Lemnis Gate review

Genres, we all have our favourite types, but if you’ve manged to stay clear from first person shooters (FPS), then I don’t know how you have managed it. The FPS genre is packed, if you had all the games represented in a room by a human being then there would be literally no space to breathe.

I’ve been playing First Person Shooters for years, with a handful of standout titles that include Goldeneye, Counter Strike, Gears and more recently Splitgate to name a few that brought something new to the genre. You see that’s the tricky part, offering something new to the party, that makes the game standout from the crowd, and the player to feel attached and immersed.

I’m pleased to say that Lemnis Gate certainly offers the originality component by combining to Genre’s in the form of Real Time Strategy (RTS) and of course the very type of games I have been talking about the good old first-person shooter (FPS).

Lemnis Gate crafted by the very talented team at Frontier Foundry offers a breath of a fresh air within the packed genre that so many of us love, however it won’t be for everyone, as some gamers of this particular genre don’t like change, but with out change there is no room to innovative and produce something unique, that turns heads amongst the very biggest studios out there.

I am a firm believer that the indie scene often provides the answers for the big boys and girls in the gaming world, it’s very hard for a triple A studio to change direction, and offer the groundbreaking new elements, but much easier for an indie studio to implement new ideas, as that’s how they get their game sold – by standing out and offering something different.

Lemnis Gate is a revolutionary turn-based strategy first person shooter taking place in a time loop.  Master the unique abilities of powerful deep-space operatives and compete in mind-bending four-dimensional battles. If that statement doesn’t scream innovation, then I don’t know what will, a truly amazing concept.

It’s up to you to learn the game and harness the abilities of some very powerful operatives and compete in mind-bending 4D battles as you disrupt the past to change the future. Lemnis Gate liberates you from the constraints of space and time to offer a relentlessly inventive multiplayer experience, that’s deeply rooted in tactical first-person shooter gameplay.

The goal – to earn victory by executing unthinkable strategies over five rounds in this high quality well thought out game of cat and mouse over rounds of 25 seconds, yes 25 seconds!

Mastering Lemnis Gate requires quick wits, keen trigger fingers, and a strategic thought process, in double quick time. This is your chance to exploit the unlimited complexities of time travel and forge your own path to glory.

Lemnis Gate with its time-warping, turn-based, multiplayer combat strategy FPS, alternate turns taking place in a 25 second time-loop, across 5 rounds. You are called to master the abilities of a truly unique cast of deep-space operatives, all with varied skill sets and outwit, out skill and outmanoeuvre your opponents in some mind-bending, four-dimensional battles.

Lemnis Gate does things differently, causing you to think outside the box, time and time again. Matches and rounds are fast paced affairs with 25 seconds to execute your action, be it blasting enemy, setting up your next tactical plan of attack or simply luring your foe into a mistake.

Once all players have taken there turns, the next 25 second round begins. Now you get to face what has happened, while setting up what will happen, in the next 25 seconds. It’s an interesting concept, and one that works very well, leading to perfect strategic thinking and planning once you get the hang of the mechanics of a match. Each of the the five rounds is a chance to alter the timeline, past present and future. The ultimate thinking game in a short space of time. My only gripe with the way the rounds work, is the time limit. Is 25 seconds truly enough time to think and plan attacks? For me this leads to a more arcade thought process, quick fast actions, that are almost certainly not thought out. Perhaps the time limit of each round could have been extended a little to 1 minute for example. This new time limit would have still provided enough time to do exactly what the game lays out, but with a better natural fit, but these are only suggestions on how to improve the format, on what is indeed a unique game.

Lemnis Gates cast of operatives for its time-bending tactical shooter, is perfect for setting up how you approach the game ahead. With seven unique operatives each bringing their own incredible weaponry and special abilities, occupying the bleeding edge of human technological advancement. There’s plenty to experiment with and find your winning combination.

Every operative possesses a distinctive loadout, and ability that may prove decisive on the battlefield. Lay damaging toxic waste in your enemy’s path, slow time to land the perfect shot, or deploy protective orbs to assist your future self, it’s all very tactical.

