KMGR of "Lemmings Tribes"

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Lemmings Tribes is a mobile version of the latest variation of Lemmings franchise. For those who have played Lemmings, the theme is the same: lemmings are dumb, and will walk, and fall to their deaths if you don't "guide" them. The objective is to guide as many of them as possible to the "exit", by using the existing lemmings in various special abilities as given for that level. The special abilities varies depending on which tribe you're with, but the general idea is the same. In other words, it's a "real-time" puzzle.

The classic mode has the more abilities, many of them quite amusing, such as "explode", "block", "parachute", and so on. The two new "tribes" added new areas to play in, and completely new set of abilities. In space, your new abilities are "rocket pack", "magnetic shoe", "grenade launcher", and so on. In medieval, your new abilities are "Icarus wings", "ceiling walk", and such. New levels also have their unique challenges and requires different ways of thinking from the classic mode.

Note that each special ability can only be used a certain amount of times, and thus, it will require you to think about how many lemmings you must rescue, vs. how many are out there. Some levels also have a time limit, which will affect your planning as well. Fortunately, there IS a pause button, and you CAN issue orders while paused. Some levels require timing, while other require precision, and the hardest ones require both, several times over.

I have played Lemmings before, and it was quite a bit of fun and challenging, as it's certainly a break from your typical puzzle fare. Lemmings Tribe is a bit more MOTS (more of the same), but it does feel a bit refreshed. And with 15 levels PER tribe, it'll take you a while to get through all of them. Even better, you actually get different awards depending on how well you finish. You can pass the level, but not get the "best" score. In which case, you'll merely get a "checkmark" instead of a "gold star" next to the level name. So it will take you a while to figure out the best solution.

Graphics is good, considering the limited amount of pixels they have to work with. Each lemming is only a few pixels, yet the animators managed to pack a lot of motion into those few pixels. Background is tolerable, but then it's perfect for the gameplay, and does not distract from it. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the sound. The only sound is an annoying tune, I think it's "the Entertainer", and it's non-stop auto-repeat. I had to turn it off as it's absolutely annoying. There's no volume control, and there are no game sounds.

All in all, Lemmings Tribes is a fun little package that manages to be entertaining, and retain the familiar Lemmings charm, while still adding a few new elements. Unfortunately, the makers forgot to put in the ability to turn off the annoying music, and the game sounds are lacking. Also, there really isn't THAT much new here, and some of the levels are VERY hard. Thus, this gets a 7.5... good, but not great.

Overall rating: 7.5 out of 10
Pros: same Lemmings charm, some new elements, lots of levels
Cons: can't turn off music, more of the same, some levels way too hard