LGR - Lemmings - DOS PC Game Review

Few games have been ported to as many systems and seen as many variants as DMA Design's Lemmings. And it's no wonder! There's just something about trying to solve puzzles with suicidal rodents that's incredibly satisfying.

[@RichHeimlich]

My QA company did the testing on this (and the sequel) and I wrote the strategy guide for it (which is an interesting story in itself). I'll never, ever forget the music as it was burned into my brain from all the time spent with it.

[@barrelbobcat428s_rebelion6]

I know I am late, but what was it like?

[@RichHeimlich]

@@barrelbobcat428s_rebelion6 What was what like, specifically? The game was a shockingly simple, adorable affair that most people found quickly addicting. We had no trouble lining up staff to take part in testing it. Psygnosis was also a very solid client to work with. They were extremely competent and responsive. The nature of the game was such that there were countless ways to go outside the desired limitations of the design due to how flexible and creative you could be within it and that made it a bear to test. It was in our labs for much longer than the average product which also helped to burn that soundtrack into my head.

[@barrelbobcat428s_rebelion6]

@@RichHeimlich you answered what I wanted to know Thank you so much!

[@michaelocampo9986]

May God bless your soul. :)

[@liammay7756]

@@barrelbobcat428s_rebelion6 what did you want to know?

[@Rhino-n-Chips]

I had the pc version, I remember thinking more than once "What does the mushroom button do?" Then ruining the level for myself.

[@tazgamerplays]

Rhino 'n Chips Like the pic, I enjoyed the game.

[@edbadyt]

I know I'm late but, how did you make that mistake more than once?!

[@Rhino-n-Chips]

@@edbadyt I was 4.

[@sameash3153]

@Walter Lotte lmao

[@Chaggy1978]

😂

[@Dimefan91]

I had fond memories of the DOS version as a kid. I'd always cry everytime I failed and a single lemming died. But when I'd get so frustrated at the little bastards I'd plan ways to get the killed in inventive and sadistic traps. This game made me a sociopath. Ah, good times.

[@LGR]

I'm a collector, I've been gathering them for years :) Random places, thrift stores, flea markets, other collectors, eBay, Amazon...

[@SavestateComic]

I remember renting this for the Genesis multiple times. I played it so much my Dad took away the controller at one point. Only game that ever happened with. Good times.

[@LGR]

Could not have said it better myself. I remember this feeling fondly... I was heavily into ant farms at the time (both in real life and playing SimAnt a ton!) and loved the idea of simulating a bunch of little creatures. Playing Lemmings was like looking into a surreal virtual world through my computer screen. Like ants, but cooler. They seemed so alive! And I could *control* these little animated dudes, either to help or abuse them, and it was so freaking awesome.

[@Xzarfna]

I love these little buggers Went to university in Dundee where this was made and there are bronze statues of lemmings near the student union!

[@KuddlyKisses]

Every time I see Lemmings I just can't help but smile. SO many memories and not just of me playing, but almost my entire family. We used to swap strategies, horror stories, comedic moments (not related to the horror stories...yeeeaaah. Right. ^_- ) etc. Those were the good ol' days ♥

[@shanester366]

yea me and my dad used to always play it on our old 386, I wish we kept that old pc

[@mjkittredge]

yes! This was the game that brought my dysfunctional family together. Even my dad who thought video games were a stupid waste of time liked this one. Lemmings was a big part of my childhood

[@WingsofSuicide]

I remember playing this game with my dad back in the day. The nostalgia is strong with this one.

[@LGR]

Lemmings is owned by Sony now, and they actually released a remake of Lemmings + Oh No! More Lemmings for the PS3 and PSP in 2007. Awesome versions, I thought, especially the PSP one which made an excellent game to play on the go. They were going to release one for iOS and other mobile platforms but that was canned in 2010 for some reason.

[@zacharygardner2469]

Your reviews are in no way lazy. I can tell that a ton of work is put into these videos and it shows. I love these reviews.

