Christmas Lemmings Level reviews

[finlay]

What's the, uh, foreroute then, if that's a backroute?

Hail 5: Get the Point?

Lemmings: 80
Goal: 79 (98%)
Rate: 20
Time: 3
Skills: 0/31/0/1/10/0/0/1

Good: Suitably challenging, stretches level design to its limit with the single-pixel point that they have to land on. A decent challenge for 100% too. Not as bad as a lot of other levels and doesn't have that distinct "filler" feel to it.
Bad: Annoying level, like many others. Difficult to know where to build from.

Better than Blitz 5 ("It came upon a lemnight clear"): Yeah; that's a fairly boring climb-build-bash affair and this is more interesting.

[Minim]

The "foreroute" in other words the intended solution is to build and bash to the platform above, followed by some more building and then bashing just underneath the three candles, and after that it's just a miner and a basher to the exit.

Hail 6 - Surprise Package?


Lemmings: 80
Save: 27 (33%)
Time: 1 minute
Release rate: 20
Skills: 1 blocker (Is that all?)

Good: A super short level with just the 1 minute being the perfect amount of time, but more importantly this level uses the nuke feature, which makes the level as unique as it could possibly be. Level design is related to the title as it looks like a present. A casual player would certainly find some randomness here, which is what I also enjoy too.
Bad: The intended solution also works without the blocker. The exit could've been hidden, so that it would be more of a surprise.
Better than Blitz 6? By a long way yes. Blitz 6 gets some black looks with quite a bad backroute as Clam mentioned in his review, and it is nowhere near as unique as Hail 6, which is my favourite level in all of Holiday Lemmings even though there's not much to it.

[finlay]

Do you think Hail 6 is also the thinnest level left-to-right? It's kinda square, really.

Hail 7: Steel Ice Span

Lemmings: 80
Goal: 100%
Rate: 1
Time: 5
Skills: 1/0/0/0/25/0/0/0

Good: Moderately challenging, although perhaps a bit too easy for its position. Manages to look interesting.
Bad: Builder level... and those first spikes are a bitch to get over. Also, while it doesn't make much difference to gameplay and they can get away with it because it's a builder level, no steel areas were added to the game terrain, which strikes me as lazy.

Better than Blitz 7 (Break on through): No, not by a long shot, because Blitz 7 contains a greater variety of unseen obstacles to account for (building up will cause a death drop to occur, for instance, due to the W shape of the ground), and is more difficult to achieve 100% on.

[Minim]

Do you think Hail 6 is also the thinnest level left-to-right? It's kinda square, really.

Yes, I think you're right.

Hail 8: Sir Edmund Hilemming


Lemmings: 80
Save: 80 (100%)
Time: 6 minutes
Release rate: 30
Skills: 1 floater, 50 builders, 2 bashers, 1 miner, 1 digger

Good: Relevant title, as is features mountains. It's quite a challenge trapping the lemmings and saving 100%.
Bad: This level is far too long, and the trick needed to beat this level is too cheap for words. No decoration whatsoever, not even any rocks. No climbers, and I'm sure climbers have something to do with mountains.
Better than Blitz 8?: Absolutely not. Blitz 8 is a smart little remake of an earlier level by redirecting both sets of lemmings into one exit. The designers have certainly put effort into Blitz 8 rather than Hail 8.

[finlay]

Oh, wait, that's not a backroute? I assumed that they gave you 50 builders because they intended you to build over the mountains...

Hail 9: Up, up and away!

Lemmings: 50
Goal: 100%
Rate: 1
Time: 8
Skills: 0/0/0/0/25/1/0/1

Good: Nice decoration, good that it forces you not to use a blocker trap in favour of a digger trap.
Bad: Not much to it at all. Quite a few of the later Hail levels also require 100% and need you to use a digger trap, so it's far from unique in that respect. All you have to do here is make a long ladder.

Better than Blitz 9 (Lemmings the Motion Picture): Yes, by a mile, but mainly because Blitz 9 was my absolute least-favourite level of the game (the point where I really started to think "Do I have to??"). It is a boring buildfest which it's easy to mess up on later in the level and have to restart, while at least Hail 9 is over quickly.

[Minim]

From Hail 9 onwards the remaining levels are 100%.

Hail 10: Lemmy in the cold, cold, ground


Lemmings: 80
Time: 4 minutes
Release rate: 60
Skills: 1 bomber, 1 blocker, 5 builders, 5 bashers, 5 miners.

Bad: Gains no marks on decoration, as that chain behind two clumps of snow looks ugly. Several pieces in the wrong places...
Good: ...but that may be part of the title, as it's meant to be a cold ground. Involves a good deal of multitasking for several entrances, as this level requires 100%. A fairly interesting solution to execute.
Better than Blitz 10?: Hmm... both of them are multiple-entrance 100% levels. I'm going to say yes overall. There's more to this level compared to the other level, and the solution is neat and not too challenging. On the decoration front I would have certainly given the prize to Blitz 10, as that level is symmetrical unlike this one.

Oh, wait, that's not a backroute? I assumed that they gave you 50 builders because they intended you to build over the mountains...

Maybe so, but with only 6 minutes I don't think there's enough time to build over all the mountains. Still, I'll double check to see if this method works.

[Minim]

Well, we failed once again, but there are only five levels left after this so we're getting there.

Hail 11: Emmings! (No L)


Lemmings: 70
Time: 6 minutes
Release rate: 50
Skills: 6 builders, 0 bashers, 2 everything else.

