Lethe (video game)
| Lethe | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Koukou Studios, Faber Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Faber Interactive |
| Programmer(s) | John Koukourakis |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Release | August 1, 2016 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure, Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Lethe is an episodic adventure video game with survival horror elements, developed by Koukou Studios and Faber Interactive, and published by Faber Interactive. Episode One of the game was released on August 1, 2016 for Windows on the download service Steam.
Gameplay
The game takes place from a first-person viewpoint with no weapons or combat.[1] Players must navigate the landscape while avoiding being killed by various environmental hazards, including acid lakes, chasms, bear traps, fires and steam.[1] Enemies are lethal but must be avoided using stealth.[1] The player can also use telekinetic powers to interact with objects at a distance and make a path forwards, though this cannot be used to attack enemies.[1]
Plot
The game's first episode is titled "Anomaly".[2] The main character is Robert Dawn, a journalist who has forgotten a significant chunk of his past.[1] He travels to a deserted island to find the truth and washes up on shore.[1][3] He discovers a deserted mining village and enters it, finding snippets of letters and diary entries that are the main vector for revealing the story.[1] He later becomes infected with a substance that gives him telekinetic abilities.[3]
Each Episode of the game is intended to be a standalone experience with a different main character, but any future episodes will expound on the overall lore of the game.[4]
Development
The game originally gave the main character more psychic powers, but, after testing, it was decided to remove some levels from the game and tone down the powers in order to make the game more horror oriented.[5] The main character was initially named Bob, but his name was changed to Robert.[5]
The game was developed in Unreal Engine.[1]
Reception
The game received a B+ rating from Cindy Kyser of Just Adventure, who commended the "immersive" graphics and sound, and the fact that it eschewed combat, but criticized the levels as being repetitive, and the episodic nature of the game for not having a clear resolution.[1]
Adam Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun compared the game to "Psi-Ops meets Amnesia", saying he "appreciated the desire" to make a physics oriented video game, but wasn't quite "convinced" by the gameplay footage, saying that the psychic powers appeared unnecessary.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kyser, Cindy. "Lethe – Episode One Review". justadventure.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- ↑ "'Lethe - Episode One' Arrives in August - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- 1 2 "Your Guide to the Indie Horror Games of 2015 - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- ↑ "Lethe - Episode One on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Adam (2014-12-02). "Forget Me Not: Lethe Is Physics Plus Horror". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2017-07-24.