There used to be a time when companies would take their existing games, slap a Holiday theme on them, and put a little something special out in the world for fans to enjoy. NiGHTS: into Dreams did it with Christmas NiGHTS. I’m pretty sure there was even some Christmas-themed DLC for Mega Man: Powered Up on PSP. But for my money, my absolute favorite game to play during the Christmas season is Lemmings. Or, should I say, Xmas Lemmings? 

Back in 1991, the fine folks over at DMA Design gave out a handful of free levels, Shareware if you will, for Lemmings. They looked and sounded great, and they continued making more for a number of years. Sure, you could look at it as them just promoting their then-upcoming release Oh No! More Lemmings, but I like to think this was just the team doing what they loved, spreading holiday cheer by way of exploding, suicidal rhodents. Or are Lemmings marsupials? I honestly have no idea. 

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Origins aside, I’m specifically talking about the original 1991 Xmas Lemmings because well, that's the one I had. I first discovered Lemmings via the Super NES, where you had to move a cursor around a screen with a d-pad. Hardly the worst thing in the world, but a far cry from the smoothness of a mouse. So when I fired up this Shareware disc I got from… actually I have no idea how I came into possession of this game. Weird. Anyway, I distinctly remember firing it up and just smiling from ear to ear. 

Let’s get the basics out of the way. In case you’re unfamiliar with Lemmings, which given how long it’s been since they had a proper new release that I’m aware of is a distinct possibility, the game is all about indirectly controlling a series of adorable little creatures that do nothing but walk forward. If there’s a pit of spikes in front of them, they’ll walk right into it. It’s up to you to provide them with jobs in order to guide them safely to a goal door. You can give them umbrellas so they can survive falling from great heights. You can make them Climbers so they can scale walls. Diggers, miners, builders, there’s all sorts of stuff you can make these critters do. It’s a game all about planning and management. And it’s really fun! 

One of my favorite things about Lemmings was its visuals. The environments were all beautifully detailed, and the Lemmings themselves animated extremely well. This is a game that is positively brimming with personality, and Xmas Lemmings is no exception. Stages are covered in snow, Christmas lights, and beautifully animated background elements like little toys swinging back and forth, and these hilariously goofy snowmen that bounce up and down. Even the Lemmings themselves got in on the holiday spirit, exchanging their traditional blue garb for red santa outfits, complete with wiggling hats! 

Another one of my favorite things in the original was its soundtrack. The original compositions were an absolute delight, but the rest of the game’s music was actually fun, high-energy takes on classical tunes. So when I booted up Xmas Lemmings for the first time and a super-fun, VERY Lemmings-style rendition of Jingle Bells started playing, I was immediately hooked. 

At its core, Xmas Lemmings is just more Lemmings. It doesn’t introduce any new mechanics or do anything revolutionary, it’s just good old fashioned holiday fun, and I adore it. I play it every year around this time, and it makes me happy every single time I do. I heartily recommend Xmas Lemmings. 

You can play the game on the Internet Archive here. 

Have a happy and safe holiday season, everyone!