Lethe – Episode One

Lethe – Episode One is a first-person survival horror game released on 1 August 2016. It was developed by the Greek indie studio Koukou Studios and published by Faber Interactive. Although it was intended as the first installment in a series of games sharing a connected universe, no further episodes had been released by March 2018, which is why the game is often referred to simply as *Lethe*. Critical reception was mixed.

The story follows Robert Dawn, a man who, after his father’s death, uncovers documents suggesting he has forgotten large parts of his past. This discovery sends him on a journey of self-discovery. The game begins with Dawn washing ashore at an abandoned mining town. Players must explore various environments and avoid enemies while trying to reconstruct his lost memories.

Players control Dawn from a first-person perspective. Unlike many adventure games, there are no weapons or combat. Instead, the player relies on stealth to navigate the landscape, avoiding hazards like acid lakes and chasms. Dawn has three statistics: health, stamina, and psychic energy. The psychic energy allows him to use telekinetic powers, which he gains midway through the game. There is no inventory system; players can carry only five health packs and five energy packs.

Development used the Unreal Engine. The game was first submitted to Steam Greenlight on 31 August 2012. Two teaser trailers appeared in March 2014, drawing comparisons to *Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy* and *Amnesia*. An alpha gameplay trailer followed in November 2014. Originally, the protagonist was meant to have multiple magical abilities, such as shooting fireballs and lightning, but these were reduced to telekinesis to emphasize stealth.

Reviewers praised the visual and audio design, noting that the immersive graphics and sounds made players feel as if they were inside the game. Critics also agreed that the game effectively scared players. On the downside, the slow pace—which forced players to move slowly even if they preferred faster travel—and the save system, which required replaying large sections of a level after dying, drew criticism.