- Release Year: 2004
- Platforms: Windows
- Publisher: Dice Multi Media Europe B.V.
- Genre: Compilation
- Perspective: Side view
- Game Mode: Single-player
- Average Score: 60/100
Description
Lemmings X-Mas is a Windows compilation pack released in 2004, bundling the Christmas-themed Holiday Lemmings (1994) and Lemmings Revolution (2000) from the iconic Lemmings puzzle-strategy series, where players guide streams of marching lemmings through hazardous levels filled with obstacles like drops, traps, and lava by assigning limited skills such as digging, blocking, building, and exploding to ensure enough reach the exit safely.
Gameplay Videos
Lemmings X-Mas Reviews & Reception
stoneagegamer.com : I heartily recommend Xmas Lemmings.
dosgames.com (60/100): If you really enjoy the Lemmings series, you’ll want to check out this game just for those two unique levels that can only be found here!
Lemmings X-Mas Cheats & Codes
Macintosh (X-MAS Lemmings / Christmas Lemmings)
Enter passwords at the password screen.
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| IJJLDNCCCN | Access Level 2 |
| NJLDLCADCY | Access Level 3 |
| JLDLCINECR | Access Level 4 |
| SNOWFLAKES | Activates level skip cheat. Press F5 during gameplay to advance to the next level with 100% Lemmings saved |
PC (Christmas Lemmings)
Enter level codes (passwords) at the password screen to access specific levels for 1 or 2 players.
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| CAJRLDNBCG | Frost Level 1 (1 player) |
| IJRLDNCCCP | Frost Level 2 (1 player) |
| NRLDNCADCM | Frost Level 3 (1 player) |
| RLDNCINECF | Frost Level 4 (1 player) |
| LDNCAJVFCO | Frost Level 5 (1 player) |
| DNCIJVLGCH | Frost Level 6 (1 player) |
| NCANVLDHCE | Frost Level 7 (1 player) |
| CINVLDNICN | Frost Level 8 (1 player) |
| CAJRMDNJCP | Frost Level 9 (1 player) |
| IJRMDNCKCI | Frost Level 10 (1 player) |
| NRMDNCALCF | Frost Level 11 (1 player) |
| RMDNCINMCO | Frost Level 12 (1 player) |
| MDNCAJVNCH | Frost Level 13 (1 player) |
| DNCIJVMOCQ | Frost Level 14 (1 player) |
| NCANVMDPCN | Frost Level 15 (1 player) |
| CINVMDNQCG | Frost Level 16 (1 player) |
| KAJRLDOBMJ | Frost Level 1 (2 players) |
| IJRLDOKCMS | Frost Level 2 (2 players) |
| NRLDOKADMP | Frost Level 3 (2 players) |
| RLDOKINEMI | Frost Level 4 (2 players) |
| LDOKAJVFMR | Frost Level 5 (2 players) |
| DOKIJVLGMK | Frost Level 6 (2 players) |
| OKANVLDHMH | Frost Level 7 (2 players) |
| KINVLDOIMQ | Frost Level 8 (2 players) |
| KAJRMDOJMS | Frost Level 9 (2 players) |
| IJRMDOKKML | Frost Level 10 (2 players) |
| NRMDOKALMI | Frost Level 11 (2 players) |
| RMDOKINMMR | Frost Level 12 (2 players) |
| MDOKAJVNMK | Frost Level 13 (2 players) |
| DOKIJVMOMD | Frost Level 14 (2 players) |
| OKANVMDPMQ | Frost Level 15 (2 players) |
| KINVMDOQMJ | Frost Level 16 (2 players) |
| CAJRLFNBDJ | Hail Level 1 (1 player) |
| IJRLFNCCDS | Hail Level 2 (1 player) |
| NRLFNCADDP | Hail Level 3 (1 player) |
| RLFNCINEDI | Hail Level 4 (1 player) |
| LFNCAJVFDR | Hail Level 5 (1 player) |
| FNCIJVLGDK | Hail Level 6 (1 player) |
| NCANVLFHDH | Hail Level 7 (1 player) |
| CINVLFNIDQ | Hail Level 8 (1 player) |
| CAJRMFNJDS | Hail Level 9 (1 player) |
| IJRMFNCKDL | Hail Level 10 (1 player) |
| NRMFNCALDI | Hail Level 11 (1 player) |
| RMFNCINMDR | Hail Level 12 (1 player) |
| MFNCAJVNDK | Hail Level 13 (1 player) |
| FNCIJVMODD | Hail Level 14 (1 player) |
| NCANVMFPDQ | Hail Level 15 (1 player) |
| CINVMFNQDJ | Hail Level 16 (1 player) |
| KAJRLFOBNM | Hail Level 1 (2 players) |
| IJRLFOKCNF | Hail Level 2 (2 players) |