[@thefalloutguy5773]

Zachary Gardner just a name

[@revenile]

I know this video is old but you should really do one on Lemmings 2: The Tribes. That medieval theme is amazing...

[@jillparker6553]

And here I am 7 years later watching the video for the first time. Hahah

[@LGR]

The last official game in the Lemmings series for PC was Revolution from 2000.

[@LGR]

Yes. I'll be reviewing Worms+Reinforcements/Worms United/Worms Director's Cut at some point in the future.

[@markofsaints5319]

wow i really miss this game, I remember playing this as a child... good times

[@TheSauciest]

Just to think, these people would go on to make the GTA games.

[@wizzardoo6228]

An excellent comment.

[@adynmichael]

Matthew Olejniczak yup

[@franknitti9126]

Matthew Olejniczak Are you sure? Where did you get that info?

[@Jakepearl13]

Not to mention,the publishers made the wipeout franchise

[@Nochift138]

That's what LGR said

[@LGR]

Lemmings was released in 1991 for the Amiga, came later to several other systems. So it sounds like it adds up well enough!

[@supermegazeldaland]

I had lemmings on snes but then it miraculously vanished. I suppose it fell off a cliff or something.

[@hdofu]

PlayerNamedQuix also the ds port homebrew was good, PlayStation portable version was good, and caveman for iOS is good

[@rockmanzeromodernday941]

Notable ones: Sega Genesis version of Lemmings, Sega Master System, Amiga. My first time playing it is three levels... Just Dig, Only Floaters can Survive this, and Tailor Made for Blockers.

[@tigershark132]

I love how 'pause' is a set of paws! :P

[@kjakobsen]

I've only played it on the Amiga, with the most impressive music ever. I've just seen, that they made a Commodore 64 version. And the retro geek in me, almost cries tears of joy hearing what they squezed out of that amazing SID chip.

[@LGR]

What is your source? Because every place I've looked, from fan websites to the dates on my Amiga 1.0 disks to Rockstar/DMA Design's own records to the biography covering David Jones and Rockstar titled "Jacked", says Lemmings for the Amiga was first released on February 14, 1991. I can't find a single reference to 1990, other than saying that's when they were coding the game.

[@melisslacour15]

I loved playing this as a kid on my dad's huge laptop computer for work. Great memories!! ❤️

[@Souls4Roca]

Pikmin: "Papa is that you?"

[@ranger9047]

This is one of the first games I remember my older brothers playing. We only had the original DOS version. They had a notebook full of codes for almost every level all the way through mayhem! To this day I just play a piece of the soundtrack and they just about fall over from the wave of nostalgia lol

[@CoolDudeClem]

The Acorn Archimedes version is the definitive version! It was the only thing that motivated me to go to school back in the day since they had it on the computers there.

[@GigaLem]

CoolDudeClem one of my schools had the dos version

[@thebeggs4]

That's the system that introduced me to Lemmings, too! The Windows version with the unofficial Java add-on "Lemmini" comes close as it adds the missing levels (MENACE!, etc) and music, but the Acorn version was fantastic.

[@steeviebops]

Another Acorn fan here, was introduced to Lemmings on the A3010s in my school. Nowadays I got it working on RISC OS on a Raspberry Pi.

[@AudreyDurden]

some of the BEST music EVER on a video game

[@kihro]

i loved this game i miss the 80's/90's.

[@calilovett2063]

I found it online and now I'm addicted. It's infuriating.

[@lemagreengreen]

The guys from DMA Design visited my school in the mid 90s, promoting a career in games development. Nice to know they really made it big :) wish I still had some of the promotional stuff they handed out to pass on to a true collector.

[@howrylo]

this was my favorite game growing up. so cool you covered it.

[@Roxas4ever]

Another classic from my childhood. I wish I had been old enough to understand the harder puzzles, because I was never able to finish the game.

[@LGR]

Thanks! And yes, I may review Lemmings 2: The Tribes at some point.

