Lemmings (ZXS)

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Lemmings
Lemmings - ZXS - UK.jpg
Platform: ZX Spectrum
Year: 1991
Developer: DMA Design Limited
For other games in the series, see Lemmings.

Lemmings is a puzzle game where you try and safely lead a line of lemmings to the exit of a dangerous room. Because they simply walk forward, regardless of the hazards that lie ahead of them, you must change their behavior to keep them from falling, drowning, burning, being squished, and any other manner of horrible death.

You do this by giving the lemmings various jobs like digging, climbing, building, blocking, etc. Each stage increases in difficulty; the first 20 stages or so are relatively easy and teach you the basics of the game. The next 20 teach you more of the advanced tactics and require you to get creative. However, by the time you reach the last levels, the game becomes aggravatingly difficult. It stops being about figuring out the puzzle, and starts being about how accurately you can change the Lemming's task. And since they only give you just enough lemmings to finish the stage, a single mistake forces you to restart the entire level.

Due to the ZX Spectrum's monochromatic sprites, the individual lemmings are often difficult to see properly, and the keyboard controls make it much harder to target a single lemming with a task compared to those computers that can use a mouse.

Screenshots

Lemmings - ZXS - Title.png

The title screen.

Lemmings - ZXS - Start.png

You can do it!

Lemmings - ZXS - Diggers.png

I know how to dig.

Lemmings - ZXS - Won.png

Like a boss.

Lemmings - ZXS - Floaters.png

Floating gently down with a parasol.

Lemmings - ZXS - Blockers.png

Using blockers to get safely to the end.

Music

VGMPF Album Art       Icon-Help.png

Lemmings - ZXS - Album Art.jpg

For most ports, Lemmings features a combination of unique songs, nursery rhymes, classical pieces, and covers from other videogames, but due to the limited space on the ZX Spectrum, the soundtrack was pared down to a single track. Tim Wright's popular Tim 1 tune is played on the buzzer at the title screen, and, if you're playing on the Spectrum 128, on the AY-3-8912 during game play. Due to the Spectrum's slow speed, the song plays at a different tempo while playing compared to when the game is paused. The recording here represents the normal tempo played when the game is paused.

Recording

# Title ComposerArranger Length Listen Download
01 Tim 1 (Buzzer) Tim WrightUnknown 3:42
Download
02 Tim 1 Tim WrightUnknown 3:45
Download

Credits

(Source: Game lacks credits, DOS credits)

Game Rip

Issue - Incomplete.svg

This rip is missing songs.

Icon-Help.png

Format

Download

AY.png

Download

(Info)


Ripping AY music is a complex process that is beyond the scope of this Wiki. The buzzer version, which is not included in the rip, was recorded during game play, the normal version was recorded with NEZ Plug.

Audio Devices

The buzzer version of the song plays at the title screen regardless of which Spectrum you're using, but the AY-3-8912 version plays only if you have a Spectrum 128.

Releases

  UK.svg   UK
Lemmings - ZXS - UK.jpg
Title: Lemmings
Platform: ZX Spectrum
Released: 1991-??-??
Publisher: Psygnosis Limited

Links