Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Modern update on classic puzzler is a fun, challenging test.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Lemmings Touch
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
LEMMINGS TOUCH is part of a puzzle-game franchise that dates back to 1991, when the original Lemmings debuted on PC. This edition employs the same basic formula as its predecessors: The player's objective is to safely guide groups of hairy little creatures from level entrance to level exit. They're not very smart. They'll walk dumbly in one direction until they either hit an obstacle -- which will make them turn around and walk the other way -- or march off cliffs or into hazards. You can keep them safe by assigning abilities to specific lemmings, such as climbing, digging, and floating with an umbrella. But these skills are limited in quantity, so they need to be used sparingly. You also can alter the environment for the lemmings, shifting platforms and altering the trajectory of trampolines. A series of tutorial levels walks players through the basics, preparing them to tackle the dozens of progressively more difficult levels that lie beyond.
Is It Any Good?
Ironically, the "touch" aspect of Lemmings Touch is its biggest drawback. The touchscreen controls are intuitive at first but give rise to issues not present in other versions of the game, such as the ability to accidentally scroll the screen when you mean to slide a platform or to be blinded at inopportune moments by the large, touch-activated abilities menu that floats over your lemmings. The interface doesn't cause problems most of the time, but it can prove quite frustrating on occasion.
Still, when the touch controls aren't getting in the way, this version of the classic puzzler is just as much fun as its predecessors. Analyzing stages filled with obstacles and strategically charting your lemmings' course through them is as engaging as ever, particularly since there's rarely only one right solution to any problem. The path you carve through any given level could very well be completely original and is all the more satisfying for it. Version-specific additions -- such as special objectives that go beyond simply getting from entrance to exit and earned items that let players alter the lemmings' appearance -- will keep players experimenting and may even lead to new strategies. There's plenty here for puzzle fans to enjoy -- assuming they aren't turned off by the occasionally fussy interface.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about misconceptions to do with lemmings. Try looking up explanations for these creatures' occasional mass deaths and why the idea of mass lemming suicide has persisted over the years.
Discuss the thrill that comes with solving puzzles and problems. We all feel satisfaction when we're able to work out ways to overcome obstacles, whether in our day-to-day lives or in games such as this one. Why do you think that is?
Game Details
- Platform : PlayStation Vita
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : logic , solving puzzles , strategy
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : SCEA
- Release date : May 27, 2014
- Genre : Puzzle
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 22, 2022
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