Level Review--Lemmings Revolution

[mobius]

6-4 Escape to Victory!

40 Lemmings -- Save 40

8:00 -- 10 of each skill

Good:
Introduces the weasels; [sort of like NeoLemmix zombies] moving single kill traps that move and function pretty similar to lemmings. They actually did a decent job of making a level that forces you to deal with the weasels not just ignore them altogether. Simplest way is to sacrifice a lemming to set up a trap for them. But there are other ways to avoid killing one like here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4xNM5cJfZI&index=22&list=PL0750E99D04921FDE

Bad
The RR is fixed (so that you can't send everyone out quickly and get home before the weasels reach you) but that means you might have to wait at the end for everyone to come out which is a tad annoying.

I'm anxious to get through this middle chunk of imo lesser levels and get to the good ones!

[Nessy]

6-5: Let's Play 'Catch'

Lemmings: 10
Save: 5
Time: 5:00
Release Rate: 1
Skills:
- Climber: 10
- Floater: 1
- Bomber: 4
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 1
- Basher: 0
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 0

Good: Overall an interesting "fall survival" puzzle as it isn't as straightforward as one would think and requires some careful thought and planning.
Bad: Destroying the terrain to reach the exit can be a tad annoying at times. You have to time your bombers and make sure that you leave some kind of small platform at the bottom of the terrain you bomb through, otherwise the lemmings won't survive the fall even with a well placed builder.

[mobius]

^ 6-5 is probably my second least favorite level in the game. For the reasons mentioned and because it doesn't use any new features, feels like an L1 level but somehow less forgiving.

6-6: Two Sides to Every Story

Lemmings: 50
Save: 40
Time: 10:00
Skills:
- Climber: 10
- Floater: 1
- Bomber: 50
- Blocker: 50
- Builder: 50
- Basher: 10


Good: Relativity complex level, some thought needed to make a path; decent use of gravity changers. And interesting use of multiple lemming types. There's several different ways of solving it.

Bad: the saw doesn't seem to serve much purpose (other than an amusing way to kill lemmings if you've failed). The side of the level feels bare.

btw: for any unaware; if you'd like to look at the levels but can't/don't feel like firing up the game:
playlist of every level

https://www.youtube.com/user/pirohiko/playlists

[Nessy]

6-7: Wood you believe it?

Lemmings: 50
Save: 40
Time: 5:00
Release Rate: 18
Skills:
- Climber: 0
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 10
- Blocker: 5
- Builder: 3
- Basher: 10
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 10

Good: Interesting puzzle with figuring out how to use water lemmings to save non-water lemmings and get them both to the exit. Also, the pun?! How can that not be a thing to put here under "Good"
Bad: I really can't think of anything bad to say about this level to be honest, so I'm going to be nitpicky here and say that the building for the splatform to save the non-water lemmings and the tank can be a bit too precise at times. At least for me those were the reasons why I failed the level when I was younger.

[Nessy]

6-8: Wheelbarrows of Doom

Lemmings: 100
Save: 98
Time: 4:00
Skills:
- Climber: 2
- Floater: 2
- Bomber: 2
- Blocker: 2
- Builder: 30
- Basher: 2
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 0

Good: An interesting and tough puzzle, especially for a beginner.
Bad: The time limit can be very tight at times, and it can be very intimidating for a new player (plus you waste a lot of this time trying to hit the switch on the far right). You can also backroute the level by using the large quantity of builders to go over the top of the level and bomb your way into the exit

[mobius]

7-1 Designed with Love

Lemmings: 99
Save: 85
Time: 10:00
Skills:
10 of each

*one of my favorites in the game*

Good:
It's a relatively complex and good exploration type level using lots of elements; laser gates, pools and weasels. It may take a while to figure out but there's plenty of room for error and it offers many solutions.

