preview Lemnis Gate: the most innovative FPS in recent years?
There are games that are more difficult to present than others, but rarely has a video game concept been as difficult to describe as Lemnis Gate’s. This arena hero shooter plays with the times and offers a much more strategic experience than it seems. If this exact concept has already been explored with some success by Quantum League, Lemnis Gate seems to go further in terms of tactical decisions. To be honest, we were impressed with what we saw.
At first glance a hairy concept, but one of undeniable depth
After a short tutorial that introduced the basic mechanics, we were able to participate in several matches in 3 game modes: The first was a turn-based 1-on-1 match. The turn-based component may come as a surprise, so we’ll do our best to make the concept of Lemnis Gate clear. On the map we were offered the goal was simply to collect orbs and bring them back to our spawn area. The players take turns. The first is therefore alone on the ground and takes a ball. His opponent can then enter the field and interact with his mind. To put it simply: the J1 is running towards its goal. In the next round, the J2 fights a bot that reproduces exactly the same movements and shots as the J1. In the next round, J1 can interact with his own bot and J2’s bot. This escalation continues until both players have played 5 rounds each, so that in the end the outgoing player wins all of these interactions.
The main difference between Lemnis Gate and Quantum League is that the two players do not face each other, but face bots that mimic the actions of the opponent. This difference drastically changes the articulation of the battles and gives the clashes a gigantic strategic dimension. Mainly because the non-playing player flies over the combat zone in a drone. This phase is anything but trivial, because the “passive” player can observe the actions of his counterpart and knows what behavior he is adopting. Coupled with a selection of champions armed with their own weapons and skills, this system places great emphasis on strategic decisions. This is probably the most interesting point of Lemnis Gate, which sometimes resembles a game of chess where pieces can shoot. Since each hero can only be summoned once per round, tactical decisions take on dramatic significance.. For example, the starting player may feel disadvantaged because his bot is easily knocked down in the next round. But a character like Toxin, who can put poisonous puddles under the balls to collect them, can have a huge impact on the game three turns in advance. These decisions are at the heart of Lemnis Gate’s gameplay and make the arguments especially exciting. If this player is walking down a long corridor, should I pick the sniper and take him out with ease? Or should I switch to the rocket launcher to atomize those 3 bots at the same time? We provide you with a few deliberately simple examples in order not to complicate an already hairy concept more than common sense. The number of variables seems gigantic and the title will likely gain in depth over time.
A foolproof game design
We could then try two different versions of 2v2. One turn-based and one at the same time. The only difference between the two is that in the first each player has an independent turn, while in the second the 2 team members do their round together. The teams never face their opponents live. Unfortunately, we couldn’t communicate directly with our teammate, but we were still able to see the tactical possibilities that this mode offered. By further multiplying the variables and possibilities, Lemnis Gate should offer strategic decisions and deep mind games. Since nothing is played until the last round, a selection of characters or precisely coordinated actions can turn the game around again and again. In short, from a purely tactical and playful point of view, the ratloop shooter, the game design of which appears to be impeccably solid, completely seduced us.
The two cards we were able to try out on their site seemed well designed to us. These maps are large enough for the modes they contain and offer multiple starting points and goals. Bumpers are spread across the stage to speed up movement, while some heroes have movement skills. Unfortunately, with the game we didn’t have enough time to confirm its competitive strength in the long term, we have to wait for the title to be finally released. The cards will be at the heart of the strategies players develop. We hope they are numerous and well thought out as they are the ones that will ensure possible competitive longevity of the title.
From a purely visual point of view, it’s hard to confirm what the title will look like after a streaming session, but everything looks clean. When the artistic direction doesn’t seem particularly inspired, the archetypes have a design that conjures up their gameplay perfectly. The interface on his side seemed perfect. Each bot sees an assigned number and an icon representing the selected character hangs over it. So we always know who to track down. A very good thing, although hiding this information could add an interesting tactical overlay as well.
Our impressions
By iterating a concept drawn by the Quantum League, Lemnis Gate manages to break away from that and develop extremely strategic games. Each turn, the player sends a pawn onto the field and must make the most of it. With an impressive concept and application of mastery, the shooter from Ratloop Games intimidates by the depth of the game it appears to contain. His relentless rules can lead to exciting tactical decisions and exciting mind game phases. If this presentation was short and it will take many hours to fully understand the title, this game session was what won us over.
Journalist igamesnews.com
June 14, 2021 at 1:00 a.m.