Good: Great use of the pun. (The best IMHO. LOL) A nice rescue-type level to work out without those bashers. I like the look of the double set of chains on the right.
Bad: The chains are the only eye candy we can see.
Better than Blitz 11?: They're both great 100% levels; both involving interesting techniques. I'm going to say yes (although I might be disagreed though, it is a close call). The Blitz 11 level has a wonderful new technique, but it can be repetitious at the half way mark. Hail 11 doesn't have any repetition. I'm also saying yes because of the clever quirky title.

[finlay]

Hail 12: Merry Christmaze!

Lemmings: 25
Goal: 100%
Rate: 1
Time: 5
Skills: 25 builders

Good: Nice idea, passable pun in the title.
Bad: Absolutely nothing to it; I think there are two possible solutions in total, and one of them is just building across the top of the level, which stinks of backroute. I suspect that the designers meant you to be able to climb through the middle, where there are two eraser pieces, but that obviously won't work. It looks like the level was rushed out... also if you load it in the editor you will see a blank steel piece somewhere in the level. So nice idea, but very poorly executed. Also, it's a builder level.

Better than Blitz 12 (The Voyage Home): Surprisingly a close call, because Blitz 12 involves so much walking, but it's a lot more interesting than Hail 12, especially trying to go for the maximum lemmings with only 1 bomber (it's hard enough trying to find the right spot for 2 bombers!)

[Minim]

Hail 13: Polar Expedition


Lemmings: 50
Time: 6 minutes
Release rate: 25
Skills: 1 climber, 1 floater, 5 bombers, 2 blockers, 1 builder, 2 bashers, 2 diggers.

Good: This level is just in the right difficulty setting, with only two bashers to break through the three poles.
Bad: Would've probably been more difficult without a floater. No eye candy, just a few steel blocks; and that makes the looks quite dull. The blockers and bombers are not useful in a 100% level.
Better than Blitz 13?: This is a very tough decision. It's a bit 50/50 but I'm gonna say no. Both levels have at least one tough obstacle to go past (For Hail 13, say the last pole for example), but Blitz 13's obstacle is quite unique forcing the player to create a new method. The Hail 13 obstacle looks a little too familiar to that of Hail 11, even though the process is a little different.

[Clam]

Hail 14 - Rendezvous II


Lemmings: 65
Save: 65 (100%)
Time: 9 minutes
Release rate: 50
Skills: 5 climbers, 5 floaters, 2 blockers, 20 builders, 5 bashers, 3 miners, 3 diggers

Good: Brings back happy memories of finishing the original game . Nice contrast between the rocky side and the snowy side.
Bad: Like the original Rendezvous, it's fairly easy to block off one side and then handle each side on its own, so there's no need to multitask. Also, like the original Rendezvous, very builder-heavy
Better than Blitz 14 (The Undiscovered Country)? Yes. While Blitz 14 is a fun exit-hunting level, it's trivial once you know where the exit is. This level has better replay value through challenges (eg. least builders).

[finlay]

Hail 15 - Steel Block Party

Lemmings: 60
Goal: 100%
Rate: 40
Time: 5
Skills: 1/0/1/2/4/1/0/4

Good: I think this is a great level and my favourite of the holiday levels. It takes some working out at first but is quite satisfying to solve, and it's very simple. I solved it using the right click technique in order to select a non-worker, and dug while the basher was going through the wall in order to make him sink down and not hit the steel block.

Bad: One trick horse... there isn't much opportunity for variety in this level. There are a couple of different solutions but basically it's one of the ones that you're not left wondering about different solutions. Or maybe that's just me.

Better than Blitz 15: Yeah. As I say, it's my favourite level.... but "The Needs of the Many" is more than a worthy contender, to be completely fair. (ie, I like it as well)

Also, happy new year everyone!

[Minim]

May I mention another good point on Hail 14 is that it's a 100%er and so it is well it is in the right position because of that.

Hail 16 - Peak of Performance


Lemmings: 10
Time: 2 minutes
Release rate: 25
Skills: 1 builder, 15 everything else

Good: Requires some thought as this is a 100% level. Interesting use of a "hero" level as this is a situation where the lemmings are following you and you have to find some way to slow them down.
Bad: No need for the extra amount of climbers and floaters. Some may say it is a little too easy for its position.
Better than Blitz 16? Yes, I think so. The technique required on this level is different compared to most other levels in the Holiday pack. Blitz 16 ramps the difficulty up with some bomber timing which can frustrate some players.

So there we have it, all finished! Thanks to Giga, ccexplore, Clam Spammer, finlay and DoubleU for helping out!

[Clam]

Hang on, we're not done yet! There's still Xmas 1992 to review. Unfortunately I can't find any good pictures of these levels, though potentially I could grab them myself and upload them.

[finlay]

Do itttt. We should probably keep a copy of them for posterity. You've already done Xmas 91, though, haven't you?

On that note, a lot of these screenshots aren't the full resolution (eg Hail 15 is but Hail 16 isn't) – is there a place you can go to get full resolution shots of each level? This goes for L1 and ONML too...

[Clam]

Do itttt. We should probably keep a copy of them for posterity. You've already done Xmas 91, though, haven't you?

Yes, I reviewed those levels (with images as attachments) in the random review topic.

On that note, a lot of these screenshots aren't the full resolution (eg Hail 15 is but Hail 16 isn't) – is there a place you can go to get full resolution shots of each level? This goes for L1 and ONML too...

The forum's database automatically shrinks images if they're too large (the cutoff seems to be about 1000px wide). I have the originals for ONML somewhere, not sure about Holiday. Adam ought to have them at least, since he's the only one who can upload to the forum database IIRC.