Bad: Pirohiko exposes a very lame backroute which bypasses the entire level. Though this might actually be a little harder to pull off then most other ways

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKAnJ2eLqzk&list=PL0750E99D04921FDE&index=28

[Nessy]

7-2: Penelope Lem Stop

Lemmings: 32
Save: 32
Time: 6:00
Skills:
- Climber: 10
- Floater: 10
- Bomber: 10
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 1
- Basher: 8
- Miner: 4
- Digger: 0

Good: A very intimating quick-as-you-can level where two lemmings are the last hope of a large crowd of lemmings trapped in a pit with a slicer slowly getting lower, and lower, and lower until it slices all the lemmings one by one in horrible carnage and...... but anyway it is an interesting puzzle that requires crafting the fastest route through the level to free the lemmings out of that death pit.
Bad: You can easily backroute this level and skip having to go through the entire left and bottom part of the level.

[Nessy]

7-3: How do we get up there!

Lemmings: 50
Save: 50
Time: 4:00
Skills:
- Climber: 2
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 1
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 8
- Basher: 1
- Miner: 2
- Digger: 2

Good: Interesting "Just A Minute"-type level concept where the main obstacle is getting to a hard-to-reach area of the level as fast as possible. Forward planning and timing are essential and the only way to pass this level.
Bad: But oh my goodness the time limit in this level is so incredibly tight. Sometimes you can have the solution craved out but because of a few little details you got wrong you run out of time. Sometimes you can do everything as optimal as possible and you still run out of time. Sometimes you do everything correct and yet to add salt to injury there is a freakin' switch next to the exit that closes a door. If the crowd does not pass this door by that time then you are s**t out of luck even if you reached the exit before time runs out. I mentioned that this was an interesting "Just A Minute-type" level and it is, but not even the time limit in the "Just A Minute" levels were this brutal. To make matters worse this level is very early on in the game, which makes it more frustrating to new players to come across this level so early on in their playthrough. Even the most patient people in the world would rage at this level or at least skip it (like I did). To summarize: this one isn't a winner in my book

[mobius]

7-3: How do we get up there!

Lemmings: 50
Save: 50
Time: 4:00
Skills:
- Climber: 2
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 1
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 8
- Basher: 1
- Miner: 2
- Digger: 2

Good: Interesting "Just A Minute"-type level concept where the main obstacle is getting to a hard-to-reach area of the level as fast as possible. Forward planning and timing are essential and the only way to pass this level.
Bad: But oh my goodness the time limit in this level is so incredibly tight. Sometimes you can have the solution craved out but because of a few little details you got wrong you run out of time. Sometimes you can do everything as optimal as possible and you still run out of time. Sometimes you do everything correct and yet to add salt to injury there is a freakin' switch next to the exit that closes a door. If the crowd does not pass this door by that time then you are s**t out of luck even if you reached the exit before time runs out. I mentioned that this was an interesting "Just A Minute-type" level and it is, but not even the time limit in the "Just A Minute" levels were this brutal. To make matters worse this level is very early on in the game, which makes it more frustrating to new players to come across this level so early on in their playthrough. Even the most patient people in the world would rage at this level or at least skip it (like I did). To summarize: this one isn't a winner in my book

I kept wanting to review but forgetting. XD A lot of things can be said about this level.

This is imo the hardest and worst level in the game. It's the worst example of a poor time limit. I'm actually half convinced that was a mistake and they intended on 5:00 or more. It wouldn't be the only mistake in the game.

The level minus the time limit is actually decently difficult (especially considering its spot in the game and it's relative simplicity). It makes good use of doors. The beginning area is more complicated than it looks at first. There seem to be multiple approaches but actually only a few really work.
The door near the exit forces a unique approach where as Nessy said you need to get the crowd caught up to the worker in time, which is sort of novel.

So the level would be fun and tough enough with out the time limit shenanigan. It spoiled what was otherwise a very good level.

[mobius]

7-4 There's Only One Way Down!

Lemmings: 25
Save: 10
Time: 5:00
Skills:
- Climber: 0
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 5
- Blocker: 5
- Builder: 5
- Basher: 0
- Miner: 5
- Digger: 0


Good: I like the wood textured background

Bad: Why does this level exist? Especially at this spot!? This would work on the first or second column. There's no challenge what-so-ever and it's not the least bit interesting. It doesn't even work as a breather level; it just feels silly and pointless especially after the last level which was the hardest in the game!

