How Lost Soul Aside Could Become a PS5 Classic in 2025

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Initially conceived as a personal endeavor by Yang Bing in 2014, the game “Lost Soul Aside” has transformed from an indie gem into a promising AA title due to substantial financial support from Sony’s Chinese investment initiative. The allure of a polished concept trailer in 2016 caught Sony’s attention, which coincided with the launch of their China Hero Project. This led to the establishment of UltiZero Games by Sony Interactive Entertainment, and since then, the game’s ideas have been fully realized. Based in Shanghai, UltiZero Games, with its team of over 40 members, is preparing to release “Lost Soul Aside” after more than a decade of development.

The game we’ve been waiting for is about to team up with China Hero Project graduates Evotinction and F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch upon its August 29th launch. While the excitement for Lost Soul Aside was dampened by its earlier delay this year, anticipation is building once more for this game that could potentially rank as one of the top PlayStation 5 titles in 2025.

The unique visual appeal and a heartfelt story make Lost Soul Aside stand out. However, it’s the gameplay that could potentially secure UltiZero Games’ initial release among the top-tier PS5 games by year-end. Fast-paced combat, smooth movement, and numerous eye-catching effects with dynamic camera work create a visually stunning style. A variety of customizable abilities for both fighting and movement offer more than just visual flair; they add depth to the gameplay experience.

In essence, the combat system in Lost Soul Aside is designed to be smooth and seamless, yet merciless when timings are off. Kaser effortlessly leaps across the battlefield, stringing together sword strikes, magical blasts, and combos flawlessly. He even tosses enemies into the air while switching weapons during an attack, masterfully balancing his abilities and foes with near-perfect coordination. Players have numerous attack options at their disposal, allowing them to improvise unique sequences on the spot, delivering a fulfilling experience that goes beyond just visually stimulating endorphins.

To start with, this game doesn’t require extensive training in technical skills to play. Although it includes basic light and heavy attacks, parrying, and blocking mechanisms, as well as the need for careful positioning due to some enemies’ fast attacks, the game avoids intricate input combinations or elaborate button sequences. Instead, it offers a set of adaptable skills that can be combined in various ways to suit whatever playing style or strategy the player prefers.

For instance, there are skills involving elemental distant attacks, improvements to Kasar’s evasive dodge skill or his capacity to retaliate defensively. Customizing weapons by finding fragments offers additional possibilities, as transformations to a weapon’s look, damage output, and healing potential, among other things, give more opportunities for exploration.

There are countless options available. In the combat system of the game “Lost Soul Aside,” it seems to prioritize strategic synchronization over quick reflexes. This means that, although the action is fast-paced, it should still be enjoyable and rewarding for newcomers to the action game genre.

Timing plays a crucial role in achieving additional advantages, as UltiZero Games refer to it as ‘Pursuit’ mechanics. Mastering both offense and defense leads to increased power for Kaser, resulting in more destructive outcomes. From the gameplay videos we’ve seen so far, it appears that performing moves perfectly offers distinct bonuses: well-timed parries can set up strong counterattacks; expert dodges offer an opportunity to quickly return with a powerful strike; and precise attack sequences will momentarily stun enemies, making them vulnerable to stylish finishes.

Throughout Kaser’s journey, a towering, dragon-like arena accompanies him, capable of forging a connection with the swordsmith. This mystical entity grants access to various specialized attacks that deal extra damage, such as hulking fists, bone-crushing weapons like hammers and maces, whips that tear through skin, and more. Additionally, the arena possesses the power to enhance defense by creating protective shields and can even stimulate health regeneration. However, incorporating the powers of the arena into Kaser’s abilities does not guarantee survival; it merely provides an additional edge in the face of danger.

Indeed, it appears that some enemies are more vulnerable to Arena’s skills compared to others, necessitating players to adapt their strategy moment by moment. This involves selecting the optimal combination of abilities, weapon enhancements, and Arena techniques that work best in a given scenario. The intricacies of how these powers interplay, the length of their cooldown periods, and the balance between risk and reward are crucial factors to consider. If one were to make a quick judgment, Lost Soul Aside might seem more focused on aesthetics than gameplay mechanics. However, upon closer inspection, the diverse combat options it offers hint at a mechanical complexity that fans who appreciate both the depth of games like Final Fantasy and perhaps even the intensity of Ninja Gaiden would relish exploring.

As a gamer, I’ve found myself captivated by the expansive freedom that UltiZero Games has woven into the game world of this new title. It seems they’ve taken inspiration from Insomniac’s acrobatic prowess in their Spider-Man games, emphasizing seamless and unhindered movement for my character, Kaser. With his blade, he glides through stone as if it were butter, making even the most imposing walls feel insignificant.

Kaser moves with a fluid grace, skating, dashing, gliding, flying, double-jumping, and wall-running effortlessly. No obstacle seems too great; I can’t help but be thrilled by Kaser’s ability to move freely across the landscape, turning every challenge into exhilarating entertainment.

We observe instances where gameplay effortlessly blends with cutscenes and then back to gameplay again, as demonstrated in the clip posted by Pure PS on their social media. In this particular scene, Kaser goes from skating to performing a backflip over explosions, followed by platform jumping, ceiling hanging, wall-running, slicing walls, hovering, and grabbing control temporarily away from the player. Not only does Arena get involved with a slingshot motion launching Kaser upwards, but he also grows wings to dive back down quickly with incredible speed. Needless to say, this sequence is nothing short of thrilling!

From a visual and mechanical perspective, Lost Soul Aside seems to hit the mark. However, the real mystery lies in how it will play out once you’ve got a hold of it. The PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller is equipped to offer haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which can make the experience even more immersive. The screen shake effects, extending to on-screen HUD information, intensify the sensation of disorder, especially when Kaser finds himself among enemies and destruction. In addition, spatial 3D audio will echo the on-screen action. Furthermore, the game is optimized for the PS5 Pro, potentially offering support for ray tracing, higher resolutions, and more consistent frame rates.

Since footage of the game on the base PS5 was shared online, there’s been concern about the game’s overall feel. Specifically, neither of the two graphics modes, performance and quality, seem to be working flawlessly at this point, which is just a month before release. The performance mode, intended to deliver 60 frames per second, doesn’t appear consistent. Furthermore, there are instances of blurriness in the background. This can be particularly bothersome given the game’s fast-paced action and the way the camera quickly changes perspectives to keep up with it. On the other hand, the quality mode enhances the visuals but drops the frame rate to 30 frames per second. While this might be suitable for slower games, a faster-paced game like this one could potentially suffer due to the lower frame rate.

It’s reasonable to expect that a game with such an extensive development period would be flawless upon release. However, we must remember that Lost Soul Aside, despite being backed by Sony Corp, is still very much the creation of one individual. As such, it may not completely shed its indie origins. Yet, there’s a solid base beneath it all, making Lost Soul Aside a game worth keeping an eye on.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

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2025-08-13 21:54