Lost Soul Aside

From the perspective of a traditional action game, Lost Soul Aside is solid. It offers players around thirty hours of pure, exhilarating action, retaining most of the strengths found in classic high-speed action games.

Lost Soul Aside is an entertaining game that, despite its flaws, doesn't deserve the outright rejection many attribute to it. It doesn't reach the level of benchmarks like Final Fantasy or Devil May Cry, and its price may seem high for what it offers, but with a discount, it becomes a very interesting proposition.

Lost Soul Aside certainly has a lot going for it with its incredibly enjoyable combat, stunning environments, sense of variety, and oodles of upgrade opportunities. However, if you're looking for an immersive story or memorable characters, it will surely disappoint.

Even with all its flaws, Lost Soul Aside is a great action game that perfectly understands the key elements of hack-and-slash gameplay: depth, combos, and constant spectacle. If you love the genre and have been lamenting its absence for years, here's the game that paves the way for its return.

A game that borrows heavily from the FF series, Devil May Cry and Stellar Blade, but forgets to keep telling its story. A strong start is followed by what resembles a boss rush full of spectacle but lacks in finesse. Mostly enjoyable, as long as you don't expect a FF contender.

Lost Soul Aside is far from being as bad as its online ratings and reviews would suggest. Despite its apparent shortcomings and “amateurish” feel, the China Hero Project has a certain charm and, above all, extremely dynamic and addictive gameplay that carries the game. Despite its 10 years of development and unique story, the game suffers from a noticeable lack of budget and, above all, an abominable prologue, but it manages to offer an appealing experience once you get past the first hour, even if it is full of imperfections. It's certainly not worth the €70 price tag, but we highly recommend it once the price drops to around €30-40.

Now that we’ve finished Lost Soul Aside, it’s clear that the game is far from the disaster many claimed on social media. After more than twenty hours of play, it’s obvious that Yang Bing’s project (started as a student hobby and later turned into an industrial-scale production with Sony’s support) retains all its passion and identity in its gameplay, even if some peripheral aspects aren’t as polished. At the heart of the game lies its dynamic combat system, rich in possibilities. The four weapons (longsword, greatsword, double spear, and scythe) each offer distinct approaches, which can be combined into fluid, spectacular combos, made accessible through mechanics like perfect parries and the assist system that activates after multiple deaths. The draconic companion Arena adds another strategic and visually impressive dimension, turning battles into true aerial ballets. Yet, the game is not without flaws. The graphics, while generally basic, feel like a previous-generation title, suffering from an uneven and sometimes questionable art direction, as well as occasionally repetitive environments. The storytelling and character charisma are limited, and platforming sections can be frustrating due to the hero’s slightly floaty physics. The English voice acting is also disappointing, making it strongly recommended to stick to the Chinese original or the Japanese voices, which are much better executed. Despite these shortcomings, Lost Soul Aside succeeds where many modern action games fail: it delivers immediate, pure fun, with a gratifying combat system and combos that grow richer as you progress. For fans of fast-paced hack-and-slash, it’s an experience not to be underestimated. Perhaps not worth €70, but definitely closer to €40, let’s be honest.

Lost Soul Aside, from developer UltiZeroGames, lacks a good, cohesive narrative that should be driving the solid gameplay and action. As it stands, the game does a great job with its action gameplay design, features interesting and compelling enemies, and contains a solid backend progression system.