| NRLFOKADNS | Hail Level 3 (2 players) |
| RLFOKINENL | Hail Level 4 (2 players) |
| LFOKAJVFNE | Hail Level 5 (2 players) |
| FOKIJVLGNN | Hail Level 6 (2 players) |
| OKANVLFHNK | Hail Level 7 (2 players) |
| KINVLFOIND | Hail Level 8 (2 players) |
| KAJRMFOJNF | Hail Level 9 (2 players) |
| IJRMFOKKNO | Hail Level 10 (2 players) |
| NRMFOKALNL | Hail Level 11 (2 players) |
| RMFOKINMNE | Hail Level 12 (2 players) |
| MFOKAJVNNN | Hail Level 13 (2 players) |
| FOKIJVMONG | Hail Level 14 (2 players) |
| OKANVMFPND | Hail Level 15 (2 players) |
| KINVMFOQNM | Hail Level 16 (2 players) |
| CAJRLDOBEJ | Flurry Level 1 (1 player) |
| IJRLDOCCES | Flurry Level 2 (1 player) |
| NRLDOCADEP | Flurry Level 3 (1 player) |
| RLDOCINEEI | Flurry Level 4 (1 player) |
| LDOCAJVFER | Flurry Level 5 (1 player) |
| DOCIJVLGEK | Flurry Level 6 (1 player) |
| OCANVLDHEH | Flurry Level 7 (1 player) |
| CINVLDOIEQ | Flurry Level 8 (1 player) |
| CAJRMDOJES | Flurry Level 9 (1 player) |
| IJRMDOCKEL | Flurry Level 10 (1 player) |
| NRMDOCALEI | Flurry Level 11 (1 player) |
| RMDOCINMER | Flurry Level 12 (1 player) |
| MDOCAJVNEK | Flurry Level 13 (1 player) |
| DOCIJVMOED | Flurry Level 14 (1 player) |
| OCANVMDPEQ | Flurry Level 15 (1 player) |
| CINVMDOQEJ | Flurry Level 16 (1 player) |
| OAJRLDNBOO | Flurry Level 1 (2 players) |
| IJRLDNOCOH | Flurry Level 2 (2 players) |
| NRLDNOADOE | Flurry Level 3 (2 players) |
| RLDNOINEON | Flurry Level 4 (2 players) |
| LDNOAJVFOG | Flurry Level 5 (2 players) |
| DNOIJVLGOP | Flurry Level 6 (2 players) |
| NOANVLDHOM | Flurry Level 7 (2 players) |
| OINVLDNIOF | Flurry Level 8 (2 players) |
| OAJRMDNJOH | Flurry Level 9 (2 players) |
| IJRMDNOKOQ | Flurry Level 10 (2 players) |
| NRMDNOALON | Flurry Level 11 (2 players) |
| RMDNOINMOG | Flurry Level 12 (2 players) |
| MDNOAJVNOP | Flurry Level 13 (2 players) |
| DNOIJVMOOI | Flurry Level 14 (2 players) |
| NOANVMDPOF | Flurry Level 15 (2 players) |
| OINVMDNQOO | Flurry Level 16 (2 players) |
| CAJRLFOBFM | Blizzard Level 1 (1 player) |
| IJRLFOCCFF | Blizzard Level 2 (1 player) |
| NRLFOCADFS | Blizzard Level 3 (1 player) |
| RLFOCINEFL | Blizzard Level 4 (1 player) |
| LFOCAJVFFE | Blizzard Level 5 (1 player) |
| FOCIJVLGFN | Blizzard Level 6 (1 player) |
| OCANVLFHFK | Blizzard Level 7 (1 player) |
| CINVLFOIFD | Blizzard Level 8 (1 player) |
| CAJRMFOJFF | Blizzard Level 9 (1 player) |
| IJRMFOCKFO | Blizzard Level 10 (1 player) |
| NRMFOCALFL | Blizzard Level 11 (1 player) |
| RMFOCINMFE | Blizzard Level 12 (1 player) |
| MFOCAJVNFN | Blizzard Level 13 (1 player) |
| FOCIJVMOFG | Blizzard Level 14 (1 player) |
| OCANVMFPFD | Blizzard Level 15 (1 player) |
| CINVMFOQFM | Blizzard Level 16 (1 player) |
| OAJRLFNBPR | Blizzard Level 1 (2 players) |
| IJRLFNOCPK | Blizzard Level 2 (2 players) |
| NRLFNOADPH | Blizzard Level 3 (2 players) |
| RLFNOINEPQ | Blizzard Level 4 (2 players) |
| LFNOAJVFPJ | Blizzard Level 5 (2 players) |
| FNOIJVLGPS | Blizzard Level 6 (2 players) |
| NOANVLFHPP | Blizzard Level 7 (2 players) |
| OINVLFNIPI | Blizzard Level 8 (2 players) |
| OAJRMFNJPK | Blizzard Level 9 (2 players) |
| IJRMFNOKPD | Blizzard Level 10 (2 players) |
| NRMFNOALPQ | Blizzard Level 11 (2 players) |
| RMFNOINMPJ | Blizzard Level 12 (2 players) |
| MFNOAJVNPS | Blizzard Level 13 (2 players) |
| FNOIJVMOPL | Blizzard Level 14 (2 players) |
| NOANVMFPPI | Blizzard Level 15 (2 players) |
| OINVMFNQPR | Blizzard Level 16 (2 players) |
Lemmings X-Mas: Review
Introduction
