Lemnis Gate

Last updated

Lemnis Gate
Lemnis Gate logo.svg
Developer(s) Ratloop
Publisher(s) Frontier Foundry
Platform(s)
ReleaseSeptember 28, 2021
Genre(s) Arena shooter, first-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Lemnis Gate was a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Ratloop and published by Frontier Foundry. It was released on September 28, 2021 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It was also published to Xbox Game Pass on its first day of release as well.

Contents

The game featured players taking turns in competitive multiplayer matches to complete 25 second runs with characters as they attempt to complete objectives. Each player's turn stacked on top of previous rounds, causing players to think critically over the best strategy to take in a given situation to win as previous loops continue.

Reception to the game was generally favorable, with critics praising its interesting take on first-person shooter mechanics and the injection of a new layer of strategy into the genre. The game's multiplayer servers were shut down on July 11, 2023, with reporters noting the game's low player count and that it is shut down during a wave of similar live service game failures.

Gameplay

The player, in a first-person perspective, runs towards an objective, while another one of their operatives from a previous loop runs past them to the left. Lemnis Gate screenshot.jpeg
The player, in a first-person perspective, runs towards an objective, while another one of their operatives from a previous loop runs past them to the left.

Lemnis Gate was a turn-based first-person shooter with time loop and hero shooter elements. [1] [2] Games were either 1v1 or 2v2. [1] The standard game mode, "Seek and Destroy", involved having one side defend five specific objectives from being destroyed at different points on the map while the other side attacked them. [3] [4] Whichever team either destroyed more objectives or defended them at the end of all the rounds would win the match. [3]

Time loop mechanic

Central to Lemnis Gate was its time loop gameplay mechanic. Each player lead a team of six operatives with different abilities and took turns attempting to complete objectives in 25-second loops. [2] [3] Players would continue in alternating order until all of the operatives had completed a loop. Previously used operatives automatically carried out the actions that the player inputted for them in previous loops, and later operatives could disrupt the actions that they took in order to stop them from completing objectives. [3]

One reviewer gave an example of how the loops affected gameplay: their operative was able to damage an opponent's character enough from an earlier loop that it caused a cascading effect, allowing them to eliminate all of the previously looped operatives and get a draw from a match because of the butterfly effect. [3] Games could quickly devolve into puzzle-solving sessions, as players strategize over the best operative to choose and the best strategy to take in a given situation to score the most points. [1] The game included a tutorial area which allows players to try out the different skillsets of the operatives before playing, but the game quickly pushes players into online matches. [2]

Development

The development of Lemnis Gate was inspired by conversations that started in 2015, and development began in earnest in the middle of 2017. [5] Game Director James Anderson explained their choice of using novel time mechanics, saying, "... there’s a lot of competition in the first person shooter genre, so we had to come up with a really unique hook and way to play the game." [4] [6] The developers felt that there was a large amount of competition in the first-person shooter space and wanted to create something with a unique take to attract players. [7]

The game originally had a larger tutorial, but after Ratloop tested it with players, found that people were not interested in going through a lengthy intro before getting to play the game. [7] The title of the game refers to the lemniscate, a mathematical curve that loops in on itself like a figure-eight. [8] The game was delayed by a month to allow for more polish, and was also released on Xbox Game Pass simultaneously as its general release. [9] [10]

Reception

Reception to the game was generally favorable according to Metacritic, with critics praising its unique take on the hero shooter genre while sometimes criticizing its complexity. [11] PC Gamer 's Robert Zak felt that the game made familiar concepts from other first-person shooters interesting and fresh again, noting that the game "could prove an ever-swirling timesink for shooter fans with a cerebral side." [3] Rock Paper Shotgun 's Matt Cox felt differently, saying that the game's often ended up being very evenly matched and that the last person to go would often win. [2] In a mixed review, NME 's Jim Trinca felt that though the game's concept is interesting and that its ideas are brilliant, the first-person shooter mechanics that underpinned it were "underwhelming." [12] IGN Italy's Di Angelo Bianco echoed Trinca's thoughts, noting that the game's underlying concept made up for some of the lack of personality its setting and characters exhibited. [13] The game was on a GameSpot list which highlighted the highest-ranked first-person shooters on Metacritic from 2021. [14]

Server shutdown

After failing to meet player count and sales expectations, Ratloop announced that the game would be delisted from all digital storefronts on April 11, 2023, with multiplayer servers shutting down on July 11. [15] Console players can play a very limited form of the game via local multiplayer and the game's training modes, while gamers who purchased the game on PC are unable to play the title at all after its July shutdown. [16] PC players asked the developers in the comments of the shutdown announcement to enable local multiplayer, which would allow the game to be played offline, but the developers did not respond. [17] Reporters observed the game maintained a low number of concurrent players and speculated this contributed to the decision for the shutdown. [18] Gameindustry.biz 's James Batchelor and Push Square's Stephen Tailby noted that the title's failure is among a wave of several online and live service game shutdowns in 2023, continuing a market trend. [19] [20] Game Developer's Justin Carter said that the game was joining "2023's multiplayer graveyard." [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>GoldenEye 007</i> (1997 video game) 1997 first-person shooter video game

GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. Based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, the player controls the secret agent James Bond to prevent a criminal syndicate from using a satellite weapon. They navigate a series of levels to complete objectives, such as recovering or destroying objects, while shooting enemies. In a multiplayer mode, up to four players compete in several deathmatch scenarios via split-screen.

Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range weapons, and can be used in combination with other tools such as grenades for indirect offense, armor for additional defense, or accessories such as telescopic sights to modify the behavior of the weapons. A common resource found in many shooter games is ammunition, armor or health, or upgrades which augment the player character's weapons.

<i>TimeSplitters</i> Video game series

TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Free Radical Design. The games are often considered spiritual successors to the Nintendo 64 titles GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Perfect Dark (2000), due to overlapping elements in gameplay, design, and development team. Each game features a time travelling element in which players battle across a diverse number of locations and periods in history.

A cooperative video game, often abbreviated as co-op, is a video game that allows players to work together as teammates, usually against one or more non-player character opponents (PvE). Co-op games can be played locally using one or multiple input controllers or over a network via local area networks, wide area networks, or the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontier Developments</span> British video game studio (founded 1994)

Frontier Developments plc. is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier develops amusement park management simulators Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo, and has produced several games in David Braben's Elite series, including Elite Dangerous. The company takes its name from the earliest titles in the Elite series with which it was involved, a port of Frontier: Elite II and development of Frontier: First Encounters. In 2013, the company was listed on the AIM segment of the London Stock Exchange. It published third-party games under the Frontier Foundry label between 2019 and 2022.

<i>Medal of Honor: Airborne</i> 2007 video game

Medal of Honor: Airborne is a first-person shooter video game, developed by EA Los Angeles, and released worldwide on mobile phones in August 2007, on Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in September 2007, and on PlayStation 3 in November 2007. It is the 11th installment of the Medal of Honor series, and uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, In the game's single-player mode, players assume the role of an American paratrooper in the US 82nd Airborne Division who is airdropped with his squadrons and fights against hostile forces across six large missions that take place during the latter half of the European theater of World War II, while in its online multiplayer mode, players can choose to fight as Allied soldiers that parachute into the battlefield, or as Axis soldiers who defend on the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Splash Damage</span> British video game developer

Splash Damage Ltd. is a British video game developer specialising in multiplayer first-person shooter video games. The studio is best known as the creators of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

<i>Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare</i> 2007 video game

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the Call of Duty series. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous entries and is instead set in modern times. Developed over two years, Modern Warfare was released in November 2007 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows and was ported to the Wii as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Reflex Edition in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First-person shooter</span> Video game genre

A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through the eyes of the main character. This genre shares multiple common traits with other shooter games, and in turn falls under the action games category. Since the genre's inception, advanced 3D and pseudo-3D graphics have proven fundamental to allow a reasonable level of immersion in the game world, and this type of games helped pushing technology progressively further, challenging hardware developers worldwide to introduce numerous innovations in the field of graphics processing units. Multiplayer gaming has been an integral part of the experience, and became even more prominent with the diffusion of internet connectivity in recent years.

<i>Bulletstorm</i> 2011 first-person shooter game

Bulletstorm is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The video game is distinguished by its system of rewarding players with "skillpoints" for performing increasingly creative kills. Bulletstorm does not have any competitive multiplayer modes, preferring instead to include cooperative online play and score attack modes. Set in the 26th century, the game's story follows Grayson Hunt, a space pirate and former black ops soldier who gets shot down on a war-torn planet while trying to exact revenge on General Sarrano, his former commander who tricked him and his men into committing war crimes and assassinating innocents.

<i>Section 8: Prejudice</i> 2011 video game

Section 8: Prejudice is a science fiction, first-person shooter video game developed by TimeGate Studios. It is the direct sequel to the 2009 game Section 8. Unlike its predecessor, Prejudice is a digital download-only title that contains more content than the previous game. It was released for Xbox 360 on April 20, 2011, for Microsoft Windows May 4, 2011, and for PlayStation 3 in North America on July 26, 2011, and in the PAL region on August 3, 2011

<i>Chivalry: Medieval Warfare</i> 2012 video game

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a multiplayer-focused hack and slash developed by Torn Banner Studios as their first commercial title. The game is set in a fictional setting. On September 20, 2012, a trailer was released which set the release date to October 16, 2012. The developers had confirmed that the game would be PC exclusive initially, but in October 2014, they confirmed that the game would be coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in December 2014. A standalone expansion pack called Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior was announced on August 23, 2013, as a tie-in for the television series Deadliest Warrior. It was released on November 14, 2013.

