Lethe - Episode One
- August 1, 2016
- KoukouStudios
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Lethe - Episode One" is a first-person exploration and adventure game set in a mysterious, surreal environment. The player uncovers their past and navigates through memories, solving puzzles to reveal the truth. With a focus on story and atmosphere, Lethe invites players to discover a world of intrigue and mystery.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a beautifully crafted atmosphere with impressive graphics and sound design, creating a genuinely creepy experience.
- Gameplay is engaging with a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Amnesia.
- The story, while primarily delivered through notes, is intriguing and keeps players invested in uncovering the protagonist's origins.
- The game is relatively short, with many players completing it in around 3-5 hours, leading to concerns about its value for the price.
- Some players found the puzzles to be too simple or repetitive, and the lack of variety in environments made the gameplay feel monotonous.
- The enemy AI can be inconsistent, with some encounters feeling less threatening due to predictable behavior and easy evasion.
- story246 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Lethe - Episode 1" is primarily conveyed through collectible notes, which detail a dark narrative involving sinister scientific experiments and themes from ancient Greek folklore. While some players find the story intriguing and atmospheric, others criticize its delivery as tedious and lacking clarity, with a disjointed progression that can detract from immersion. Overall, the game offers a mix of engaging elements and horror tropes, but its reliance on text-based storytelling may not appeal to everyone.
“Cue a story that unfolds about sinister scientific experiments, where the ancient Greek folklore that the game is based upon (Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and oblivion in the underworld) ties in thematically with what is going on.”
“The story is interesting enough to keep you hooked, with numerous notes scattered around the levels to fill in the blanks.”
“This game has a horror-fueled, captivating story about an 'affliction' that's caused the inhabitants of a mining town to go missing.”
“The story isn't the clearest to follow either, since it's delivered entirely through notes that can be easily missed.”
“The story bears no rhyme or reason to this erratically changing environment, making it seem like the developers themselves didn't really know where they wanted to take the story.”
“Excluding the atmosphere; everything is grievously mediocre, enemy encounters and puzzles are ineffectual, mechanics are introduced and promptly abandoned and the story has absolutely zero emotional weight to it.”
- atmosphere172 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Lethe is widely praised for its immersive and creepy design, effectively utilizing sound, lighting, and environmental details to create a sense of foreboding and dread reminiscent of classic horror titles like Amnesia. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke tension without relying on cheap jump scares, although some critique the overall pacing and level design. Overall, the game is noted for its beautiful graphics and chilling ambiance, making it a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric horror.
“The atmosphere, visuals, and audio are high quality - all together they provide a very immersive experience reminiscent of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Soma, Among the Sleep, Penumbra, and other titles in that arena.”
“Lethe excels at building an atmosphere of foreboding and dread, rather than relying on jump scares and frantic action.”
“The atmosphere is terrifying, dark, and obscure!”
“Excluding the atmosphere, everything is grievously mediocre; enemy encounters and puzzles are ineffectual, mechanics are introduced and promptly abandoned, and the story has absolutely zero emotional weight to it.”
“Compared to Amnesia, everything is somewhat worse: the music, the sound, the story, the atmosphere are all lousy.”
“Lack of atmosphere is killing this game.”
- graphics120 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and attention to detail, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive use of lighting and shadows that enhance the atmospheric experience. While some players found the visuals to be somewhat repetitive or lacking in variety, the overall consensus is that the graphics are polished, immersive, and contribute significantly to the game's horror elements. Ratings often range from 9/10 to perfect scores, indicating a strong appreciation for the visual presentation.
“The visuals, while reminiscent of the aforementioned Frictional games, are gorgeous to look at and create an incredibly rich atmosphere.”
“Beautiful graphics, excellent shadow and lighting effects, spooky environments, and great background sound create a truly surreal experience.”
“The graphics are absolutely lovely, to the point I was almost reluctant to leave the first area because I felt I wasn't done admiring the scenery.”
“Plays fine, graphics are okay but just kind of boring.”
“The graphics and color palette for Lethe do not stray too far from gray, black, candle, and torch light, but the areas have nice detail and feel realistic.”
“Apart from some minor graphics bugs, this is a must buy for horror fans.”
- gameplay96 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Lethe - Episode One" is heavily inspired by titles like Amnesia and Penumbra, featuring exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth mechanics. While some reviewers found the gameplay to be solid yet unremarkable, others appreciated the introduction of unique mechanics like telekinesis and the immersive atmosphere. Overall, the game offers a linear experience with a mix of familiar elements and some innovative twists, providing around 6 to 8 hours of gameplay.
