Lethis: Path of Progress

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 526 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • music
Lethis: Path of Progress Game Cover
Lethis: Path of Progress is a very pretty city-building game, but light on strategy and frustratingly linear.
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"Lethis: Path of Progress" is a 2D city-building game set in a Victorian Steampunk universe, where you manage resources, infrastructure, and trade for your city's growth and citizen's happiness. The game features a campaign mode with 26 missions across three difficulty levels and a sandbox mode for unlimited city-building fun. With over 24 different resources, buildings, and monuments, design and construct your city to meet the Emperor's requests and ensure its prosperity.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 526 reviews
graphics89 positive mentions
optimization4 negative mentions
  • Beautiful artwork and charming graphics that evoke nostalgia for classic city builders.
  • Engaging gameplay that combines resource management with city building, reminiscent of games like Caesar and Pharaoh.
  • The steampunk theme adds a unique twist to the traditional city-building mechanics.
  • Frequent crashes and performance issues, particularly with certain graphics cards, making the game unplayable for some users.
  • The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay.
  • Lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, making it feel repetitive and simplistic compared to its predecessors.
  • graphics198 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful, colorful, and charming aesthetic, often likened to a steampunk-inspired art style reminiscent of classic city builders. Many players appreciate the detailed animations and overall visual design, which evoke nostalgia while providing a modern touch. However, some users have reported technical issues, including graphical glitches and compatibility problems with integrated graphics cards, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are, to put it simply, lovely.”
    • “The art style is gorgeous.”
    • “The use of a colorful steampunk-fantasy setting with hand-drawn visuals and its relaxing yet fitting music is refreshing, giving a gorgeous Studio Ghibli-like atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics are worse than a free browser city building game, and I'm not even talking about the gameplay.”
    • “I had high hopes for Lethis - Path of Progress, which were dashed by broken graphics, poor English translations, and an inconsistent UI.”
    • “Not to mention that every graphics setting in the game required restarting the game entirely, which in this day of gaming is unacceptable.”
  • gameplay171 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is a nostalgic throwback to classic city builders like Caesar III and Pharaoh, featuring familiar mechanics such as housing evolution and resource management through a "walker" system. While the graphics and atmosphere are praised, many players find the mechanics simplistic and occasionally frustrating, with issues like resource management and a lack of combat mechanics detracting from the overall experience. Despite its charm and potential, the game suffers from balance problems and bugs that can hinder enjoyment, making it a mixed experience for both veterans and newcomers to the genre.

    • “The gameplay starts off simple, rapidly gets more complex, and is a delight to play with its nice graphics and relaxing music.”
    • “Curated graphics, Caesar III-like gameplay but with the game's relevant improvements, it puts your management skills to the test and gives you a charming and relaxing experience to enjoy while the city develops before your eyes.”
    • “If you are a fan of Sierra's city-building series, don't pay attention to the mixed reviews... most of the people who are not recommending the game are simply people who are not used to the walker mechanic and who did not yet discover the wonders of loop block design and roadblocks.”
    • “Not very pleasant gameplay; the tutorial took me 2 hours and I'm burned out and don't really want to play it anymore.”
    • “The gameplay is not intuitive, the maps are bizarre, the walkers are unreliable, and sometimes the backend numbers just don't seem to add up.”
    • “The problems rear their ugly heads though when the mechanics start breaking down.”
  • music79 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its engaging, relaxing, and whimsical qualities, enhancing the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as lovely, fitting, and reminiscent of classic city builders, though some note it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of charming visuals and a delightful soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The gameplay starts off simple, rapidly gets more complex, and is a delight to play with its nice graphics and relaxing music.”
    • “From the music to the art style, everything in Lethis has this happy, charming quality that draws you in and makes playing it a joy.”
    • “The music is really good as well, it's uplifting and fitting the game perfectly!”
    • “Music doesn't impress me as fitting for the game.”
    • “For me it's a beautiful game, albeit with a boring and repetitive soundtrack, animation is great, art style is great, I don't have any graphical issues on my PC as reported by many others, it's cheap (2 bucks on sale!) and in theory it has enough content to be entertaining for a while.”
    • “Cons: music is so annoying after a bit, the story well its just a king dies you build a city another one dies etc etc no actual story, the game is way too repetitive.”
  • story73 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered basic and somewhat forgettable, often revolving around typical city-building scenarios without significant narrative depth. While some players appreciate the steampunk aesthetic and the world-building elements, many feel that the missions become repetitive and lack meaningful progression, leading to diminished motivation to complete the campaign. Overall, the storyline serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a driving force, with most players feeling they have experienced the core content early on in the tutorial missions.

    • “The steampunk aesthetic is really fun and the storyline is interesting.”
    • “Overall, I think everyone who knows and likes old Sierra games will like this one too and find a good amount of fun with it; also, I found the world-building and story a fairly nice touch as well.”
    • “Also, the fact that this game has an actual scenario and storyline is a huge plus compared to most recent games in this genre.”
    • “The story is somewhat forgettable and only told in text messages.”
    • “The story is just a king dies, you build a city, another one dies, etc. No actual story; the game is way too repetitive.”
    • “After about half of the 26-mission campaign, I felt like I saw everything; there were no new buildings and the mission goals are rather similar: build a city with x citizens in houses of level y, build a monument, gather z amount of resources.”
  • optimization15 mentions

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including crashes and low frame rates on certain machines, while others report smooth gameplay. Despite its beautiful art style and engaging city-building mechanics, the inconsistent performance can make the game unplayable for some users. Overall, while veterans may find the optimization aspects manageable, the game's technical shortcomings detract from the experience for many.