[@marshmllodragon]

I used to play this game and lemmings 2 obsessively as a kid. ❤️ Such good memories

[@Trusteft]

I strongly remember as a teenager going to a shop selling games, to buy a joystick for my ST. As I entered, there was this huge TV on the left, running Lemmings for the Amiga. I was with a friend and we kept watching someone else play for a while. We weren't the only ones, there were several more people doing the same. It was love at first sight for everybody there. It's hard to explain now, but the game looked, sounded and played like something out of this world, at least to our senses.

[@tazgamerplays]

Lemmings was great, I really miss some of these old games, and the sounds from the old computers.

[@bizzhat]

This, was possibly the best game review I have ever seen! A job well done. Thanks :)

[@GrandPrixDecals]

The only youtuber where you can’t tell the difference between a video uploaded yesterday and one uploaded 10 years ago 😉👍

[@JackyVSO]

It was so freaking difficult! Despite vigorous attempts, I never managed to make it through the last 20 levels when I played it as a kid. This is probably why it still holds a kind of magic for me. You really have to be made of special stuff to unlock the whole of it.

[@AnubisDark]

I remember playing Lemmings Real Life in middle school with friends. I think i'll go see them in the graveyard tomorrow.

[@RediffusionMusic]

I DJ in the bar attached to the small two-floor office in which Lemmings was made! It’s now a Mexican-inspired restaurant, but it has a plaque on the wall dedicated to Lemmings and the history of the building.

[@Weetomuncherishere]

Great game. I've played it on virtually every machine from the ZX Spectrum to the PS3. Oddly it never appeared for the C64 despite constant promises.

[@LGR]

Really? There are videos of it on KZbin, and I've played it myself! See here, listed as one of the last commercial C64 games: www.lemon64.com/?game_id=1513 Looks like it was converted by Thomas Mittelmeyer in 1994.

[@googaagoogaa12345678]

i have the CD32 dos and windows versions

[@googaagoogaa12345678]

and also the european saturn version that uses the mouse

[@Xredator]

yea there is a c64 port

[@philbateman1989]

As far as I know there is no ZX Spectrum version though...

[@LGR]

Indeed I have. Can't say I'm a fan of it, but it's an interesting twist on the genre. Liked Lemmings Revolution a bit more.

[@LGR]

Yup! I hope to review it someday.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

I have so many vague memories as a kid seeing my friends older brothers playing this on their macs and amigas

[@AdriftForWeeks]

I absolutely adore this game, been playing it ever since the Amiga days

[@markvergeer]

Excellent review as usual!

[@basicallysnake]

Take a shot each time you hear LGR say lemmings

[@robintst]

Shadow of the Beast, Blood Money, and Lemmings were staples of my gaming habits back then when I had an Amiga 1000. But my brother had the Amiga 500 and since it was an AIO machine and more easy to move, when our parents weren't home, we'd bring it down to the living room, drag the coffee table to the middle of the floor, and hook it up to the big woodgrain floor model TV we had.

[@MarkTheMorose]

+Alan Rizkallah (Yinz Gamerz) There should be a law that says if you play retro games, it has to be on a TV with a woodgrain finish.

[@thelowmein9143]

One of the first pc games I played, great nostalgia trip! It was a great game.

[@KillingDeadThings]

This game took over my life back in 91.

[@Chaggy1978]

Yes same here! I was addicted.

[@BlooditeDrakan]

Oh the days of playing Lemmings on the Macintosh at school! That games was amazing good fun.

[@thebeggs4]

One level that I'll never forget it "I have a cunning plan". Not just because I love Blackadder, but my father and I got stuck on that one for ages. I also remember some of the level codes from the Acorn Archimedes version, since they were short phrases. Sometimes, you could even guess them, as they'd follow certain patterns.

[@concertinamadrigals4058]

This was such a great way to pass the time!

[@mima85]

Lemmings... hours and hours passed playing with it, both Amiga and DOS versions. The first tune heard in this video it's one of my favourites in the DOS version of Oh No More Lemmings. Pure OPL3 FM delight :-D

[@waffleless]

The animations are fantastic. The Basher and Brickdr are really clear.

