Lost Soul Aside Review – Ambition Beyond Means

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It’s quite astonishing that action-adventure RPG Lost Soul Aside, initially developed in 2014 and previewed in 2016, is finally set for release. The game’s development journey has been quite turbulent, as it’s almost ten years and an entire console generation later since developer Bing Yang first envisioned the project. Initially a solo endeavor, Yang managed to gather developers through funding from Sony’s China Hero Project, forming Ultizero Games. Now, after all this time, Lost Soul Aside is finally available for players.

The core narrative of the game commences as Kaser’s sister becomes the target of a colossal Voidrax, leading to the loss of her spirit.

In the vibrant yet dismal realm of “Lost Soul Aside”, a significant chunk of humanity is governed by an empire that rose to power following a devastating war, resulting in numerous homes being reduced to ruins. The game’s protagonist, Kaser, is one of those affected by this conflict, transforming into a formidable fighter and joining the resistance group known as GLIMMER, aiming to dethrone the empire and challenge the emperor head-on. The narrative commences with a rallying cry, urging the common folk under the empire’s rule to rise up against their ruler during a grand parade celebrating his birthday.

In the early stages, an intriguing introduction is unfortunately overshadowed by an unexpected attack from a mysterious inter-dimensional entity called Voidrax. These formidable adversaries have the capacity to launch massive assaults on humans and cause widespread destruction. What’s more, they possess the unique ability to drain human souls, which they accumulate beneath a mountain. Amidst this chaos, Kaser unexpectedly forms an alliance with a benevolent Voidrax named Arena. Together, they join forces to repel the invasion.

In Lost Soul Aside, the main narrative begins when Kaser’s sister is seized by a colossal Voidrax, who takes her soul. Kaser, accompanied by Arena, embarks on a journey to a rumored location where they believe the Voidrax store all the souls they’ve collected from humans. Consequently, the game predominantly involves questing and gathering various magical artifacts that may hold the key to rescuing Kaser’s sister.

“The pacing also suffers quite a bit thanks to how the story is told.”

The unusual rhythm of the story is evident. Initially, it presents an engaging scenario where it appears that the Empire has been misusing Voidrax’s powers to control its people through excessive taxation and the might of the Knights. However, this intriguing introduction doesn’t lead to a satisfying resolution. In fact, once you complete the prologue, the events of it seem almost irrelevant for the rest of the story.

The narrative flow in Lost Soul Aside, unfortunately, struggles due to its straightforward structure and lack of supplementary content. This action game offers no deviations from the main story, which can be intense as it constantly thrusts you into battles and boss fights with minimal respites like conversations or simple platforming challenges. Consequently, the gaming experience might feel draining at times. However, it’s worth noting that while this problem is particularly apparent in the initial stages, the frequency of such encounters becomes more manageable as the game progresses.

In simpler terms, “Lost Soul Aside” is a rapid-action game where you’ll face multiple adversaries simultaneously. What sets it apart is that it ensures your safety with an abundance of healing resources available. You have two primary attacks – light and heavy – plus the ability to dodge, and you can choose from three skills provided by Arena to use concurrently.

“To give credit where it’s due, the boss mechanics in Lost Soul Aside are quite well done.”

The battle sequences tend to be quite spectacle-filled, filled with particles whizzing about as you seamlessly blend attacks – light, heavy, and special abilities. However, it’s unfortunate that many fights aren’t very taxing, usually requiring little more than stringing together combos, dodging, and occasionally timing a perfect block to manage enemies.

It’s important to acknowledge the excellent craftsmanship of the boss battles in Lost Soul Aside. These battles can vary from facing off against a highly skilled and powerful soldier, who poses a significant challenge, to combating enormous creatures that require strategic planning and patience. You must carefully chip away at their defenses, one claw at a time, before you can seize the opportunity to unleash your most powerful attacks on them.