    • “However, if you look for something more relaxed with city building optimization, phenomenal art style (seriously, the art style is just gorgeous) and a great soundtrack, you have come to the right place.”
    • “For old veterans mastering the walkers system and space optimization, it will feel rather easier than the old-school city managing games like Pharaoh or Caesar III, especially since the dev made the choice not to include a military aspect into the game.”
    • “Much like Zeus, housing and industrial blocks can be laid out anywhere, except for raw materials, which must be placed on appropriate resources (ore for mines, fertile land for farms, etc.), meaning it's fairly trivial to lay out highly optimized blocks, and the map size and resource location is the only true limiting factor.”
    • “Lots of performance issues when there should not be.”
    • “Several crashes and stuttering issues even early in the game where little has been actually built.”
    • “Performance issues on some machines to a state of being unplayable (I got very low FPS on my average desktop, but very good performance on my laptop).”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezing, graphical glitches, and crashes, particularly at higher resolutions. While some players acknowledge that the game is enjoyable despite its bugs, many express frustration over the time required for troubleshooting and the overall impact on gameplay. Although there have been patches addressing major issues, the game remains plagued by fundamental bugs that hinder the experience.

    • “Game was still ok and then the UI glitches came at higher resolutions, making the game unplayable.”
    • “But full of fundamental bugs like unable to detect native GPU, screen resolution issues, mouse cursor misalignment, random game crashes, and freezes.”
    • “So, this game is buggy and crash-ridden as other people have said.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky writing and amusing details, with players noting the absurdity of economic fluctuations and the charm of its steampunk setting. While the English translation may be amateurish, it often results in genuinely funny moments, including humorous sound effects and pop culture references. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted experience that appeals to fans of fantasy city-building.

    • “The writing is pretty humorous, and offers an upbeat and positive framing for a steam revolution that forced giant cities to rise.”
    • “Cool steampunk city builder, reminder of the Pharaoh and Caesar games, with gorgeous art and lots of funny details.”
    • “There is a short text for every building or person, often with some pop-references that are genuinely funny.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding mechanics in the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the farming system that leads to annual riots when peasants become unemployed after harvest. The reliance on farming for advancement creates a cycle of discontent, as players must navigate the challenges of managing both resources and the populace's anger. Overall, the grinding aspect detracts from the enjoyment of the game, with some players feeling their concerns are dismissed by the developers.

    • “By this point, the game mechanics are tedious and annoying.”
    • “Farming is required for advancement through the game, but by and large, this mechanic is simply a riot machine. When people don't work, they suddenly start becoming very angry.”
    • “If you are unlucky enough to want to build a farming economy, you will be faced with annual riots. After the harvest comes in, the peasants don't just kick up their boots and enjoy some time off; they get angry because they can't farm in winter and start burning down houses.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is visually striking, featuring a colorful steampunk-fantasy setting reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's works, particularly "Castle in the Sky." While some reviews note a lack of depth, many appreciate the unique blend of hand-drawn visuals and relaxing music that successfully captures the essence of an atmospheric city builder. Overall, it effectively combines nostalgic elements from classic tycoon games with its own quirky twist, creating an appealing and immersive experience.

    • “The use of a colorful steampunk-fantasy setting with hand-drawn visuals and its relaxing yet fitting music is refreshing, giving a gorgeous Studio Ghibli-like atmosphere; in many ways the game feels like what the world of Miyazaki's classic 'Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta' (Castle in the Sky) would look like if it were a city builder.”
    • “The game successfully creates a good atmosphere in a steampunk industrial revolution that absurdity never crossed my mind.”
    • “An atmospheric city builder in isometric view with a quirky steampunk twist.”
    • “Looks very nice visually but lacks any atmosphere or depth.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Users express mixed emotional responses to the game, with some finding it a refreshing escape from more intense titles, while others experience frustration due to crashes and a poor interface, leading to a sense of disappointment. Overall, it serves as a potential mood booster for those seeking a lighter gaming experience, but technical issues can detract from enjoyment.

    • “The main con is that it does sometimes crash on me with my Intel i5 6600k CPU and a Radeon RX 480 GPU, and every crash is heartbreaking.”
    • “If you'd like to maybe get away from your more emotionally taxing games, like Dota 2, this is a great go-to game to recharge your spirits.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game's replayability is mixed; while it offers numerous options for city development that can enhance replay value, some players feel that the basic mechanics lack depth, leading to potential monotony over time.

    • “You have many options to develop your city, so the replayability is great.”
    • “This can be a welcome feature for those only interested in building their own self-contained worlds, but it nonetheless can become dull after a while and limit replayability.”
    • “It's like they pushed the game to the point where its basic mechanics were playable and called it quits.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that the developers prioritize profit over quality, as evidenced by a convoluted tutorial and lack of necessary updates to fix issues.

    • “Honestly, I loved this game at first when I got it on the Steam summer sale, but after getting to part 4/5 of the tutorial (also part 2/5 was nonsense), I realized this is a cash grab game with developers that don't think it's necessary to repair their broken game. The tutorial process is the most convoluted I have ever seen, and the explanation system of what the player is supposed to do next is horrible.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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Play time

14hMedian play time
23hAverage play time
6-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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