Challenge 11 - The hardest part was making sure to not run out of skills and to make a turnaround point for the climbers so they don't go out the left and die. The starting platform was certainly challenging too. I failed to realize to use the OWAs to stop the basher so that I don't have to spend other skills to do so
This was a really nice challenging level that I kind of enjoyed despite this one taking a while!
Challenge 12 -
Natural Reclamation Now that I think about it, I think I vaguely remember trying to do Mayhem 1 with just floaters/builders once upon a time. It's difficult but it's certainly doable, as shown in the LP, and you have verified that's exactly the talisman solution.
Challenge 13 -
Inward reflection The only hard part here is timing a climber to turn the miner and at such a place so that the miner also releases the crowd. Otherwise, it's not too hard of a level.
Challenge 14 -
Now use miners and climbers Nice reuse of a level title from Fun 4. I love how Tricky 30 can be solved with just two skill types. The only hard part here is making a turnaround point for the climbers so they don't go out the left and die, which necessitates a miner cancelling another miner trick.
Challenge 15 -
Get out, NOW! Somewhat hard, although here my main gripe is that it's not clear that the lemmings will drop and land on solid ground after building over the lava pit. It might be that one in the original Genesis level as well, and if so it's fine, since you're not allowed to alter the terrain! Nice level and challenge!
Challenge 18 -
Ring of Fire Much harder than the original "Triple Trouble." When I first saw the 9 builders, I immediately thought, "How is this possible?" I learned something new here, and that is being able to release a passthrough blocker on a builder staircase with a miner. I didn't know that was possible. For the talisman solution, I'm thinking use the same thing on the left side, except maybe use a digger to release the blocker? I might have a proper go at getting the talismans later on, especially since they're levels of the official games, which I'm fine with going for despite how I generally don't bother with them
Challenge 19 -
Abandon Ship! Good level, I like this one. I like how the blocker is used to prevent the second climber from arriving too early where the worker is, since he wouldn't be done with the building on time. Again, for the talisman I'll think about it later on.
Challenge 20 -
A Simple Plan Another favorite despite this one taking longer than it should had. Even then, this was deceivingly difficult. My main gripe here is the super precise bomber placement to release the crowd, but this seems to be the only solution possible. The hardest part was making a turnaround point for the worker lemming to mine from the other side of the OWW. Took a while to see to bomb a faller just before he touches the ground and splats, which is enough to make a small indent to build to turn around.
Challenge 21 -
The Expanse Certainly much harder than the original "Stepping Stones." In particular, getting up to the ceiling is very hard, as you cannot waste any builders for anything else. I used miners to chip off some terrain to help builders keep going so that they don't stop sooner than needed to achieve this. Also, making a turnaround point for everyone on the starting platform is hard, especially since it seems you need to be able to start building at a particular spot in order to even reach the ceiling.
Challenge 22 -
Senseless Sacrifice I couldn't remember whether a lose 1 or lose 2 is the best you can do on "From the Boundary Line," although you have confirmed that the talisman is getting the lose 1 solution, i.e, you can only lose the miner. It's a shame that it's not possible to save everyone
Challenge 23 -
Somebody call the exterminator!! Nice level, although one bomber placement is super precise so that lemmings can get up but at the same time it doesn't break through the floor. The hardest part was seeing to use the center of the left web to get up the level and then block to redirect everyone to the right to get out of the web. Another precise bomber is on the right to get to the bottom of the level.
Challenge 25 -
Misdirection I like the puzzle here too. It's interesting that you must climber bomb first and then bash instead of build and then bash, as the latter would cause you to be a builder short since you need another one to stop the basher. The hardest part is thus saving the right entrance.
Challenge 26 -
Where angels fear to tread I thought this was going to take some time, especially since I had a hard time getting the setup correctly on one level of Turrican's Mike's Lemmings which is absolutely required since you have nothing but a floater and builders. However, I guess it's considered harder since you can only allow one to go on ahead to make the path due to just having 1 floater. Your level is easier due to having 3 floaters, but at the same time it might not be possible to finish on time if it had just 1 floater as well. Also, I think there's less room before you reach the deadly ceiling here, so it's probably not viable anyway.
Challenge 27 -
Hell's Kitchen Really nice twist on "The Fast Food Kitchen"!
Definitely one of my favorites. I love how you can't just naturally build your way up to the exit on either side. Instead, you must rely on digging/mining to make the platforms low enough to be able to get up to it too. Finally, since you need a save all, the right entrance is certainly harder than the left entrance.
Challenge 28 -
How low can you go? The hardest level for me, only because it took me 3 videos to get the level solved. This would be the first level in the longest time where I needed to solve the level off-camera. Luckily, it didn't take too long, but it took me a while to see the solution here. The main problem is that by the time the 5th lemming arrives the fall is still fatal by a pixel. The digger's too slow by about a second, and so you need to find a way around it. The answer is to build inside the digger pit in such a way so that the crowd lands on the one that goes to the left and then similarly the one going to the right, but in such a way so that there's a gap to get down into the digger pit later. This delay in hitting the wall to the right to turn around is enough to drop down safely later. Really nice level, and I am now aware of a no bomber solution to "It's lemmingentry watson"
Who knew that the absence of the bomber increases the difficulty significantly?
Challenge 29 -
Christmas Rush Argued to be the hardest in the entire demo, I say this is close in difficulty to the level before it, maybe a tad bit more. However, this I would consider my absolute favorite of the whole preview. I really love how the timing and solution all comes together. I like how you need to temporarily max out the RR at the start and then later on and drop it back to default for the final two lemmings, since they're be non-floaters and need to be delayed as much as possible, but not so much that you will run out of time, so that the splatforms for them are done on time before they arrive. I had a moment where a second lemming arrived at the final gap too soon but would had been a solve otherwise, as it does finish with a few seconds to spare. I love the sense of urgency from the tight time limit here! Nicely done here, Crane!
Fun fact: I had the increased splat height from the CD version, and so I've always taken the lower route with everyone. From this, the second to last pillar is actually safe.
Challenge 30 -
Tribute to the master Not as hard as the two levels before it, but still challenging. Certainly isolating a worker lemming isn't easy, and making everyone be able to exit and not block it off later can be hard too. The latter I've seen quite a lot now, so that wasn't the hard part for me, although with how there's very little room to make the builder wall it makes it a tad bit harder. Nice level to finish off the demo!