Lemmings
90K plays 1993 #Strategy
Lemmings is a 1991 puzzle and strategy video game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis for the Amiga. It was later ported to numerous other platforms. The game was programmed by Russell Kay, Mike Dailly and David Jones, and was inspired by a simple animation that Dailly created while experimenting with Deluxe Paint.
The objective of the game is to guide a group of anthropomorphised lemmings through a number of obstacles to a designated exit. In any given level, the player must save a specified number or percentage of the lemmings in order to advance. To this end, the player must decide how to assign limited quantities of eight different skills to individual lemmings, allowing them to alter the landscape and/or their own behaviour so that enough of the lemmings can reach the exit safely.
Lemmings was one of the best-received video games of the early 1990s. It was the second-highest-rated game in the history of Amstrad Action, and was considered the eighth-greatest game of all time by Next Generation in 1996. Lemmings is also one of the most widely ported video games, and is estimated to have sold around 20 million copies between its various ports. The popularity of the game also led to the creation of several other Lemmings games, remakes and spin-offs, and has also inspired similar games. However, Lemmings lost considerable popularity by the late 1990s, which was attributed in part to its slow pace of gameplay compared to games of later generations.
From Wikipedia's article Lemmings (video game), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Keyboard controls
| Lynx | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| D-pad | ↑↓←→ |
| B | Z |
| A | X |
| Option 1 | A |
| Option 2 | S |
| Pause | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
Live chat
Connecting…
Keyboard controls
| Lynx | Player 1 |
|---|---|
| D-pad | ↑↓←→ |
| B | Z |
| A | X |
| Option 1 | A |
| Option 2 | S |
| Pause | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
2.0 Could be better
Players 57 · 187 votes
No critic scores found for this game: this is the players' rating.
Review scorecard
- Graphics 2.0 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Sound 2.0 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Control 2.0 out of 5 Overall fallback
- Fun Factor 2.0 out of 5 Overall fallback
Overall fallback: Players 57 · 187 votes. The same 57/100 overall rating fills missing categories using the face scale; these are not separate category scores. Player rating; no critic scores available.
What the reviews talk about
Key wordsaddictiverepetitivechallengingoriginalfun
What the critics said
Computer Gaming World stated that "Not since Tetris has this reviewer been so addicted to, or completely fascinated with, a series of challenging puzzles... follow the crowd and get Lemmings".
— Computer Gaming World, 1991
In 2004, readers of Retro Gamer voted Lemmings as the 21st-top retro game, with the editors calling it "perhaps Psygnosis' finest hour and a turning point in the puzzle genre."
— Retro Gamer
The editors wrote, "Yes, we know it sounds stupid, but you will like it – everyone else has."
— PC Format, 1991
David Sears of Compute!, in his review of Lemmings for the PC, stated that "perhaps Psygnosis has tapped into the human instinct for survival in formulating this perfect blend of puzzle, strategy, and action."
— Compute!, 1991 (David Sears)· about another version
Amiga Computing stated that "Lemmings is absolutely brilliant. Psygnosis have managed to produce a game that is not only totally original, but also features the kind of addictive gameplay that will keep you coming back for more time and time again."
— Amiga Computing, 1991· about another version
In 1994, Electronic Gaming Monthly complimented the Lynx version's large number of options and password feature, and remarked, "Lemmings has always been a good strategy game, and the Lynx version continues the tradition."
— Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1994· about another version
GamePro made the same criticisms, commenting that "this former 16-bit puzzler isn't going anywhere new on the CD-i."
— GamePro, 1995· about another version
Next Generation's review of the 3DO version assessed that "If you've played any version, you've played this one, too, but if you haven't tried it, this is one of the better ones, and it's still one game that's addictive as hell."
— Next Generation, 1995· about another version
From the Reception section of Wikipedia's Lemmings (video game) article, under CC BY-SA 4.0. The words are the critics'; their full reviews are on the publishers' pages.
Scores
- Amstrad Action 2010 Amstrad: 97% (other versions)
- Crash Spectrum: 91% (other versions)
- Computer and Video Games 1992 Master System: 92% (other versions)
- Electronic Gaming Monthly 1992 Lynx: 6.8/10 ; CD-i: 6.25/10 ; Game Gear: 5/10, 7/10, 6/10, 7/10 ; ; SNES: 7/10, 8/10, 6/10, 8/10 (other versions)
- Famitsu 1991 Super Famicom: 9/10, 9/10, 8/10, 9/10 (other versions)
- IGN 1999 Lynx: 9/10 (other versions)
- Mean Machines SNES: 92% (other versions)
- Your Sinclair Spectrum: 91% (other versions)
- Zzap!64 97%
- MegaTech Mega Drive: 92% (other versions)
- Mega Mega Drive: 90% (other versions)
- Commodore Force 1993 C64: 97% (other versions)
- Mikrobitti Amiga: 84% (other versions)
- PC-pelit DOS: 84% (other versions)
- Next Generation 3DO: 4/5
- AllGame 2.5/5 (NES) ; 4/5 (GG) ; 4.5/5 (SNES) (other versions)
From the review table of Wikipedia's article. The face takes, first that applies: the Metascore for this platform, GameRankings' average, our average of the critics (one number per publication, a panel averaged), one review alone, the players' rating. Critics and players are never mixed.
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