Chaos 1 -
SUNSOFT Swindle Hard level to start off the rank. The lynchpin here is that you need to build outside with the right entrance to get them up the level. In addition, you need the raised pixel in order to get to the OWW. That might be a bit evil, though. Before I realized going through the outside, I kept trying to go up the narrow shaft, which almost works but you run out of builders/skills. Even when I did succeed, the last problem I had was the climber would get himself into danger when going over to the left side. Turns out the climber is a complete red herring. Nice decent challenging level!
Chaos 3 -
Incompressible Way too difficult for its position despite only 3 skills total. Several things: You need to use the steel to dig so that the shaft isn't as wide and hence allows you to lose just one to the stomper trap. Also, you need to dig at a point on the far right so that everyone falls out facing to the left. Another solution would had worked except I would lose 6 instead of 5, while all others would run out of time.
Chaos 4 -
Containment Excellent level!
I especially like how you need to figure out how to get the disarmer to the top to disarm the traps and then later get him down safely to disarm the traps at the bottom. I wasn't sure if the shimmier jump as a delay is intended, but Crane tells me it is, so I did get the intended solution.
Chaos 5 -
S.C.R.O.O.G.E Another contest level of Crane's I've never played before and another zombie level. Hard one, though it probably would had been solved earlier had I actually tried it out rather than assume the timing wouldn't work out. Quite a nice touch in that you need to release the blocker after all but two neutrals turn around on it.
Chaos 6 -
Mind the gap! Already played this before, and it's quite a decent hard level. I'm told my solution is a backroute, which kind of surprises me. I think I can see what the intended route is, though.
Chaos 7 -
Don't Bother! Nothing special here other than the main challenge of getting everyone down safely. Looks intimidating but it wasn't too bad.
Chaos 8 -
Tier Drops Already played from RotL but that was a backroute. Almost looks like it can still be backrouted in the same way but it apparently isn't. So, everything seems good here now!
Chaos 9 -
Overflow Same as Chaos 8, though still a backroute here.
Chaos 10 -
Wrong-side Failure Somewhat challenging but ultimately another backroute here. Somehow I think the intention is for every exit to be used, but here I ignore the bottom left one completely.
Chaos 11 -
Stonecrest Bay Much harder than it appears though same thing as some of the few previous levels in that it's another backroute
Chaos 12 -
Chilly Disposition Not very hard but still challenging. Nearly had the intended solution at one point but I found an alternative which is much fiddlier and harder to pull off. I made the incorrect assumption of needing to mine through the OWW and then platform, when in fact fencing is correct and I completely forgot about thin enough ceilings to step up through. Nice level.
Chaos 13 -
Cliffside Hostel Challenging level but another decent one. Not sure if my solution is intended, especially with the stacker at the end to turn around. I think there's only one spot to do so.
Chaos 14 -
There's One Small Problem... Medium-ish level for which I found another backroute.
Chaos 15 -
Dropship 12 Another one that's harder than it appears. The timing is a bit tricky. I would either reduce the Lemming count or even the RR, though I can understand that it needs to be a certain way as the climber still needs to bounce off the blocker before being released with the last Lemming from the entrance. He can't be too far behind the climber, or he'll fall into the pit at the bottom and can't escape since you only have a climber remaining for the freed blocker. Nice level and congrats on reaching second place with this in LOTY!
Chaos 17 -
Divisive Action Hard one but a pretty good one. The hardest part is at the start so that no one slips by the miner. Also, there are plenty of good red herrings here. In particular, I kept thinking the jumper is for near the exit, but it's actually for getting over the miner tunnel at the start. It really does look like there's a few ways to do the level but they all fail and it seems only the intended way works here now.
Chaos 18 -
Splashdown Really bad backroute here
Chaos 19 -
JAILBREAK! Already played from RotL but it was a backroute. My solution is also a backroute here, thanks to the added chain in the middle area
Playing and solving the level on camera for the first time was fine, but honestly in subsequent playthroughs it's one best to work out off-camera given that it's quite a hard level in itself and takes a while to come up with any solution.
Chaos 21 -
Think Fast! Easy one, but only because I've already seen the trick of saving an ohnoer plenty of times. It otherwise does warrant its position here, because it can be challenging otherwise.
Chaos 22 -
Hallowed Ground Harder repeat of the level found in the Cute rank. It almost looks like this can be backrouted in a few ones, but I ultimately found only one that works. I'm guessing the intended route does collect the builder pickup on the far right.
Chaos 23 -
Thanatos Gambit Pre-tested this one before the pack's release, though I don't remember whether Crane said my solution was a backroute at the time. Once I solved the level, I recorded Crane's intended solution on CustLemmix and confirmed it originally relied on a mechanic in that engine.
Chaos 24 -
Halls of Reflection Hard level which would be impossible if you didn't remember Cunning 4. Indeed, I made the solution harder than it needed to be. It really looks like the level can be done in other ways, but they all seem to be impossible now. Decent level, though honestly I would reduce the precision even more, as this subtle climber mechanic can look quite unfair to other players. I'm aware of it but it's definitely something for which I wouldn't make solutions rely on it.
Chaos 26 -
Are you kidding me?! It's a really hard level if you're not aware that it's a nuke one. Indeed, it's cleverly disguised as one given the very high save requirement. It kind of helps that I solved a Doomsday Lemmings level that has a similar design near the exit on the side even though it's not required nor intended. At the same time, I accidentally spoiled myself in this being a nuke solution when I was going through the nuke bypass Forums topic. My thought at the time was that I had played all nuke levels in existence in the custom Lemmings scene so I thought it was safe to open the spoiler tag in Icho's post. Nope, didn't occur to me there is one by Crane. Though I suppose every top level designer makes at least one of these levels. I've yet to make one, but I do have a WIP one I haven't gotten back to in months now. I should really finish it up! In any case, other than that it's a nuke solution, I wasn't spoiled with anything else about the level beyond that, and so I still figured out the solution for myself. Even if I wasn't spoiled that the nuke is needed, I think I would had figured out it was eventually anyway. I've gotten a bit better at spotting them over the years, though namida's level from LP3D which I've played very recently kind of says otherwise
Anyway, nice job with your LDC win here!
Chaos 27 -
Dodge This! The only hard part is at the very start with making sure that you don't lose more than you're allowed. The rest is easy after that once you're successful. There really are no other very nasty tricks here, and the solution is as you might expect with the swimmer fencing through the columns. Nice NL skills only level that is still challenging, so definitely surprises that some hard levels can still result with just NL skills. Then again, some really hard level packs exist that are classic skills only, eg, Lemmings Reunion, Lemmings Stampede, and NepsterLems.
Chaos 28 -
Denial Already backrouted this a few times in the past but wasn't able to solve the most recent version before the pack's release. To my surprise, I ended up solving supposedly the hardest level of the pack in a very reasonable amount of time on-camera. Quite the ironic twist here, given that I needed a second video show the solution to some earlier levels close to this one which supposedly aren't anywhere as hard but still challenging. Great solution and all, especially with figuring out how to keep the climber who mines the crowd free safe. Probably too much precision which can definitely make for an unfair level, though as I later found out after watching Armani's solution I made it more precise and complicated than it needs to be. Can't quite use the same solution as Armani's due to the steel, but it should still work.
Chaos 30 -
Last Lemming Standing Already played this before the pack's release. Very nice level to finish off the pack on where you have the freedom to carve out any solution you like thanks to having an infinite amount of every skill. Certainly nowhere near the hardest but a very nice epic level to finish the pack with.