<i>Battleborn</i> (video game) 2016 multiplayer first-person shooter video game

Battleborn was a free-to-play first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game was released worldwide on May 3, 2016.

LawBreakers was a 2017 first-person shooter video game developed by Boss Key Productions and published by Nexon. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on August 8, 2017. Physical editions were distributed by Limited Run Games.

<i>Tannenberg</i> (video game) 2020 first-person shooter video game

Tannenberg is a squad-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War I. It is a sequel to Verdun, and entered Steam Early Access on November 17, 2017. Tannenberg left Steam Early Access on February 13, 2019. It was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 24, 2020.

<i>Prodeus</i> 2022 video game

Prodeus is an indie first-person shooter video game developed by Bounding Box Software and published by Humble Games. The game was crowdfunded by a successful Kickstarter campaign in April 2019. An early access version was released on November 9, 2020. The full game was released on macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2022.

<i>Splitgate</i> 2021 video game

Splitgate is a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by 1047 Games. It was released in early access on May 24, 2019, for Linux and Microsoft Windows on Steam, and on Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on July 27, 2021. A PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S version came in 2022. On August 25, 2021, the developers announced that the game would stay in beta indefinitely and at the same time released Season Zero. The game revolves around Halo-inspired sci-fi combat in battle arenas where players can create wormhole portals between two points on the map that have been compared to those of the Portal series, and fire weapons or travel through those portals.

Titanfall is a media franchise that mainly features first-person shooter games. The series was created by Respawn Entertainment and debuted on Xbox and Microsoft Windows; it has expanded to other consoles and platforms.

<i>Second Extinction</i> Cancelled video game

Second Extinction was a cooperative first-person shooter, developed and published by Systemic Reaction for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. In the game, mutated dinosaurs have taken over the Earth, and players must work together in fighting a war against the animals. The game received an early access release through Steam on October 13, 2020, and through Xbox Game Preview on April 28, 2021. Originally scheduled to leave early access on October 20, 2022, the full launch was delayed several times due to critical issues, and was eventually cancelled due to the lack of necessary resources to do so. The game is scheduled to shut down in 2024.

<i>Goat Simulator 3</i> 2022 video game

Goat Simulator 3 is an action video game and the sequel to Goat Simulator. The game was announced by Coffee Stain Studios during Summer Game Fest and was released on November 17, 2022. The game features a four-player cooperative mode, and it is set on the fictional island of San Angora. The game does not feature cross-platform multiplayer upon release.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Trinca, Jim (October 5, 2021). "'Lemnis Gate' review: time and time again". NME. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Matt (October 4, 2021). "Lemnis Gate review: a time-twisting shooter full of more frustration than creativity". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zak, Robert (October 4, 2021). "Lemnis Gate review". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Potter, Aaron (September 29, 2021). "Most video games penalize failure. Enter the time loop". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Lemnis Gate - Prologue". Ratloop Games Canada. May 29, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ L, Stefan (April 19, 2021). "Interview – How Lemnis Gate blends familiar FPS gameplay with time loop strategy". TheSixthAxis. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  7. 1 2 L, Stefan (April 19, 2021). "Interview – How Lemnis Gate blends familiar FPS gameplay with time loop strategy". TheSixthAxis. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ Whitson, Hank (May 3, 2021). "Interview: Ratloop Games Detail Lemnis Gate's Look, Feel, and Story". Game Rant. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (September 14, 2021). "Xbox Game Pass Adding 13 More Games This Month, Including 8 New Releases". GameSpot. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Williams, Callum (July 20, 2021). "Lemnis Gate Release Date Delayed". Game Rant. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Lemnis Gate". Metacritic. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ Trinca, Jim (October 5, 2021). "'Lemnis Gate' review: time and time again". NME. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ Bianco, Di Angelo (October 10, 2021). "Lemnis Gate - La recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  14. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (December 9, 2021). "Best Shooter Games Of 2021 According To Metacritic". GameSpot. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ Galekovic, Filip (March 10, 2023). "Lemnis Gate Will Be Delisted and Taken Offline". Game Rant. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  16. ↑ Brown, Andy (March 13, 2023). "Turn-based shooter 'Lemnis Gate' is closing down this summer". NME. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ Wolens, Joshua (March 10, 2023). "There's only a few months left before time loop FPS Lemnis Gate becomes unplayable on PC forever". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Live-service shooter Lemnis Gate will shut down in July". Eurogamer.net. March 11, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ Batchelor, James (March 13, 2023). "Frontier-published Lemnis Gate shutting down in July". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  20. ↑ Tailby, Stephen (March 13, 2023). "Inventive Shooter Lemnis Gate the Latest Multiplayer Game Going Offline". Push Square. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  21. ↑ Carter, Justin (March 10, 2023). "Ratloop Games is delisting Lemnis Gate ahead of July shutdown". Game Developer. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.