The diverse selection of three unique weapon categories significantly enhances the gameplay experience. Initially, you wield a standard sword, but soon after, you gain access to two additional types: the Greatsword and the Poleblade. Each weapon type offers distinct advantages, with their own specialized domains. For instance, the Greatsword delivers substantial damage through slower combos, while the Poleblade excels in taking out groups more efficiently. The basic sword maintains a balance between these two, catering to a particular playstyle. What’s more, you can switch between any of the three weapons instantaneously, allowing for frequent variations in your combat sequences.

“When it comes to visuals, Lost Soul Aside seems like it’s stuck in different eras of gaming. “

Each weapon can be customized with various attachments that affect its performance in combat. These attachments must be placed manually on the weapon, allowing for a unique appearance for each one. The effects of these attachments vary widely, from enhancing your ability to dodge, speeding up your ability recharge, or providing additional damage for specific attacks.

Another significant factor propelling advancement in the game is the capacity to activate new Arena skills. You can carry a maximum of three of these abilities at a time, and they function as potent combo attacks independently. To make things even more exciting, you can also unlock extra moves for each weapon, thus enhancing your chances for spectacular combos. The game also features a flexible crafting system, enabling you to utilize the plants you’ve gathered to create healing potions, upgrades, and other useful items. In essence, combat stands out as one of the game’s most captivating elements, making Lost Soul Aside an enticing choice to play if you are drawn to it primarily for this reason.

In terms of graphics, Lost Soul Aside appears to blend elements from various gaming eras. Although its artistic style can be impressively robust at certain points, especially post-completion of the lengthy prologue mission, the graphical quality fluctuates significantly. Some portions of the game seem designed for less powerful and outdated hardware, while others exhibit modern, high-definition visuals. Consequently, this mix creates a visually disjointed experience that may be a result of the project’s extended development period.

The sounds produced during sword attacks seem surprisingly feeble, even though your spectacular combos suggest something much more powerful.

In summary, the audio aspects of the game are somewhat inconsistent. While the music, particularly during intense boss battles or key story scenes, is quite impactful, the sound effects related to gameplay could be more dynamic. For example, the sound effect for sword attacks seems insufficient, even during impressive combo sequences. Additionally, many enemies share similar sounds, which can make them seem less distinct. The voice acting varies significantly, with some characters delivering enjoyable dialogue and others appearing to lack sufficient resources or effort, but Kaser and other secondary characters perform well, fortunately.

We experienced some trouble while playing the game on the PS5 Pro’s Quality Mode. In my brief time with it, everything seemed slow – movement and combat were particularly sluggish. The game struggled to maintain a consistent frame rate, making gameplay feel cumbersome. However, Performance Mode was much more stable, with only occasional drops, primarily during auto-saves.

Discussing potential issues with polish, it appears that the game Lost Soul Aside might have benefited from a bit more development time in various areas. For instance, during cutscenes, the music abruptly stops instead of fading out smoothly or synchronizing with the scene’s progression. Furthermore, enemies were prone to glitches, such as getting stuck on scenery or freezing entirely, which allowed me to attack them without response.

It seems that all the challenges encountered within the game ‘Lost Soul Aside’ could possibly indicate an absence of extensive development experience among the team.”

This paraphrase tries to maintain the original sentiment while rephrasing in a more accessible and easy-to-understand manner.

In summary, it seems that all the challenges within the game “Lost Soul Aside” might indicate that the developers lack some level of expertise. Although the combat system has a robust base, the game seldom encourages exploration, as basic combos often suffice to win battles. Adding to this, the game appears unrefined in many areas. Therefore, “Lost Soul Aside” is a game I would advise only for those who are already fond of this particular action style. Action RPG enthusiasts might face difficulties with the story’s inconsistent pace, while they may find more appeal in it, but even they might feel fatigued by the excessively challenging early boss battles, which thankfully become more manageable as the game advances.

Although Lost Soul Aside didn’t live up to its full potential due to certain imperfections, it still showcases the seeds of an exceptional masterpiece. If these rough spots could be polished, there is a strong possibility for it to become truly remarkable.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-09-01 21:55