Lost Soul Aside – Review
Lost Soul Aside has been a long time coming. Originally a one-man passion project that went viral in 2016, it has since grown into a full-fledged action RPG from UltiZero Games. While the journey has been long, the final product is a mixed bag, excelling in some areas but falling short in others.
Combat: The Shining Star
The core of Lost Soul Aside is its combat, and this is where the game truly shines. It’s a high-octane, fast-paced hack-and-slash experience that takes clear inspiration from genre giants like Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy XV. You play as Kaser, a warrior with a new-found power, and his dragon companion, Arena, who can transform into various weapons.
The combat system is a joy to master. It’s built around light and heavy attacks, which can be chained together in various combinations. As you progress, you unlock more weapons—including a greatsword, polearm, and scythe—each with a distinct feel and moveset. The ability to seamlessly switch between these weapons on the fly, combined with a “Witch Time”-like perfect dodge and parry system, makes for some incredibly stylish and satisfying encounters.
The game’s boss fights are the highlight of the entire experience. They are challenging, visually spectacular, and require you to fully utilize Kaser’s extensive skillset. These battles demand precision and a deep understanding of enemy attack patterns, providing a much-needed difficulty spike that the regular enemy encounters often lack.
A Generic, Uninspired Narrative
Unfortunately, while the gameplay is excellent, the story and characters are a major letdown. The plot is a cliché-ridden affair that feels like a pastiche of popular JRPGs. You’re a silent, angsty protagonist named Kaser, who joins a resistance group against an oppressive empire. After a catastrophic event, his sister’s soul is stolen by dimensional invaders called the Voidrax, setting him on a predictable journey to save her and humanity.
The narrative is rushed and poorly paced, with dry, abrupt scene transitions that can be jarring. The dialogue is often clunky, and the characters are one-dimensional archetypes with little to no development. Kaser himself is a “brooding emo hero” stereotype, while his companions fall into equally familiar roles. The game struggles to create any emotional investment, and the story moments often feel like they exist solely to bridge the gaps between combat sections.
Visuals and Design: A Mixed Bag
Visually, Lost Soul Aside is a testament to the developers’ ambition. The character models are well-detailed, the combat effects are flashy and impressive, and the world itself can be quite beautiful. However, the graphical quality is inconsistent, and some of the environments feel generic and uninspired. The game’s level design is also a significant weakness. The levels are largely linear corridors, with little to no opportunity for meaningful exploration. Puzzles and platforming sections are basic and feel tacked on, breaking the flow of the game without adding any real substance.
Technical Performance
On the technical side, the game performs well for the most part, especially on current-gen consoles and recommended PC setups. The framerate holds up during intense combat sequences. However, there have been reports of strange performance dips during non-combat moments and cutscenes, which can be jarring. The PC version supports modern features like 4K, HDR, and an unlocked framerate, along with full DualSense controller support, which is a welcome addition.
Verdict
Lost Soul Aside is a classic case of a game with an incredible foundation but a shaky structure. The combat is genuinely excellent—fast, fluid, and a blast to play. If you are a fan of character action games and are looking for a satisfying, challenging combat system, this game will absolutely deliver.
However, the game stumbles in almost every other aspect. The story is a predictable mess, the characters are forgettable, and the level design is bland and uninspired. It’s a game that is constantly at odds with itself, with its thrilling highs in combat being undercut by its dull and unpolished narrative.
For a project that has been in development for so long, it’s disappointing that the final product feels so uneven. Lost Soul Aside is a passion project with a lot of heart, but its flaws are too significant to ignore. It is a game for those who prioritize gameplay above all else. If you can look past its generic story and design shortcomings, you will find a truly exhilarating combat experience. For everyone else, it’s a difficult recommendation at full price.