Imagine a horde of green-haired, blue-robed critters—adorable yet suicidally oblivious—marching lockstep toward doom, only to be saved by your frantic cursor-clicking genius. This is the chaotic charm of Lemmings, the 1991 puzzle masterpiece from DMA Design that sold over 15-20 million copies across ports and redefined real-time strategy puzzles. Lemmings X-Mas (2004), a niche Windows compilation from Dice Multi Media Europe, bundles the festive Holiday Lemmings (1994) with the experimental Lemmings Revolution (2000), offering a holiday-flavored retrospective on the series’ enduring appeal. My thesis: This unassuming pack is a festive time capsule, preserving the addictive, skill-juggling core of Lemmings while highlighting its evolution from 2D mayhem to cylindrical innovation—proving the formula’s timeless holiday spirit even two decades later.
Development History & Context
DMA Design, founded by David Jones in Dundee, Scotland, birthed the Lemmings phenomenon from a lunch-hour doodle: programmer Mike Dailly’s 8×8 pixel walking man animation in Deluxe Paint, refined by artist Gary Timmons. What started as a Blood Money side project exploded into a Psygnosis-published hit on Amiga in 1991, leveraging the era’s hardware limits—Amiga 500s animating 100 sprites via efficient blitter code—for groundbreaking crowd control.
Holiday Lemmings (aka X-Mas or Christmas Lemmings) emerged as annual goodwill gestures (1991-1994), starting with free four-level demos bundled in magazines like Amiga Format. The 1993-1994 retail versions expanded to 32 levels each (“Flurry/Blitz” and “Frost/Hail”), reskinning core mechanics with Santa-suited lemmings amid snowmen and icicles. No base game required; it was pure seasonal fan service, born from Psygnosis’s post-Lemmings boom (55,000 Amiga copies Day 1).
Lemmings Revolution, developed by Psygnosis Leeds (post-Sony acquisition), arrived in 2000 amid 3D dominance (Half-Life, Unreal). Take-Two published this Windows exclusive, innovating with rotatable cylindrical levels to mimic 3D depth on 2D roots. Tech constraints? Pentium-era PCs handled rotatable vistas smoothly, but it bucked trends—no full 3D like 3D Lemmings (1995)—echoing DMA’s original ethos amid a post-Tetris puzzle drought.
Released in 2004 by obscure Dice Multi Media, Lemmings X-Mas targeted nostalgic Europeans (PEGI 3, CD-ROM), compiling these amid Lemmings‘ fading spotlight (Sony owned IP post-Psygnosis fold). In a landscape shifting to online multiplayer (Counter-Strike), it evoked 16-bit purity.
Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive
Lemmings eschews dialogue or cutscenes; its “plot” is emergent chaos: trapdoors disgorge lemmings into deathtraps (pits, lava, crushers), demanding salvation via skills. Themes? Survival instinct versus blind herd mentality, satirizing lemming suicide myths (debunked IRL). No characters beyond faceless hordes—voiced by Scott Johnston’s mum (“Oh no!”) or sped-up samples—yet each lemming’s pixelated panic (flailing falls, explosive doom) humanizes them.
Holiday Lemmings infuses Yuletide whimsy: red-hatted lemmings trudge snowy vistas with bouncing snowmen, twinkling lights, and gift-wrapped traps. Levels like festive reskins evoke holiday peril—icicles as blades, chimneys as pits—mirroring themes of festive frenzy amid mortality. No overt story, but implied “home for Christmas” quest amplifies urgency.
Lemmings Revolution adds superficial lore: tribes reclaim worlds on spinning cylinders, but it’s window dressing. Dialogue? Absent. Themes evolve to spatial manipulation, pondering perspective in survival—rotate the world, rewrite fate. Subtle critique of 3D hype: 2D puzzles triumph via clever rotation.
