Lemnis Gate Preview
E3 2019 was a whirlwind of gaming goodness including a plethora of titles I was expecting. But one of the best parts of attending an expo like this one is finding the hidden gems that blow me away. Lemnis Gate from Ratloop Games Canada is exactly such a gem. It is the most original game I’ve seen in years, and easily my most anticipated indie title.
A Turn-Based Multiplayer Shooter?
My Lemnis Gate experience is not easy to put into words. It’s equal part shooter and chess match that takes a minute to wrap your head around. But once it clicks, you’ll wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with this idea.
At its core, the game is a 5 vs. 5 first-person shooter, but it’s far from traditional. There’s a time loop mechanic that makes it different from any other multiplayer shooter you’ve experienced. Each team takes a turn with one of their five characters one at a time to complete their team’s objective. The player will have twenty-five seconds to make their move before control is reverted to another player on the other team. Each time a new loop begins, the previous player’s character goes through its exact movements until all ten players have taken a turn.
If that sounds a bit confusing to you, you’re not alone. Even after watching Ratloop’s YouTube video describing the game, I struggled to wrap my head around it. But once I had my hands on the controller, I was immediately sold on the concept.
A Strategic Game of Chess…With Action
After playing a few rounds of Lemnis Gate, I started to learn that it features way more strategy than your typical shooter. Before each player’s turn, the player is given a birds-eye view of the map to see every previous players’ movement. Then, the player gets to decide his or her next course of action. Let’s say the first player uses his first turn to destroy a control point. The second player can intercept the previous player’s advances and kill him before he gets to that area of the map. In essence, the first player’s destruction is foiled.
And that’s just the beginning of the many strategic approaches you can take. When I played, my opponent (who happened to be one of the devs) took a moment to spray fire at a random doorway. This affected my movement, as I had to avoid this gunfire while heading to thwart his path. There are so many clever possibilities to take when entering a match.
To make things even more interesting, there are seven different character classes to choose from at the beginning of each round. Each one has a different weapon and special ability. The catch is that each team can only use each class once per match, which adds another level of strategy.
Single Controller Multiplayer
The best part of this whole concept is that you can play alongside your friend with a single controller. Since each player takes an individual turn, it allows players to pass the controller after their respective turns. In essence, you could have as many players as you want on each team, provided you have enough space in your living room.
The only complaint I have here is that there’s currently no option to designate a controller style (i.e., standard or inverted) for individual players. The devs assured me that they were addressing that concern, however, which is great to hear. With all that said, the game allows online play as well, which alleviates that problem altogether.
The Easiest of Recommendations
Lemnis Gate is officially my most-anticipated indie title. It’s an experience that is incredibly clever and unique, and plays perfectly. I rarely play multiplayer shooters, but this will be a game I pick up on day one for certain. Keep an eye out for this title, as it truly is something special. It feels like one of those concepts that will be mimicked for years to come.
Be sure to check out our audio coverage of the game on our E3 2019 Day 2 Recap podcast episode at the 1:47:29 mark.
