Lemnis Gate
Not unlike playing 4D chess
Videogames have done more than their fair share of flirting with the flow of time, whether that’s allowing us to live out our teenage dreams and rewinding until we strike upon the perfect thing to say in Life Is Strange or enabling us to plot a profitable night of killing in the upcoming Deathloop. Yup, games love to get a bit timey-wimey. Now Lemnis Gate is taking this thread and running with it all the way into a multiplayer arena.
In either 1v1 or 2v2 matches, you and your opponent take it in turns to rewrite the same 25 seconds and hopefully scribble your way to victory. Let’s say you’re playing Retrieve XM mode (basically capture the flag). On turn one, one member of the other team gets right to it and hauls the flag all the way home. On your turn it’s your first team member’s job to divert them by any means necessary. Maybe you just gun ’em down. Well, at the start of the second round the other side may take the opportunity to use their next operative’s special ability to throw a ton of toxic waste your diverter’s way. Their strategy is now steadily becoming clear to you - and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
CUTTING IT CLOSE
Over five rounds, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to strategise and lay down your own misdirections. Leaning all the way in to its time-loop setup, you can even become a one-person army thanks to Lemnis Gate’s unique auto co-op feature which allows you to team up with yourself by taking control of five operatives for an especially hectic match. Borrowing from the hero shooter genre, you can choose from a selection of different operatives with their own unique abilities. On top of the power to lay down your own localised environmental catastrophe, different operatives possess the power to shield your sharpshooter or even slow down time while you bring the pain. The aim of the game isn’t just to think ahead but outside the box too. Non-linear strategy is what Ratloop Games is gunning for, but you won’t have to time travel to hear our verdict when it’s released later this year.
“TAKE TURNS TO REWRITE THE SAME 25 SECONDS.”
IMPRESSIONS
A turn-based twist on a multiplayer shooter. Could the key to success be to slow things down? Time will tell.