Lemmings Revolution

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Lemmings Revolution

Developer(s)	Take-Two Interactive
Publisher(s)	Psygnosis; Talonsoft
Release date(s)	April 28, 2000 (United States)
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
Platform(s)	Personal Computer (Microsoft Windows)
Media	CD (1)
System requirements	Windows 95 or higher, Pentium 2, 266MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 450MB HD space, 4MB DirectX-compatible 3D accelerator card
Input	keyboard, mouse

Lemmings Revolution is a puzzle computer game released in 2000. Like previous games in the Lemmings series, the object of the game is to guide the lemmings characters to an exit by giving them specific skills. The game is displayed in 3D, yet plays much more like the 2D games. This was probably done to avoid some of the complication in 3D Lemmings, while allowing more "modern" graphics.

[edit] Storyline

The story line of Lemmings Revolution revolves around Weasel characters that once entertained themselves by watching the old adventures of the lemmings. Wanting more, they have captured the lemmings and created new puzzles and mazes, so they can watch the lemmings as they suffer trying to survive the puzzles.

[edit] Gameplay

a level in Lemmings Revolution

The main new element in this game is the change of the level design. All levels now consist of cylindrical columns, causing the lemmings to walk in large circles on the outer-most area. This essentially creates 2D levels that simply wrap from one side to the other. Thus, levels no longer have an end at left or right, giving lemmings the possibility of returning to a point without having to turn previously. This whole concept was first shown in 8-bit era game Nebulus (computer game), one of the most famous platform games for Commodore 64.

The levels are viewed from a single point, from which the player can rotate the level on its axis in either direction. This is similar to simply scrolling left or right in the original games. Zooming in and out is also possible at one single step. In zoomed mode is possible to move the camera at a fixed angle.

All original eight skills from Lemmings return in this game, with the same usage. Also returning from previous games are the fast-forward button and the "nuke all" option.

The level structure has also changed significantly. Once a level has been completed, two more levels become available, each slightly more difficult than the previous one. This creates a hierarchal, triangular structure, allowing more and more levels to become available as the game progresses. In this way it is possible to play though to the final column of levels while skipping some others. There are 102 levels in total.

Other new elements in this game include:

Weasels - These are the main enemies in this game. About the same size as lemmings, they will walk around in levels and kill any lemming they walk into, by knocking them sideways off the level. Unlike lemmings, weasels automatically have a floater if they fall from high heights. While the weasels did not appear in any other Lemmings game, enemies had featured before in All New World of Lemmings and Lemmings Paintball.

New types of lemmings - Next to the classic regular lemmings, there are now also Water lemmings as well as Acid lemmings. Each will be able to walk over water or acid respectively, without dying. Aside from that, they act the same and can be controlled the same way as the regular lemmings. In levels with more than one type of Lemming, each type may have a different colored balloon to escape to (otherwise a red balloon is used for all three types).

Anti-gravity pads - Once lemmings step on these, their sense of gravity will reverse, causing them to fall upwards and walk on the ceiling. They will stay this way until they walk on another anti-gravity pad, causing them to fall down and walk normally again.

Laser gates and levers - By walking past a laser gate, some part will be affected for the rest of the level and, for example a bridge might appear over a water basin. Levers will have similar effects, but most times the event can be undone by walking the other way, although sometimes they act exactly like laser gates, as one-time event triggers.

Gates - Metal gates that can retract and extend to block lemmings. Some toggle when a switch is flipped, others when a set amount of lemmings pass through the open gate. They can either hinder the lemmings by barring the way, or help by forming paths over hazards.

Speed-up pads - These accelerate momentarily every creature who passes through them, which can be beneficial sometimes or disastrous at the wrong time.

Teleporters - When a lemming comes into the radius of action of one of these portals he disappears for an instant and reappears at another portal in the level. You can't tell which portals form a pair. Some levels feature multiple portals leading to the same exit portal

Break-Away Floors - Terrain that falls apart square by square each time a lemming walks over it.