[@danarmstrong5828]

Used to live next to the old DMA offices in Dundee, the city has little Lemmings statues around the city to honor the game, DMA and Dundee's gaming history. :)

[@RetroGamer2399]

Iv been waiting for you to do a review of lemmings for awhile =D

[@nathansyupp1137]

I played for hours on the Super Nintendo when I was a kid. Never even seen a computer back then. Thought that was the first until years later.

[@bencheshire]

Yes, because the gameplay is so good, it translates to every system. I used to play it on the phreaking game gear, and I loved it. And I had the Amiga version too.

[@LGR]

@MrShot97 and @raymangold22 I can settle this: they're both freaking awesome in their own ways, end of story. One can appreciate both with no ill side effects. It's true! I love FM, I also love samplers. Neither one is objectively better than the other, it's all up to personal preference. Limited oneself to a single type of music or sound leads to a very boring existence.

[@LGR]

Played on my NCR Comten 386SX.

[@em84c]

I loved this game when I was a kid. It's awesome! I need to find a download for it.

[@GuitarAudiologist]

For what it's worth, the music was quite a bit better on the Amiga port. Playing Lemmings on my Amiga 500 was one of my first memories playing a computer game!

[@aaronmicalowe]

I've played just about every version of lemmings that came out for the Amiga, including all the special versions that normally came out each Christmas. The original took me 3 days to complete on all difficulties and I had to fake an illness to skip school by sucking a bottle onto my cheek and creating a bruise then pretending I'd had a bad fall. Amazingly my parents fall for it :D Never relied on any guide either, because back then there was no internet for anyone outside of a research lab.

[@RediffusionMusic]

I also seen you were playing this on an NCR machine… Dundee software on Dundee hardware - love it!!

[@NeoTrggrTheGammer]

oh man i loved this game growing up. I grew up on dos and windows and this game was my childhood was this game

[@Shot97]

Already seen this on Blip, but had to come over to favorite and comment! Great video! Though I wish you covered the Amiga version, I understand your connection with DOS. It does have some rocking FM.In the late 90's I got this for DOS and just thought "This isn't right".One of many DOS games that eventually got me into emulating the Amiga, then getting the real thing again.I have managed to beat it by myself, takes alot of patience. Very nice ending screen on the Amiga anyway.The game team claps

[@LGR]

Well... that's a bit concerning, but I'm still looking forward to it. Frick, I looked forward to Worms 3D and I survived, so I think I'll be fine :)

[@Shot97]

Wise words phreakindee. Sorry for hijacking your board here. In all honesty I do love all the retro and console sound hardware. The C64, the NES, Genesis, Amiga, SNES, MIDI, MOD, I even have my PC speaker wired to my SoundBlaster AWE so that it sounds as good as possible. And the PC speaker, as horrible as you want to say it is sometimes, it always makes you smile.

[@bruceaskew2107]

this game kicked ass .. thanks for the memories

[@sulos4646]

As child i always saw Alf in the game... The one special exit...

[@etherraichu]

I had Lemmings on Mac. It was great but the copy protection! Every time you started the game would tell you to look in the instruction manual and find a specific code, on a list of them under lemming skill symbols. They were all in this shiny, neon green font that couldn't be photocopied.

[@ceruleantear1]

I once played Lemmings at summer school. I never played it long enough to get the point of the game, but some of my classmates sure loved it.

[@qwertyb18]

Man, this game along with Tim 2 was all I had when I was a kid along with an NES. Good times.

[@StephanS]

Ah..... my first PC Dos Game. Still love it and have the old disc laying around. This one really turned me into a Gamer!

[@Highretrogamelord]

Ah, Lemmings..such a classic! I think I played the X-mas version and the original as the kid. I can remember a level with snowmen...must have been the X-mas version.

[@KentuckyRanger]

Back in 1990 I purchased this game! I didn't have a computer, but my friend did...

[@LGR]

New Lemmings games keep getting canceled, unfortunately. But I'm freaking psyched to check out Worms Revolution later this year!

[@martinmeeser8312]

the best game ever! I was in school just thinking of how to solve these levels

[@mjonesy0007]

Oh man I was waiting the entire video for you to use the nuke!

