of your Lemmings.

If you’ve played the Lemmings before, you’ll find that many of the game’s various levels will be familiar. Thankfully, though, there are new levels tossed in and the result is a game with over 150 levels. The best addition, though, is the ability to create your own level, although we will get to that in a minute. Like most puzzle games, Lemmings starts you off easy. The level’s early maps will give you a basic idea of how keep your creatures from being trapped or killed. The bottom of the screen displays a number of tasks your Lemmings are capable of carrying out in a given level. For example, you can select a Lemming to take up the role of Builder to construct a ladder or take the role of Digger to dig through solid material. You can make your Lemmings climbers who are able to resist a lengthy drop as well as a Stopper to keep the hordes from rushing towards a cliff and Floaters who use umbrellas to safely land from distant platforms.

The game moves along rather quickly in that the timer and the evenly paced movement of the Lemmings themselves make for fast gameplay. You will seriously have to have keen and quick reflexes in order to keep as many of your creatures alive. Certain levels have a set number of Lemmings that are required to survive in order to play the next level, thus adding to the challenge. Half the fun, though, comes from how quickly you can come up with various strategies without going over the set amount of times you can issue certain commands to your Lemmings (e.g. each ability can be used only a certain number of times within a given level).

As if the abundance of levels wasn’t enough, you can create your own levels thanks to a custom-create level editor. You can add a number of hazards and platforms just about anywhere on the map and the good part about this is that you can share your created level with other players via the online Infrastructure Mode. You can also download other player’s created levels on your memory stick to play whenever you like.

How well does it play on the PSP, you might ask? Well, while the game will make you long for the mouse, the PSP control scheme isn’t bad at all although it does take some getting use to at first. The D-Pad allows for camera scrolling so you can check out the entire map. You can zoom in and out on the fly and using the analog stick you can highlight a Lemming to issue a task to it. New to the game is the ability to fast forward so you don’t have to sit back and wait for every Lemming to reach the exit point.

Visually, Lemmings looks particularly dazzling on the PSP’s widescreen and having played the game on different platforms I can say that this is the best-looking version of the game I seen so far. The backgrounds are wonderfully sharp and the effects, especially in levels that display lava, sharp crystals or water just look amazing. While you can zoom in for a better look at the creatures, the Lemmings look good and watching them blow up, get sliced up or fall to their deaths is more funny than gruesome.

As for the game’s sound, there’s nothing here that really stands out. The music is still familiar stuff that has just been updated enough to the point that it never gets annoying. In fact, I found myself liking the funny little renditions of “Oh Susanna” just to name a few familiar tunes mixed in with the rest of the original tunes. There’s no voice acting, unless you count when the Lemmings yell out “Yippee!” The sound effects don’t sound as good as it should be considering there are explosions and digging with pickaxes.

Even if you played the game before on another system, Lemmings is still just as addictive and even more so on the PSP. While it might not be as hard as it was when we first played it or as innovative as other puzzle games it is still loads of fun. If you’ve looking to give Lumines a break and play something different and just as fun, give Lemmings a try. For those new to the antics of these green-haired little critters, be prepared to find yourself glued to your PSP for a long while.

Gameplay: 8.0
The original game’s format works perfectly on the Sony PSP and thus making this the best system to play the game. The multitude of levels offers a number of unique puzzles as you try desperately to keep the little critters alive and well. Who cares if we’ve played them all before, this game is still loads of fun.

Graphics: 8.0
The sharp visuals make this one of the prettiest versions of the Lemmings available. The backgrounds are beautifully rendered and are colorful enough to really stand out and watching the hordes of Lemmings march across the PSP’s widescreen is a real treat.

Sound: 6.0
The sound effects really could have been handled a lot better than what’s presented here. Even when a Lemming goes splat, it lacks a gruesome touch. There’s music that plays throughout each level and while it’s nothing special, the music really doesn’t get on your nerves.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Many of the original levels just don’t seem as challenging now as they were when you first played the game while other levels will give your brain quite a workout. While the puzzles won’t stump you, some levels will have you coming up with better strategies.

Concept: 8.0
Many of the classic levels will seem very familiar but the addition of 20 new levels just adds more variety to the levels. With more than 150 levels to keep you more than busy, the game throws in a level editor that allow you to create your own level the way you want it. The best part is that you can share your levels with other gamers via Infrastructure mode as well as download player created levels.

Overall: 7.9
What can be said about this platformer/puzzle game that hasn’t already been said besides the fact that Lemmings on the PSP just adds enough new content to warrant a purchase. This game is still as fun as it was when it was first introduced and while the difficulty level might not stump gamers this is still a wildly imaginative and addictively enjoyable game.