“Despite borrowing heavily from Amnesia, it manages to establish a gameplay and a setting of its own, which will keep you well invested in the game.”
“The gameplay is really nice with enough time with the enemies to be scary and intimidating, but not so much that it is annoying.”
“Gameplay revolves around simply exploring and solving a few simple puzzles to escape so you can get to the next area.”
“Excluding the atmosphere; everything is grievously mediocre, enemy encounters and puzzles are ineffectual, mechanics are introduced and promptly abandoned and the story has absolutely zero emotional weight to it.”
“The gameplay is really linear.”
“There is nothing new here gameplay-wise, and some of the writings are a bit cliche, but there's nothing wrong with that.”
- music50 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music and sound design in the game are widely praised for their effectiveness in enhancing the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting that the soundtracks and sound effects significantly contribute to the overall mood and tension. While some players found the music to be exceptional and immersive, others felt it was underutilized or reminiscent of other titles, leading to mixed opinions on its originality. Overall, the sound elements are considered a standout feature, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
“The soundtracks and voices are great and they keep you on your guard at all times, the graphics are decent and, although the storyline is ok but not very creative, this title isn't any less than other horror games, that doesn't follow traditional horror lines and, through its originality, keeps the player interested until the end.”
“The atmosphere is dark and scary, the music a good background, and for me the play was hard enough to be challenging, but not so much that I felt I couldn't do it.”
“The soundtrack does wonders for immersion and tension.”
“Compared to Amnesia, everything is somewhat worse: the music, the sound, the story, the atmosphere are all lousy.”
“Aside from this, the sound and music is atmospheric and appropriate but massively underused (think Resident Evil Zero).”
“The soundtrack feels like fingernails on a chalkboard, and the modest screen-time for the 'enemies' echoes Ridley Scott's first Alien movie with similar results.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting minimal to no bugs or glitches during gameplay. Most players found the experience smooth and polished, highlighting solid controls and impressive graphics, with only minor glitches noted in rare situations that did not significantly affect overall enjoyment.
“The graphics are very polished, with no glitches, running smoothly and looking amazing.”
“After the mountain of unfinished, buggy, unplayable garbage from independent publishers that have flooded the market in recent years, coupled with the big budget AAA studios turning everything and anything into Call of Duty, it's nice to find something that actually feels like a game again.”
“- very solid controls with minor glitches seen in odd situations, but impacts the overall game very little.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious, particularly due to repetitive tasks and a lack of dialogue to enhance the storytelling. While the stunning graphics and engaging puzzles help alleviate some of the monotony, the confined setting and repetitive nature of certain segments can still lead to a cumbersome experience. Overall, the ambiance and visual appeal manage to keep the experience somewhat enjoyable despite the grinding.
“That's normal and well, however, certain segments of the game can feel tedious due to having to repeat parts over and over.”
“Both the environment and puzzles get a little tedious at times, since you're in a mine pretty much the whole time, but there is enough creepy ambience to make it work.”
“This in itself is not a problem, however it becomes tedious when there is no dialogue to complement the storytelling.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its exceptional optimization, with players reporting a smooth performance and a consistent 60 fps throughout. Users noted the polished graphics and the absence of glitches or performance issues, especially in comparison to other indie horror titles.
“Another thing I have to say is that the game is extremely well optimized, and I did not face even the slightest hiccup while playing it and maintained a constant 60 fps.”
“The graphics are very polished, no glitches, runs smoothly, and looks amazing.”
“The game looks great and never had any issues in performance.”
“I have played a lot of indie horror games, and I usually face FPS drops or stuttering issues in almost all of them.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with reviewers noting that the story lacks any emotional depth or impact, and that overall gameplay elements fail to engage players on an emotional level.
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily highlighted through a few humorous easter eggs, which some players found to be the only positive aspect of their experience.
“The game features a variety of humorous easter eggs that keep the experience light-hearted and entertaining.”
“The humor in this game is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making for some genuinely funny moments.”
“I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and funny scenarios that always bring a smile to my face.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, as players find little incentive to explore beyond the initial playthrough, with most collectibles, such as notes and potions, obtainable during the first run.
“I'm not sure about replayability, as there isn't really much reason to explore aside from collecting notes or potions, and most of those are obtained on your first playthrough.”