[@isorSOT]

I remember when i played it on my Genesis, this game is so amazing!

[@GamingMuchTerry]

The first time I ever touched a computer was to play Lemmings. It was in the school classroom in the late 80s (the only computer in the school back then) and I think it was an Amiga.

[@LGR]

Oh yes they were, don't take that away from me! :D

[@tarrker]

I loved this game. I wish we could get another one like it. :)

[@Shot97]

I love how London has preserved most of their buildings, and they have laws regulating how tall they can be. They genuinely care about their history. Over here perfectly good buildings get demolished to build something that looks newer. Perfectly good trees get demolished to build miles of parking lots! I live around Detroit, and we probably have the oldest preserved buildings around, simply because no one wants to build anything new here! haha! But honestly they dont need to! Their beautiful!

[@Rakiarmas]

I had Lemmings on Sega Genesis/Megadrive. It was pretty popular game in my family & we were trying to complete this game together. We manage to get pretty far until the stages became just too difficult for us. Me & my cousin played the two player mode alot. It was pretty fun to try getting points for yourself & sabotage your friend's game at the same time.

[@NostalgicRoe]

Such a great game. We played it in school and would compete to see who could complete all the levels first.

[@MrPotatoShed]

Nice! I have a CD version of the game somewhere with a fully digital soundtrack. It's actually pretty catchy!

[@SnakePlissken73]

One of my all-time favorite games. X-Mas Lemmings is also nice. I dunno if there was a PC version. I loved the music (on Amiga).

[@funkophone]

Ah memories. I remember having this game on a great stonking blue 3 1/2 floppy and thinking to myself: "Blue floppy disks? We're living in the future now, man."

[@-taz-]

Great info, phreakindee. I played Blood Money as a kid, and remembered DMA Design from the intro, yet somehow never even linked it to Lemmings (or anything else after that). And I remember Davey Jones Locker from Blood Money, so that adds up. And I seriously doubt anyone here, maybe the whole set combined, spent as much time as me on DeluxePaint, yet I didn't even know about the 8/16 pixel challenge either. Nice! (The only DP fun fact I remember is Guybrush Threepwood's name.)

[@korblborp]

Going out with a bang!

[@Valientlink]

Taxing 13 has a huge flaw, the miner doesn't mine correctly and you have to either hit this pixel perfect stuff or do some bash and dig so they can get up. That level was SO frustrating to get past. I played every other port, only the DOS version has this issue.

[@Stickywicket]

I had it on the Mega Drive. Boy howdy do I love the music in that game.

[@Singular8ty]

Strangest Lemmings spin-off ever: Lemmings Paintball.... At least from the ones I know of....

[@Torterenek]

I have a CD my grandpa gave me with lemmings on it. I managed to get it to run well on dosbox. My grandpa's favorite game, as well as mine.

[@Shot97]

Oh, I get it now. I just checked out your channel, I can see that you are absolutely in love with FM...alright, I get it. I do have to say I really don't think a majority of people agree with you thats its better, but I do absolutely respect your opinion. I see you feel very passionately about it.

[@LGR]

Thank you! I definitely thought about mainly covering the Amiga version instead of the DOS one, but since I grew up with the DOS port and already dedicated my Christmas Lemmings review to the Amiga game, I figured I'd stick to DOS and mention the Amiga and other ports as a side-note. The Amiga really is my favorite "classic" version of Lemmings, next to the awesomely enhanced Macintosh port.

[@Hardts]

You know, I think Lemmings was the first game I ever played. I don't even know if it was on an amiga or an early pc. I'm quite sure it was the absolute first version of Lemmings. The music actually springs to mind, where it solidifies as a a concentrated manifestation of pure nostalgia that has it's own little permanent suite in my neocortex. That was a few years before my first computer when I was 7, and I was born in '86 so it seems something doesn't add up if it was released in '94.. Hmm..

[@J0elPeters]

I love this game. Used to play it all the time on Mac OS 7 xD