Lethis: Path of Progress

52%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,053 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

52%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,053 reviews
graphics178 positive mentions
optimization8 negative mentions
  • The artwork is beautifully drawn and colorful, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the game.
  • The soundtrack is light and enjoyable, adding to the immersive experience.
  • The game successfully captures the essence of classic city builders like Caesar and Pharaoh, making it nostalgic for fans of the genre.
  • The UI is poorly designed and can be confusing, with issues like text not lining up with buttons and notifications being unreadable.
  • The pathing of distributors (citizens delivering resources) is erratic, leading to inefficient resource management and frustrating gameplay.
  • The English dialogue is awkwardly translated, making it difficult to understand some of the game's mechanics and instructions.
  • graphics397 mentions

    The graphics of "Lethis: Path of Progress" are widely praised for their beautiful steampunk aesthetic and charming art style, reminiscent of classic city builders. Many players appreciate the vibrant colors and detailed animations, which contribute to an engaging visual experience. However, some users report technical issues, including graphical glitches and compatibility problems with integrated graphics cards, which detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “The graphics are, to put it simply, lovely.”
    • “The art style is absolutely gorgeous and charming with interesting twists on familiar mechanics.”
    • “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.”
  • gameplay343 mentions

    The gameplay of Lethis - Path of Progress is a nostalgic throwback to classic city-building games like Caesar III and Pharaoh, featuring familiar mechanics such as building homes and managing resources through a "walker" system. While the game offers charming graphics and a relaxing atmosphere, many players find the mechanics repetitive, simplistic, and occasionally frustrating due to issues like resource management and a lack of combat elements. Overall, it appeals to fans of the genre but may not satisfy those seeking deeper gameplay or innovation.

    • “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.”
    • “The gameplay is every bit as compelling as all the greats of the genre.”
    • “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.”
    • “By this point the game mechanics are tedious and annoying.”
  • music158 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its engaging, whimsical, and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, complementing the charming visuals and contributing to a delightful atmosphere reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. However, some players note that the music can become repetitive over time, and there are occasional concerns about its volume control and length.

    • “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!”
    • “The soundtrack complements the theme, and I don’t get tired listening to it.”
    • “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 it's just a king dies you build a city another one dies etc etc no actual story, the game is way too repetitive.”
  • story146 mentions

    The game's story is often described as basic and somewhat forgettable, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and variety, leading to a sense of repetitiveness in mission objectives. While the steampunk aesthetic and world-building elements are appreciated, the narrative fails to engage players beyond the initial missions, as most gameplay mechanics and building options are introduced early on, diminishing the sense of progression. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects to the missions, the story does not provide enough motivation for players to continue through the campaign.

    • “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.”
    • “The story campaign is a nice touch and is several missions long with chapters in between.”
    • “The story is your basic Caesar 3 plot.”
    • “The story is somewhat forgettable and only told in text messages.”
    • “Cons: music is so annoying after a bit, the story well it's just a king dies you build a city another one dies etc. No actual story, the game is way too repetitive.”
  • optimization30 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, 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 the game offers a relaxed city-building experience, its optimization problems detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “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.”
    • “The game plays a bit like an optimization puzzle crossed with a city designer with a dash or two of steampunk Victorian style art!”
    • “Horrible performance.”
    • “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).”
  • stability28 mentions

    The game has been widely criticized for its stability issues, including frequent freezing, graphical glitches, and random crashes, making it difficult for some players to enjoy. While some users acknowledge that it can be fun and solid despite these 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, mouse cursor off, random game crashes and freezes.”
    • “Game is too buggy to play.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its witty writing and amusing details, often highlighting the absurdities of managing a fragile economy in a steampunk setting. Players appreciate the upbeat tone and clever pop culture references, although some find the English translation to be amateurish yet entertaining. Overall, the game successfully blends charm and humor, making it a delightful experience for 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.”
  • grinding20 mentions

    Players find the grinding mechanics, particularly related to farming, to be tedious and frustrating, as they lead to annual unemployment spikes and riots when peasants cannot work during winter. The reliance on farming for progression creates a cycle of dissatisfaction, with players expressing that the game fails to adequately address these issues, resulting in a lack of engagement and enjoyment. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant detractor from the gameplay experience.

    • “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, as 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, as after the harvest comes in, the peasants don't just kick up their boots and enjoy some time off; no, they get angry because they can't farm in winter and start burning down houses.”
  • atmosphere14 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is visually striking, featuring a colorful steampunk-fantasy setting with hand-drawn visuals that evoke a Studio Ghibli-like charm. While some reviews note a lack of depth, many appreciate the successful recreation of an appealing steampunk ambiance reminiscent of classic city-building games. Overall, it effectively combines nostalgic mechanics with a unique atmospheric twist.

    • “The use of a colorful steampunk-fantasy setting with hand-drawn visuals and its relaxing yet fitting (though a little limited) 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.”
    • “The game manages to recreate that old school tycoon game atmosphere while adding its own twist to the genre.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    Players express mixed emotions regarding the game, with some finding it a refreshing escape from more intense titles, while others are frustrated by technical issues like crashes that detract from their experience. The emotional impact is further diminished by a poor interface, leading some to feel that the game loses its appeal after a limited playtime. Overall, it serves as a light-hearted option for those seeking a break, but technical shortcomings can lead to disappointment.

    • “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.”
  • replayability6 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 are underdeveloped, leading to potential monotony over time. This may appeal to those focused on creating self-contained worlds, but it can also limit long-term engagement.

    • “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.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that the developers prioritize profit over improving the game's quality and user experience. Many users express frustration with the convoluted tutorial and lack of clear guidance, suggesting that the monetization strategy detracts from overall enjoyment.

    • “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 6 analyzed playthroughs

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