Lost Soul Aside

After 11 years in development, Lost Soul Aside delivers flashy, responsive hack-and-slash combat with plenty of bosses, varied weapons, and enjoyable exploration. The story and RPG systems are shallow, and technical issues (especially on PC) hold it back, but strong gameplay and visuals make it a solid choice once patched and discounted.

Lost Soul Aside showcases the team’s decade of passion and dedication to action, yet beneath the surface its weaknesses show through—a familiar story, uninspired characters, and a repetitive structure that limits the experience.

Lost Soul Aside leaves a mixed impression. The game offers truly spectacular battles with unique bosses that provide fresh experiences, and the environment is designed in a memorable art style with high-level detail. However, players must endure lengthy levels, a mediocre plot, and subpar voice acting.

Originally a solo project by Yang Bing, this game has grown over the years into something far larger. So large, in fact, that it now buckles under its own weight. While the combat system is often fun and brings a few neat ideas, it can’t make up for the muddled story, dull setting, uneven pacing, and generic execution. The result is a title that doesn’t warrant outright dismissal, but still falls well short of true satisfaction.

Lost Soul Aside is a competently made action game filled with phenomenal combat and cinematic battles. It has some compelling visuals and environments, but PC performance is lackluster, resulting in frequent hitches and distractions. The story isn’t the most engaging and has awkward platforming mechanics too.

Lost Soul Aside is an action-RPG that promises a thrilling blend of Devil May Cry-style combat and Final Fantasy-inspired aesthetics but only partially delivers. Its generic story and flat characters fail to captivate, while the world-building lacks depth. Visually, the game impresses with vibrant environments and stunning boss designs, though technical issues and dated textures detract from the experience. The soundtrack shines, enhancing the atmosphere, but lackluster English voice acting disappoints. Gameplay is the highlight, with fast-paced, stylish combat and memorable boss battles, yet repetitive enemies and a linear structure hold it back. Despite its potential, Lost Soul Aside feels unpolished, making it a fun but flawed experience for action game fans, earning a 5.5/10.

Despite prestigious influences like Final Fantasy in its aesthetic and Devil May Cry in its gameplay, Lost Soul Aside clearly doesn't hold a candle to these illustrious licenses. While its combat and progression system are globally solid, if not original, its story is as conventional as can be, its all-encompassing artistic direction lacking coherence, and its very choppy performances, notably suffering from major framerate issues, are clearly its downfall. A somewhat sad state for a new Chinese game that exudes the desire to do well, which required a considerable development time of nine years, but at a price that is too high for what it offers as it stands.

Lost Soul Aside tries to accomplish too much, but in the process accomplishes next to nothing. A forgettable experience that lacked focus.