Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sad Puppy Limited have released a mobile version of Lemmings on Google Play Store. Unfortunately, this is just a dumbed down version of the classic platformer we used to love, with tons of in-app purchases and an energy system designed with the sole purpose of sucking money out of players.
The trailer of this mobile title admittedly looks rather appealing, but when you actually start playing, you'll be greeted by numerous currencies, loot boxes, and in-app purchases that go as high as $99.99 (Rs 7,000). That is not to mention the annoying energy system, which periodically gives you a specific amount of energy that will deplete as you play the game, and once you run out of it, you have to wait until you receive more before being able to continue with the game. If you want an uninterrupted experience, the developers have so “generously” offered a $7 in-app purchase that will grant you enough energy to play for 2 hours. Yes, you have to pay $7 to play this supposedly “free” game FOR TWO HOURS.
To be fair, if you ignore the ridiculous and frankly greedy monetization, the gameplay of Lemmings mobile isn't too bad, although it has been watered down a bit. You will only have a couple of tools at your disposal, like stairs, umbrellas, and stop signs. And once again, you can purchase power-ups in the store, which are basically pay-to-win cheats. But for the most part, you will use the tools available to get your lemmings through each stage. You can speed up the lemmings with a fast-forward button, but there are only two speeds: fast and slow. Additionally, there is a pause button, but using it will pop up an ad that fills most of the screen.
All in all, this mobile version of Lemmings could have been a solid game, but it was ruined by greedy microtransactions. If you are a hardcore fan of the franchise, you might get a little bit of enjoyment from this release, until you use up all of your energy that is. It seems pretty obvious that Sad Puppy Limited and Sony Interactive Entertainment just want to milk some money from an old franchise that still has a bit of fame. Honestly, although the core idea of Lemmings is still there, it is just not worth it to put up with all the obnoxious monetization.