Lost Soul Aside: Nearly A Decade in the Making (Review)

One man had a vision. His vision was to make an action RPG inspired by Final Fantasy and DMC that would fill that void left by Bayonetta, DMC and Ninja Gaiden. That man was Yang Bing. Originally announced back in 2016 as a solo developed project. He later would catch the attention of Sony. This he was picked up by Sony as one of the developers in the ChinaHero Project: a program to help fund and provide resources for Chinese indie developers. After many delays later, we are finally here.

TITLE: Lost Soul Aside
GENRE: Action, Adventure, RPG
DEVELOPER: Ultizero Games
PUBLISHER: PlayStation Publishing LLC
RELEASE DATE: Aug 28, 2025

Story & Characters: It All Starts With a Broken Heart

Man, this game knows how to punch you in the gut right from the start. You’re introduced to Kaser and his sister, Louisa, on what’s supposed to be their biggest night—they’re seconds away from kicking off a rebellion that could finally free their people from a tyrannical empire. You can feel the hope in the air. And then… it all gets ripped away in the most brutal way imaginable. A freaking meteor storm annihilates the city, and in the chaos, Louisa’s soul is literally torn from her body.

That moment completely reframes the entire game for me. This isn’t about some chosen one fulfilling a prophecy. Kaser’s mission instantly pivots from a political revolution to the most relatable, human quest possible: “My sister is gone. How do I get her back?” He’s just a grieving brother who’s been handed a terrible power, and that raw emotion is what grounds the entire epic, dimension-hopping story that follows.

He soon learns the meteors were actually an invasion by these terrifying dimensional monsters called the Voidrax, who feed on souls. And his only ally? A grumpy, ancient dragon spirit named Arena who’s now bound to him. Their odd-couple pairing is honestly the best part of the story. Kaser has major Cloud Strife energy—he’s all quiet, dry, and burdened by duty and grief. The real magic is the relationship between Kaser and Arena. Arena is this ancient, surly dragon spirit who’s so over everything, and pairing him with the broody, duty-bound Kaser is a masterstroke. I loved just listening to them snipe at each other. But what got me was watching that slow burn—how they gradually, reluctantly, start to actually rely on each other. That growing partnership is the heart of the story for me. It makes you actually care about the bigger ‘save the world’ plot because you’re invested in them. Yeah, the overall ‘stop the dimensional invaders’ thing is a well-worn path, but it’s this intimate, character-driven journey of loss and determination that you’ll remember long after the credits roll.

Gameplay & Mechanics: Pure, Unfiltered Action Bliss

You know that tagline, “Legends are born from trials?” Lost Soul Aside isn’t just using that as cool marketing—it’s a warning. This game is here to test you, and honestly, it’s one of the most thrilling action combat systems I’ve played in years. [You can feel its DNA from classics like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, but it doesn’t just copy them—it absolutely does its own thing. What really sets it apart is how immediate it feels; the animations are so snappy that every single button press has this explosive, satisfying payoff.] It just feels incredible.

The genius of it is how it layers complexity. On the surface, it’s easy to pick up and start stringing together some seriously flashy combos. But the real magic happens when you start weapon-swapping in the middle of a fight. It completely changes your strategy. Sure, you’ll look incredibly cool doing it, but there’s a real purpose behind the flair. Every weapon feels totally unique, with its own rhythm and special perks. You’ll quickly learn which one is your go-to for clearing out mobs and which one you need to break out to absolutely demolish a single target. Switching between them to maximize damage is the key to mastering combat.

And you’re not in this alone. You’ve basically got a dragon living in your pocket, and using Arena’s powers is a game-changer. As you progress, you unlock new skills that let you buff your damage, pop a quick shield for survival, or even give your healing a boost. Then there are the advanced techniques that had me geeking out in the training room. The Burst Pursuit system rewards you for perfectly timing your button presses during combos with huge damage bursts, and the Fusion attacks let you charge up a gauge to summon Arena’s claws for a seriously devastating strike.

But all the offense in the world won’t save you if you can’t survive. This game demands that you learn its defensive rhythm. You need to hone your dodge reflexes and, most importantly, master the art of the parry. Against the tougher bosses, a well-timed parry isn’t just a defensive move—it’s your biggest opportunity to counterattack.

What makes all of this even better is how you grow. There’s a solid skill tree that lets you mold Kaser into the fighter you want him to be, which is great. But my favorite part was the weapon customization. By finding special fragments hidden in the world, you can transform your weapons. These aren’t just simple stat boosts; they can change your weapon’s appearance, add wild new effects, and fundamentally upgrade your fighting style. I lost hours just experimenting, trying to build the ultimate weapon for my build.

