It being part of the "progression path" definitely makes it more palatable. However, you still have to attract a "new" swathe of customers if you want to keep the lights on.Yeah, the game is similar to Pantheon in that you get upgrades to light sources as you go. The lantern early in the game improves on the torch. At least it did. It's been a bit since I've played. All part of the power dynamic. You start off as a blind goon, and eventually you acquire ways to negate the degree of darkness. Same with bag space. Same with spell/ability power. Same with everything.
There are plenty of ways to make a world challenging without introducing a mechanic that's best handled by simply "sitting around and waiting." That's a 1999 design philosophy - and only boomer dads or so-called "disabled" adults sponging off SSI and huffing nostalgia copium are willing to endure it for any length of time.
That isn't challenging game mechanics/gameplay. That's tedium.