Lemmings Touch Review
Developer D3T
Publisher Sony
Platform PS Vita
Release Date Out Now
Few games can match the history and longevity of the Lemmings franchise. There is something captivating, endearing, engaging yet enraging about managing the group of Lemmings on their endless march forward.
The first few tutorial levels will introduce new players and rekindle old habits for returning players. The ever present digger, builder and blocker Lemmings work just the same as they ever did, and familiar strategies come rushing back as you quickly fall for this game all over again.
For those new to the series (of which there will be many) you are tasked with helping your troupe get to the end of the level as intact as possible utilizing all the different abilities you can bestow to your little friends.
Builder Lemmings will build a staircase of tiles to help get over obstacles, diggers will dig through blockages, blockers will hold them back, and floaters will deploy an umbrella parachute should the drop off the edge be too much of a fall for them to cope with. These are the basic controls and while they will allow you to complete early levels you will need to make good use of the many new abilities should you wish to complete the 100 increasingly difficult missions.
The touch controls are well presented and utilized well throughout but never quite match the precision of a mouse. Tapping a Lemming in a crowd can be problematic but nothing that is overly clunky. Scrolling and zooming is handled with common swipe and pinch gestures that anyone familiar with modern smart devices will instantly recognize. The biggest issue is with the power bubble, it can be a bit big and has a tendency to take up the screen and get in the way.
As mentioned Lemmings touch features 100 puzzling levels and the difficulty curve is staggering, not long after the initial tutorial levels will you begin to see your Lemmings die in a multitude of different ways bringing with it levels of frustration rarely found in modern gaming, but like all great games this only accentuates the feeling of success when you do successfully complete a level that has had you pulling your hair out only moments earlier.
Overall: A brilliant return for a game that never gets old, the level design is perfectly suited for gaming on the go in short bursts. A number of customization options will allow you to add your own personality to the game by altering the visuals without affecting the gameplay.
The presentation is excellent capturing the essence of the game while still looking modern. The touch controls offer a new way to play and while it does not compare to a mouse it does work quite well.
All things considered this is a Vita title high on the recommended list.
SCORE 4/5
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