Editing Lemmings (video game) (section)

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Amiga Lemmings.png|thumb|left|Lemmings cross a bridge and tunnel through a rock formation in the Amiga version.|alt=Lemmings building a bridge over a chasm and excavating a tunnel through a rock formation.]]

''Lemmings'' is divided into a number of [[Level (video games)|levels]], grouped into four difficulty categories.<ref name=spectrum/> Each level begins with one or more trap doors opening from above, releasing a steady line of lemmings who all follow each other.<ref name=fox/> Levels include a variety of obstacles that prevent lemmings from reaching the exit, such as large drops, booby traps and pools of lava.<ref name=ysr/>

The goal of each level is to guide at least a portion of the green-haired, blue-robed lemmings from the entrance to the exit by clearing or creating a safe passage through the landscape for the lemmings to use.<ref name="manual"/><ref name="eurogamer review">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_lemmings_psp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221101311/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_lemmings_psp |archive-date=21 February 2013 |title=Lemmings |work=[[Eurogamer]] |first=Tom |last=Bramwell |date=7 March 2006 |access-date=10 December 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> Unless assigned a special task, a lemming will walk in one direction ignoring any other lemming in its way (except Blockers), falling off any edges and turning around if it hits an obstacle it cannot pass.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/29/technology/29game.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5070&en=9b11a61802a7c4f8&ex=1152244800&emc=eta1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130162231/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/29/technology/29game.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ei=5070&en=9b11a61802a7c4f8&ex=1152244800&emc=eta1& |archive-date=30 January 2013 |title=Addictive as Chips, but Less Fattening |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 June 2006 |access-date=10 December 2014 |first=Charles |last=Herold |url-status=dead }}</ref> A lemming can die in a number of ways: falling from too great a height, drowning or falling into lava, falling off the bottom edge of the screen, being caught in a trap or fire, or being assigned the Bomber skill for five seconds. Every level has a time limit; if the timer expires, all the lemmings explode (even non-Bombers), the level ends, and the player is evaluated on the number of lemmings rescued.

To successfully complete the level, the player must assign specific skills to certain lemmings. Which skills and how many uses of each are available to the player varies from level to level, and the player must assign the skills carefully to successfully guide the lemmings.<ref name="eurogamer review"/> There are eight skills that can be assigned:<ref name="manual">{{cite book | year=1993 | editor=Atari | title=Lemmings Instruction Manual (Atari Lynx) (C398105-080 Rev. A) | pages=5–7 | publisher=Atari }}</ref> Climbers climb vertically though fall down if they hit an overhang. Floaters use a parachute to fall safely from heights. Bombers explode after a five-second timer, destroying themselves and any destructible landscape in close proximity, though not damaging other lemmings or traps. Blockers stand still and prevent other lemmings from passing; lemmings that hit a Blocker simply reverse direction. Builders build a stairway of 12 steps, but will stop building when either it hits its head, runs out of bricks, or when the stairway hits a solid object.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lemmings - Instructions, Docs - Lemon Amiga |url=https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/docs.php?id=994 |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=www.lemonamiga.com}}</ref> Bashers, Miners and Diggers tunnel horizontally, diagonally downwards or directly downwards respectively, but cannot break through steel barriers.<ref name=spectrum/>

While the player is able to pause the game to inspect the level and status of the lemmings, skills can only be assigned in real-time. Lemmings are initially released at a rate predetermined by the level (from 1 to 99). The player can increase the rate as desired to a maximum of 99, and later decrease it down to, but not lower than, the initial rate. The player also has the option to "nuke" all the remaining lemmings on the screen, converting them to Bombers.<ref name=spectrum/> This option can be used to abort a level when in a no-win situation, remove any Blockers that remain after the remaining lemmings have been rescued, or end a level quickly once the required percentage of saved lemmings has been reached.<ref name="manual"/>

The four difficulty groups – "Fun", "Tricky", "Taxing" and "Mayhem" – are used to organise the levels to reflect their overall difficulty.<ref name=gs/> This rating reflects several factors, including the number of obstacles the player has to surpass, the limitation on the number of types of skills available to assign, the time limit, the minimum rate of lemming release, and the percentage of lemmings that must be saved.<ref name="eurogamer review"/> Some versions have additional difficulty ratings with more levels in each.

===Two-player mode===
[[Image:SNES Lemmings2Player.png|thumb|In two-player mode, each player can only control lemmings of their own colour but attempt to guide any lemming to their own goal.]]

The original ''Lemmings'' also has 20 two-player levels. This took advantage of the Amiga's ability to support two mice simultaneously, and the Atari's ability to support a mouse and a [[joystick]] simultaneously.<ref name="history"/> Each player is presented with their own view of the same map (on a vertically split screen), can only give orders to their own lemmings (green or blue), and has their own base. The goal is to get more lemmings (regardless of colour) into one's own base than the other player. Gameplay cycles through the 20 levels until neither player gets any lemmings home.<ref name="manual"/>

=== Oh No! More Lemmings ===
{{Main page|Oh No! More Lemmings}}

''Oh No! More Lemmings'' is an expansion for the game. It contains 100 more levels, leading to 150 levels in total, including the two-player levels.