Analytically, the compilation underscores Lemmings‘ existential minimalism: no heroes, just collective salvation. Holiday cheer tempers doom, making failure (exploding lemmings) comically poignant—a balm for button-mashing frustration.
Gameplay Mechanics & Systems
Core loop: Real-time puzzle-strategy. Lemmings spawn (1-99/min, adjustable), march blindly; assign eight skills (Climber, Floater, Bomber, Blocker, Builder, Basher, Miner, Digger) via cursor to sculpt paths. Limited allocations per level demand triage—save X% before time-up nukes all. UI? Icon panel tracks counts; pause for scouting, nuke button aborts. Genius: Indirect control fosters emergent solutions (e.g., bomber-sacrifice Blockers).
Holiday Lemmings (standalone): Four demos (1991-1992: 4 levels each; 1993-1994: 32×2) mirror original—Fun/Tricky/Taxing/Mayhem tiers—but Christmas-twisted (snow-blocked tunnels). No innovations; pure refinement, with steel barriers and timed releases testing skill economy. Flaw: Repetitive for veterans, but brevity shines.
Lemmings Revolution innovates: 100 levels on rotatable cylinders—drag to spin, revealing hidden paths/obstacles. Original skills persist; mouse-drag UI intuitive. Progression: Post-level stats unlock extras. Strengths: Cylinder adds depth (bash one side, build opposite); flaws: Rotation induces nausea, occasional pixel-precision fails.
Multiplayer? Absent here (original had split-screen). Compilation flaw: No integration—separate executables. Still, exhaustive: 100+ festive levels reward replays, gold medals for 100% saves.
| Skill | Function | Holiday Twist | Revolution Innovation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builder | 12-step ramps | Bridge snowdrifts | Circumferential stairs |
| Bomber | 5s explosion | Blast igloos | Radial blasts |
| Digger/Miner/Basher | Vertical/diagonal/horizontal tunnels | Melt ice | Wraparound digs |
| Floater/Climber/Blocker | Safe fall/wall-scale/stop herd | Umbrellas on flurries | Cylinder exploits |
Innovative yet flawed: Cylinder genius, but dated controls.
World-Building, Art & Sound
Settings: Abstract terrains—dirt, rock, steel, holiday hellscapes. Holiday Lemmings excels: Blizzard backdrops, swaying toys, jiggling snowmen create immersive Noel noir. Santa-lemmings wiggle hats; parallax snow evokes warmth amid peril. Revolution‘s cylinders? Textured 3D-ish wraps (circus, space), rotatable for god-view immersion—atmospheric vertigo.
Art: Pixel perfection—Gary Timmons’ fluid walks (stiff-to-smooth evolution), Scott Johnston’s detailed BGs. Holiday palettes pop: Crimson suits, azure skies. Revolution’s pre-rendered vistas hold up, though low-poly.
Sound: Tim Wright’s sampled classics (Doggie in the Window—ironically sued). Holiday jingles (Jingle Bells remix) amplify joy; lemming squeals (“Yay!”, splats) iconic. Revolution? Orchestral loops, satisfying crunches. Contributes urgency—timers tick, explosions boom—elevating tension to festive frenzy.
Reception & Legacy
Lemmings X-Mas: Obscure—no Metacritic/MobyGames critics (one player: 5/5). Components shone: Original Lemmings (Next Gen’s #8 all-time, 20M sales); Holiday Lemmings (“funny, frustrating, addictive”—Amiga Format); Revolution (praised innovation, mixed on gimmick—Eurogamer). Commercial? Niche 2004 hit for Dutch/Euro nostalgia.
Legacy: Lemmings pioneered RTS (“indirect control”—Amiga Power), inspired Warcraft, The Humans, Pingus. Holiday editions cemented seasonal gaming (pre-Christmas NiGHTS). Compilation? Revived amid 2000s remakes, influencing mobile Lemmings (2018). Evolved rep: From 90s ubiquity to cult classic—NP-hard puzzles proved depth. Industry: Proved puzzles viable mass-market.
Conclusion
Lemmings X-Mas distills the series’ genius: Addictive skill-juggling, emergent narratives, festive flair bridging 2D purity and 3D daring. Holiday Lemmings‘ cozy peril and Revolution‘s rotatable reinvention shine, flaws (dated UI, disjointed pack) notwithstanding. Verdict: Essential for historians—9/10. A holiday heirloom securing Lemmings‘ pantheon spot, where suicidal sprites taught salvation’s joy. Dig it out; save those Santas.