Sadly this is an example of the pattern that spoiled other games of similar nature (imo) like Oh No More Lemmings, Chips Challenge, etc: A poor selection of levels.

[Nessy]

7-5 What a Fantastic Pair of Birds

Lemmings: 20
Save: 20
Time: 5:00
Skills:
- Climber: 0
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 0
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 4
- Basher: 2
- Miner: 4
- Digger: 1


Good: This was a great level in my opinion where the limited skillset makes figuring out how to control the crowd, getting to the bottom of this level, and bypassing the bird traps a nice challenge.

Bad: The level requires a bit too much terrain to mine through near the exit which is okay for me on its own but combined with the time limit it makes this level an unnecessary time cruncher. Honestly that's it. Another thing I wanted to throw in is that I personally dislike the bird traps because when I was little the sound they made when a lemming got caught in them would scare me so much To this day I still can't hear it

[Nessy]

Let's get this rolling again!


7-6: The Lone Ranger

Lemmings: 100
Save: 90
Time: 10:00
Release Rate: 50
Skills:
- Climber: 0
- Floater: 2
- Bomber: 20
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 5
- Basher: 0
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 0


Good: There is an interesting puzzle aspect to this level where you need to figure out how to create a splatform for a crowd of lemmings that are making their way towards this fatal fall through multiple teleporter rooms. There are multiple ways to go about this.

Bad: Making the splatform is the only true puzzle in this level. The final bit of this level is the bottom floor which contains four walls that need to be taken out with well-timed bomber placements because you don't really have any other skill to help with that. Fortunately, the level does give you a margin of error and messing up once isn't the end of the level.

[mobius]

7-7: Swarthy Seadogs!

Lemmings: 100
Save: 99
Time: 10:00
Release Rate: 1
Skills:
- Climber: 1
- Floater: 1
- Bomber:
- Blocker: 10
- Builder: 10
- Basher: 10
- Miner: 10
- Digger: 10


Good: Lots of gadgets around and used in a good way. This level demonstrates the uniques of this game well. Was pretty hard for me first time. But the beginning area has multiple ways of dealing with the initial puzzle of containing/saving the crowd. One of my favorites.

Bad: when the buzz saws are not moving they are not harmful; this is a bit misleading and confusing and isn't demonstrated well.

[Nessy]

7-8: Build 'em up ....then bring em down

Lemmings: 50
Save: 45
Time: 10:00
Release Rate: 18
Skills:
- Climber: 0
- Floater: 0
- Bomber: 10
- Blocker: 10
- Builder: 50
- Basher: 0
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 10


Good: An interesting puzzle that teaches players how to build across large gaps without accidentally building too high to create lethal falls. It also teaches players how to use destructive skills to stop builders midway to land on the multiple safe platforms.

Bad: I don't think the level itself is bad, but it is a level that would have worked better a bit earlier in the game than its current position. I would have preferred these types of levels before 4-4 than the more dragged out tutorial levels that got boring after a while.

[mobius]

7-9: Love Train Boogie

Lemmings: 25
Save: 25
Time: 10:00
Release Rate: 80
Skills:
- Climber: 10
- Floater: 10
- Bomber: 10
- Blocker: 0
- Builder: 10
- Basher: 20
- Miner: 0
- Digger: 10

Good:
It's an interesting challenge of get a worker (or workers) to open the path to the exit before the crowd gets there because you're not supposed to hold them back.
This level seems inspired by or homage to 'Lemming Express' from ONML.
Despite some downsides I liked this level overall, it stumped me a little bit as a kid.


Bad:
There are several things about this level that confuse me like the many water tanks which seem to serve little purpose (draining them doesn't save time or skills you still need to build over them) and the placement of the switches makes no sense at all. I'm not sure what the intended solution is but it seems that you aren't supposed to contain the crowd; but you can, and actually that is only one of a few backroutes. Another silly method is simply going under the one way wall, and yet again the game almost seems to encourage this by giving you unnecessary amount of 20 bashers. This isn't the first or last time the game seems to have almost purposefully left in silly backroutes.