Lemnis Gate first impressions – It shouldn’t work, but it kind of does

Lemnis Gate Key Art

First-person shooter games have long been among the most popular video games there is, with the likes of Halo, Call of Duty, and Battlefield setting the current standard for what an FPS game should be.

After 30 years, maybe it is time for the genre to be shaken up because there’s only so many times you can go “bang bang you’re dead” before it becomes monotonous.

It turns out that Lemnis Gate developers Ratloop Games Canada and Frontier Foundry thought so too as they have created a game that blends multiple game genres into an FPS style and on paper, it shouldn’t work, but it kind of does.

What Is Lemnis Gate?

According to the game’s Steam page, Lemnis gate is a “revolutionary turn-based combat strategy FPS taking place in a time loop”.

You might be thinking, “turn-based combat in an FPS game?”, don’t worry we were thinking the same thing too when we loaded the game during its recent beta.

Lemnis Gate Key Art Steam 1
Credit: Frontier Foundry

FPS games are typically very fast-paced, with near non-stop action, so adding turn-based combat seen in games such as the Civilization and Final Fantasy series’ sounds like it shouldn’t work.

Surprisingly, it does work in some ways, but I do have some concerns about it, especially in the long term.

If Nothing Else It Is Innovative

In the past, we have seen many games hit the scene as the new kid on the block, with an initial wave of excitement and hype among the gaming community, only for it to fall into obscurity a short time later, when was the last time you got a Crown in Fall Guys?

Over the last couple of years, we have seen the Battle Royale genre explode in popularity with games such as Warzone, Fortnite, and PUBG.

There has also been plenty of games where developers thought they could make a Battle Royale game and it would instantly become the next big thing, I haven’t heard anyone mention Realm Royale or Hyperscape in a long time.

Lemnis Gate Key Art Steam 6
Credit: Frontier Foundry

When a genre is saturated with high quality and popular games, it is understandably incredibly hard for a new IP to make a name for itself without something that sets it apart.

Adding unique gameplay elements such as turn-based strategy into an FPS game certainly sets it apart from the bunch, but it does end up being rather complex to understand.

A Game Of Cat And Mouse

When jumping into a match in Lemnis Gate for the first time you will notice that you’re a lone wolf on the map, with no enemy to try and ruin your progress. You get a set amount of time to complete objectives, including taking over control points, similar to Domination modes that are in most competitive FPS titles.

But, eventually, your time freely roaming the map comes to an end and now it is time for your opponent to do the same.

In a normal FPS game, you would be defending your claimed points, fending off any unwanted guests for taking over the map.

READ MORE: Lemnis Gate Preview – Is it going to change the FPS genre?

With Lemnis Gate, you have to sit back and watch through a Drone Camera, your opponent can also watch your strategies using the same method.

If you’ve played games such as Civilization you will understand how this works and it allows you to get a feel for your opponent and how they play the game.

Then it is your turn once again and you set about undoing the work your opponent has just put in, a vice versa, it all comes down to a game of cat and mouse where you are both the cat and the mouse.

Strategy Is Key

Lemnis Gate is split into five rounds lasting 25 seconds each, with each player alternating between being the attacker and the defender.

Lemnis Gate Key Art Steam 8
Credit: Frontier Foundry

As the attacker, it is your job to try and take out the objective within your allotted 25 seconds of gameplay.

Once this is done, it is now time for the defender to try and undo the work you just did.

During the defender’s turn, your actions as an attacker play out like a replay with you unable to control your character.

If the defender manages to take out your attacker then they alter the timeline and save the objective being destroyed, hence the time loop description of the game.

READ MORE: When does Lemnis Gate come out? – Release Date & Gameplay Footage

Then the attacker spawns with a second character and has to try and stop the defender stopping the first character that was trying to destroy the objective.

By the time the game is over, there are ten characters on the map, all trying to attack and defend the objective.

Yes, it is as confusing as it sounds.

There are other modes to play too, such as a Capture The Flag style mode, which sees players try and retrieve objects from the map and return them to their base, the first to capture four wins.

Lemnis Gate Key Art Steam 2
Credit: Frontier Foundry

Strategy and planning play a much larger role than raw FPS mechanics, if you’re a run and gun style player then you may find yourself struggling to adapt to the game.

If nothing else, it does highlight your flaws as a player, which you could work on to improve your overall gameplay across any other FPS game.

Can Lemnis Gate Become The Next Big FPS Game?

Lemnis Gate has many things going for it. It blends styles and gameplay elements of many different games together such as Call of Duty, CS:GO, Civilization, Overwatch, and even League of Legends.

There is so much going on in the game that could make the game the next big thing, but I am worried that the game will be a fun novelty at launch, with players checking out this interesting and new take on the FPS genre, before going back to their usual Fortnite, Warzone, and Overwatch, we have seen it happen time and time again.

Despite the fact many players complain about games becoming stale, humans are creatures of habit, we like what we know and it is hard for us to deviate away from that.

Lemnis Gate Key Art Steam 5
Credit: Frontier Foundry

As an avid Fortnite player, I spent a year hearing people complain on a daily basis that we need a new map, and then as soon as we got one the complaints started again with them now saying that they want the old map back.

Despite not being happy with it, as a creature of habit they wanted what they were comfortable with.

I do fear that we could see the same thing could happen with Lemnis Gate. Many players want something fresh and exciting to happen in the genre, and now we’re getting it.

READ MORE: Video Game Release Dates 2021: All announced games, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch

But when a fresh alternative is presented, will they choose to stick with the tried and tested FPS style of Call of Duty?

At the time of writing this, there is currently a lot of buzz surrounding Splitgate, a Halo meets Portal type of game, which adds a new spin on the genre, while also keeping the exciting and fast-paced gameplay that FPS players are used to.

It is possible that Lemnis Gate could be too slow-paced and strategic for it to catch on with the masses.

However, I will say that if Lemnis Gate ultimately fails to become a hit, it will be because of the community and not the developers.

The team being Lemnis Gate have developed a solid and very well designed game with all of the makings to be a success, but it very well could be a flash in the pan that is forgotten about by the end of the year, we really hope that won’t be the case though.

Lemnis Gate will launch on September 28th, 2021 on PC via Steam and Windows Store, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

The game will also be available on day one via Game Pass for both Xbox and PC, giving players on those platforms no reason to at least give it a go.

You can pre-order the game here, and players that do will receive a 20% discount off the game, as well as the “Mettle Mantis” exclusive operative and weapon skin for KARL.

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