Strategic combat in the fourth dimension, tactical sunning is key to victory so choosing your operative is important, and I feel Lemnis Gate gets the number of operatives spot on, it could have gone for the mass approach, but each character feels very different from one another, add to that the ability to level up your chosen operatives abilities via Hex Grids, and Lemnis Gate offers a game with skill based progression and depth. With ability to change your weapons through the loadout options, you could be on to a winner and unlock a Tox Cannon that launches green globs of toxic chemicals that linger on the map to damage foes and deny areas, or you could go for a Dsiplacer which lets you instantly teleport short distances to escape danger and get the drop on opponets – or close the gap. There are countless possibilities and endless outcomes, and that’s not the end of it with the Hex Grids, you can also earn exciting cosmetics and customise the look of your weapons, as well as making your profile stand out from the crowd.

Now you have chosen your character it’s time to team up with yourself. Welcome to the team that is entirely comprised by yourself, and you. Lemnis Gate has an innovative auto co-op feature, you command every member of your side.

Auto co-op gives you total control of five deep-space operatives, effectively two competitors to duke it out in ten-character matches. The game enables you to be a one-person army, figuratively speaking.

From the first second to the last, anything can happen in Lemnis Gate. Each round is a fresh chance to implement an unbeatable new strategy – or earn redemption from an earlier error. Predict hostiles’ routes, infiltrate enemy lines, and develop multi-layered gameplans by co-operating with yourself. Experiment both in and outside time and get creative with causality.

Lemnis Gate offers a whole host of modes and matchtypes. Create a match to your preference. Pick between a 1v1 and 2v2 contest, online or offline. Select your mode amongst three thrilling spins on established genre staples. There’s Retrieve XM, in which you scramble to collect exotic matter and return it to your gate; Domination, which is about competing to capture zones; and Seek & Destroy, where you attempt to wreck your opponent’s Resistors. Whether teaming up with a friend for “hotseat” local multiplayer, or pitting your operatives against online rivals, Lemnis Gate lets you set the board to suit your style.

Lemnis Gate’s game modes are thing of beauty providing new concepts within some tried and tested formulas, bringing them to life for a cross RTS / FPS game such as this.

Seek & Destory is a match where the attacking team have five rounds to destroy resistors located across the map. In response, the defending team must prevent the assault. If any Resistors are destroyed by the end of the fifth round, the defending team will ceast to exsist.

Domination is all about the team element. The idea behind this mode is that teams face off against each other until time shatters itself. The aim is to annihilate the opposition by capturing the majority of the particle accelerators by the end of the fifth road. Accelerators are active on impact and can by quickly triggered when shot at the core.

Retrieve XM is all about collecting exotic matter and returning it to your base. Your task to prevent enemies from doing the same. The team holding the most matter by the end of the fifth round is declared victorious.

Deathmatch is your classic FPS match mode, but with a time loop twist for Lemnis Gate, players battle each other in a race to score the most kills over five very unique time looped rounds.

Lemnis Gate is a very interesting game with a great concept, pushing the boundaries of innovation in what is a rather unique FPS combined with RTS elements. I absolutely adore the brilliance of the well thought out maps, the game modes and what it has to offer.

The movement mechanics are a little clunky, and the aim systems leads you to feel disconnected with your operative at times, add to that the feel of an arcade shooter when it’s quick-fire rounds, and you are left with a tricky game that relies on quick reactions, rather than the thought-out thinking moves that the games concept is obviously built around.

Overall, the game is very solid. Yes, it has its faults, but in all honesty what do you expect from indie title, trying out new ideas. I personally loved my play through of the game, the time I spent with it. I was frustrating and elating at times. I always find a game that can bring out the emotions in you, that force you to preserve to do things better is an astonishing achievement.

At the time of writing, Lemnis Gate is on Xbox Game Pass, so now there’s no excuse to check it out if you have this wonderful service.