Leading Lemmings

Recently I had a chance to try out Lemmings for the PSP. The game is just like the PC game where you lead a group of little lemmings safely to an exit. The seven level demo showed off the retro gameplay. Players can select lemmings with the d-pad and rotate through the eight skills with the trigger buttons. Once you pick a skill like “dig” press the X button to give the lemming the dig ability. There is an option to zoom in, which is helpful when trying to select a single lemming out a mass. However, it would be nice to be able to control the amount of zooming with the analog stick. Team 17, who’s designing the game, gave the PSP version a much needed graphical upgrade. Lemmings for the PSP takes advantage of the wide screen and adds a fitting cartoon style. One thing that can make or break the game is level design. From what we’ve seen in the demo are some standard levels like in “don’t let your eyes deceive you” the level has players break pillars with bashers and then build a staircase with a few builders. “You Live and Lem” gives players a chance to experience a trap placed on the map. Instead of walking straight, players would have to mine, climb and build a path around the trap. One thing missing in the demo, but will be in the full game is a level editor. A fully functional level editor would make the game an easy sell, but I wonder how they are going to set up the controls for the editor. The full game is shipping with over 150 levels so Team 17 has plenty of room to create something fresh for the May 23^rd release date.