Now, a fair warning: this game is tough. It does not hold your hand, and the boss fights are brutal tests of everything you’ve learned. But it’s punishingly fair, not cheap. And the developers included a really clever, though slightly flawed, assist system. If you hit a wall against a boss, the game will eventually offer you accessories that significantly increase your damage and reduce damage taken. The catch? They take up one of your valuable accessory slots, meaning you have to sacrifice a part of your custom build for the help. [I totally understand the design choice—it keeps the game balanced for the hardcore players—but man, I really wish this was just an option in a menu somewhere. It’s a bummer to have to gimp your custom build just to get a little help. That said, you have to respect them for trying. It’s a genuinely thoughtful way to throw a lifeline without ruining the challenge for those who want it.

Audio & Visuals: A Total Sensory Overload (In the Best Way)

Seriously, can we just appreciate how good this game looks? After following it for nearly a decade, I was half-convinced it could never live up to the trailers. I’m so happy to be wrong. This thing is a visual marvel.

The art style is this wild, awesome mashup of classic fantasy and slick sci-fi that has no right working as well as it does. It creates a world that feels completely its own. And man, does it ever come alive in a fight. When you get into combat, it’s like a fireworks show goes off—shimmering magic, ethereal claws slashing everywhere, the works. But somehow, it never turns into a visual mess where you lose track of your character. It’s chaotic beauty. -And the bosses? Forget about it. The artists clearly had a field day designing these monstrous, screen-filling behemoths. They’re not just obstacles; they’re sights to behold.

Now, about the animation: the stuff you control? Flawless. Combat is buttery smooth and feels incredibly responsive. You can really feel every hit connect. I’ll be totally honest, though—I spotted a couple of awkward moments in the pre-rendered cutscenes. Nothing major, just a slightly stiff animation or a visual effect that looked a little last-gen for a split second. They’re easy to miss, and I only mention it because the in-game action is so consistently slick.

Now, for the tech stuff: performance is phenomenal.- We’re talking a locked 60fps almost without exception. I think I saw the frame rate stutter once, and only when there was an absolutely absurd amount of magic and particle effects flooding the screen. It was a total non-issue. Didn’t mess up my flow in the slightest. Oh, and major props to whoever handled the lip-sync for the English dialogue—it’s incredibly accurate and adds a ton to the story’s believability.

And the sound! Oh, the sound design is so good. Every single sword clash has this massive, weighty crunch behind it. But the real star is the parry sound. It’s this perfect, piercing SHING! that is just endlessly satisfying. It never gets old. And the soundtrack? Huge, bold, and epic. It’s got that blockbuster movie energy with driving drums and chanting choirs that knows exactly when to get you pumped for a scrap or pull back for a quieter moment. It never once faded into the background for me.

Now, for the voice acting… it’s a mixed bag. The English dub is mostly fine, but there’s one performance that towers above the rest: Arena. The actor they got for him is perfect. He absolutely nails that ‘grumpy millennia-old dragon’ vibe, but he subtly lets this weariness and buried heart shine through. The guy doesn’t just read lines; he owns that character completely. Kaser’s VA, on the other hand, is just… okay. He’s not bad, and he gets the whole ‘brooding hero’ thing most of the time, but man, there were a few lines where the delivery was so wooden it yanked me right out of the scene. It’s rare, but it sticks out because the production values everywhere else are so sky-high.

Final Curtain Call

After waiting nine freaking years for this thing, I can’t believe I’m saying this: Lost Soul Aside actually lives up to the hype. I went in expecting to be let down and walked away completely blown away. For a first game from UltiZero Games? Truly amazing stuff here. The ChinaHero Project and Sony should be very proud of the finished product.

But let’s get to the good stuff: the combat. Oh man, the combat. This is where your money’s worth is at. [The depth is wild. I was still figuring out new ways to link my weapons together hours later, but it never feels complicated. It just feels right. You immediately feel powerful and precise, and that makes every single fight a blast. I lost more sleep than I’d like to admit to that “one more encounter” loop.]

Now, is this some sprawling, 100-hour JRPG epic? Nah, don’t go in expecting that. Run time is closer to about 10 to 15 hours. But what’s here story-wise? It works, and it works because of the relationship between Kaser and Arena and the emotional stakes of saving Louisa. Their dynamic alone carries the emotional weight. The banter, the slow-building trust—it all clicked for me and actually made me invested in seeing their journey through.

So here’s the bottom line: if your game library is stuffed with titles like Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, or even Final Fantasy XVI, consider this your next mandatory play. It’s a love letter to character action done right—full of style, substance, and sheer satisfaction.

Yeah, nine years was an agonizing wait. After many delays and a console generation shift, it’s finally in my hands, all that waiting just melted away. The game is just that good. UltiZero Games didn’t just deliver; they announced themselves as a studio to watch. I’m already itching to see what they do next. What was just a passion project by one man has become an epic adventure finally realized.

Yang Bing, you did it. Congratulations on making this amazing game.

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