Welcome to my ROM hack of Lemmings on the SEGA Master System.
I’ve made over 100 plus levels all on my own using Squidgy’s brand new level editor for the SMS version of Lemmings and decided to release my work so far. If you ever wanted to play some different levels other than the original levels on the Master System version then this might be the ROM hack for you!
In this ROM hack patch there are now 8 different modes of levels each containing 30 levels in each pack making up a total of 240 levels, that’s twice as much as the original Amiga version and 60 more levels than the Mega Drive/Genesis version. We have Fun, Tricky, Taxing, Mayhem, Smooth, Funky, Jazzy and Heavy.
The new Smooth rating contains all of my levels which are easy to medium and only contain a really hard one every 10 or 15 levels in. The Funky rating contains levels made by not only me but also Squidgy and another modder just to help fill up space. The Funky rating has all of the original Amiga levels that were removed in the original SMS version for the exclusive SEGA levels, i’ve put them all back in here, so difficulty is not consistent in this rating, it varies from easy to hard etc. The Jazzy rating contains 28 levels all made entirely by me, either recreated levels from other Lemmings games or completely original, only two are made by Squidgy in the Jazzy rating. The Heavy rating once again is entirely done by me, no help from anyone, here i’ve started experiencing writer’s block when it comes to original level maps and solutions so you’ll find more recreated levels from other Lemmings games like ”Oh No More Lemmings” the Mega Drive exclusive levels and some other odd ones very rarely seen in other ports, there’s even a PSP Lemmings level recreated here.
The levels can now be accessed much more easily than ever before and no passwords or the cheat are needed anymore, you can get to any level and any mode by simply pressing up, down, left and right to scroll through on the level title screens.
FEATURES:
- Brand new levels never seen or played before.
- 8 ratings to choose from (although the last rating is not finished).
- Levels can now be easily accessed, no more passwords or cheat needed.
- Can select the skill boxes by pressing B and C together and either left or right to scroll through them rather than having to put the cursor over them each time.
- Music tracks on the new levels are personally chosen.
- Contains all of the original Amiga levels that were removed as well as the Sega levels being kept and intact.
- All The 6’s is uncensored.
- All levels have been tested before release and are beatable.
- Patch is 1 Megabyte large (8 Megabits).
- Checksum is fixed for the patch.
- Jazzy: Level 14 ”Living The Pipe Dream” has had a slight modification in v1.7 onwards, one of the tap traps is now fully active.
- Updated to V1.8 with some more levels finished and tested.
PATCH LOG:
V1.0 has all the Smooth, Funky and the first two levels of Jazzy completed.
New Levels Included In v1.1 Are:
Jazzy: Level 3 Pride Comes Before…
Jazzy: Level 4 Let’s Block Around The Dock
Jazzy: Level 5 Lemternet Shopping
Jazzy: Level 6 Great Pyramids Of Geezer Butler
New Levels Included In v1.2 Are:
Jazzy: Level 7 A Pillar Of The Community
Jazzy: Level 8 So Close But So Far Away
New Levels Included In v1.3 Are:
Jazzy: Level 9 Come On, Show Us Your Levels.
Jazzy: Level 10 The Magnificent Severn
Jazzy: Level 11 Dorothy’s Rainbow
Jazzy: Level 12 Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
Jazzy: Level 13 Flying The Mad Pursuit
New Levels Included In v1.4 Are:
Jazzy: Level 14 Living The Pipe Dream
Jazzy: Level 15 The Starry Threshold
New Levels Included In v1.5 Are:
Jazzy: Level 16 Tension Sheet, Good Idea
Jazzy: Level 17 The Rubbish Dump
Jazzy: Level 18 Highland Lemmings
Jazzy: Level 19 If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It
New Levels Included In v1.6 Are:
Jazzy: Level 20 The Vicar Of Lemley
Jazzy: Level 21 Stepping Stones
Jazzy: Level 22 At The Frozen Ends Of The Earth
Jazzy: Level 23 Lem Me Get Outta Here!
Jazzy: Level 24 J.Russell Retro Gaming
New Levels Included In v1.7 Are:
Jazzy: Level 25 Day Tripper
Jazzy: Level 26 Darkness Of The Royal Family
Jazzy: Level 27 The Secret Of Lemminghood
Jazzy: Level 28 Salvage Boat
Jazzy: Level 29 Lunch Time
Jazzy: Level 30 Stray Sheep
Heavy: Level 1 Train Your Body
Heavy: Level 2 Have A Slice Of Lemmington Cake
New Levels Included In v1.8 Are:
Heavy: Level 3 Keep All Enemies Out.
Heavy: Level 4 Is This The Way To Amarillo?
Heavy: Level 5 Anxiety
Heavy: Level 6 Just Too Good!
Heavy: Level 7 Dangerous Terrace
Heavy: Level 8 The Gate Trap Lemmings
Heavy: Level 9 Welcome To The Party, Pal!
Heavy: Level 10 Fall And No Life
Heavy: Level 11 Happy Meal Time At McLemmy’s
Heavy: Level 12 There’s Madness In The Method
Heavy: Level 13 A Snugglepuss Meadow Trek
Heavy: Level 14 Going Their Separate Ways
NOTES:
All the original Fun to Mayhem levels are intact as well as including all the cut Amiga levels and their repeats in the new Funky rating.
My levels are set in the medium difficulty range, not too hard but not ridiculously easy either. I try and aim towards casual players rather than seasoned experts who will no doubt whinge they’re too easy. If that’s the case you can always build and make your own levels and release them. I personally don’t like them extremely hard to the point of being stuck on them for hours, days and sometimes weeks.
Some of Squidgy’s own levels and his recreated levels from the Amiga have made it in this patch, his levels are usually much shorter and much harder usually involving some quirky gimmick to milk their way to the exit. My levels are much longer but far easier.
I also recreated some repeated levels myself like ”Lemming Lament” and ”It’s Not Over, Til’ It’s Over” as some had to be remade rather than ported over from the ”Restored” Lemmings SMS ROM hack patch. They are identical as all I had to do was change the level data information.
Squidgy made an infuriating level called ”Snakes Alive” it is a 5 of everything type of level with 5 massive S’s, it is the only level he made that I could never work out the solution to (if there is one) and it was a ”locked” level in the community section of the level editor, this meant I couldn’t edit the level myself so I recreated the map exactly myself and then changed the skill sets and gave it a different level name called ”All The Fives!” It is now much more fairer on the player with 15 of everything rather than 5 of everything and is now fully beatable. (Shoossshhh just don’t tell Squidgy I made an easier repeat of his level).
The Master System version has an invisible issue if making really large levels with too much terrain which designers in the level editor need to be aware of.
- Tilemap Limitations: When a level loads, the game identifies the required tiles from a 256-tile set to render the terrain, trapdoor, and exit, leaving limited free space in the tilemap for modifications.
- Dynamic Updating: When a lemming digs or builds, the SMS must copy affected 8×8 tiles to a new location in the VRAM and modify them to reflect the changed terrain.
- The “Out of Memory” Scenario: When excessive digging or building occurs—particularly in complex, late-game levels or if the player manipulates large swaths of the environment—the system runs out of free space in the VRAM to store these newly modified tiles, leading to a sudden stop of building, bashing, mining, digging etc. ”Down Tools” (truncate).
- I made 6 really long, winded levels that take up the entire map space for terrain, these levels can be completed like any other and they’ve been carefully tested over and over again and beaten each time as I played them wastefully on purpose to see how much memory is left over before it truncates, but it is important and best not to waste any bridge building (if it can be avoided) or any excessive bashing (if necessary). This means for example in certain scenarios where you should let the builder hit his head and walk all the way back to come round again instead of wasting another bridge to save time and when there is a climber and floater option best to take that option rather than bashing through a long tunnel and building extra bridges if unnecessary. If you play these certain levels in a wasteful way you could trigger the ”out of memory” VRAM limitation. While this is a risk, playing the game normally (rather than deliberately destroying every pixel of terrain) usually avoids this problem, so you have been warned. If the builder suddenly stops building and the basher/miner/digger stops digging a hole, it’s because the VRAM has filled up with all of the missing tiles that have been dug through or built over. It’s not the game that is to blame for this but the Master System console itself as it only contains 8K of RAM. If this ever occurs, it’s because you were wasteful with builders and digging unnecessary large tunnels, try it again and conserve your builders and bashers.
LEVELS THAT SHOULDN’T BE PLAYED WASTEFULLY:
- Cleopatra’s House
- Over The Hills And Far Away
- A Lem On A Hot Tin Roof
- Barbecue At Lemmy Kilmister’s
- Mr. Lemming’s Bathroom
- Ash Lemsday
These levels originally all triggered the ”out of memory” VRAM limitation and have already been heavily cut back with less terrain over and over again to make them beatable and to have enough memory for building and bashing. I have play tested these levels dozens of times on real hardware to make sure you can beat them, and as long as you don’t waste builders and dig long tunnels when you don’t have to, you’re right. If this limitation ever appears and the Lemmings stop and just walk, don’t worry, blow the Lemmings up and try again and play it in a more salvaged, conserved way. All the levels can be beaten as they are. 100% confirmed.
This limitation happened in the original retail game too. Levels like ”Sega Four” and ”Lemming Drops” could trigger the limitation if too many builders and bashers were used. Both those levels use the entire map area leaving very little for building and bashing and levels with traps were more capable of triggering the limitation as they use up more pixels and tiles.
Lastly: This ROM hack patch will be slowly updated over time as I make more levels. The latest patch is now available in the ZIP file and as I make more levels in future, I will update the patch over and over. It is not like me to release unfinished work to the public but this is a game that can be released as it is and get updated over time, rather than waiting until all 8 modes are finished and then releasing.
If you want to make, create and release your own levels, you don’t need to learn extensive Z80 coding, just make an account over on Squidgy’s new web browser Lemmings SMS editor. https://lemmingseditor.trainersquidgy.com/
INSTRUCTIONS:
Inside the ZIP file you’ll find the IPS patch, it is in Lunar IPS format and simply needs to be patched to the Lemmings retail ROM (Europe). Everything else is done for you including a fixed checksum so it can be played on a real system with authentic Master System bios.
Enjoy and happy gaming!
CRC-32: f369b2d8
SHA-1: f3a853cce1249a0848bfc0344f3ee2db6efa4c01
Pooty: For the original Mappy converter software that the level editor is based on.
SeanTheMii: For making some levels included in the Funky rating.
Maxim over at SMSPower: For some source code documents.
NeoLemmix: For several of the maps (when I couldn't think of anything original).
Special Thanks: Squidgy (Callum) for making all this possible in the first place.
Most of the files you're about to download need to be applied to your game. Here is a list of utilities that allow you to do this:
- Online Patcher: Marc Roblero's online patcher. Works with many different file types.
- Floating IPS: NWell-known patcher for applying IPS and BPS files.
- Delta Patcher: Used to apply xDelta files.
- More Patchers
On most files, you can also press “Patch It”, to apply the patch without downloading the file.
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