Lost Soul Aside is a game that spent 11 years in development, originally starting as a solo project. Over time, thanks to a publishing deal with PlayStation, the team grew to 40 members. This raised huge expectations, turning it into one of the most anticipated releases of 2025. Unfortunately, the final product feels underwhelming: while the game has undeniable potential, it is plagued by issues that hold it back.
Visually, the game shines in its cutscenes and level design, which are varied and feature a vibrant color palette. Sadly, that quality doesn’t always carry over into gameplay. Some environments lack textures, others look like low-resolution images repeated endlessly, and character models lose detail during action sequences, often appearing generic. The same happens with regular enemies, which feel repetitive and uninspired; in contrast, bosses stand out with spectacular designs that easily become the artistic highlight of the game.
The audio department is one of the weakest aspects. The voice acting sounds amateurish, with poor synchronization and a weak script that turns potentially epic moments into cringe-worthy scenes. To make matters worse, music and dialogue sometimes vanish completely, leaving players disconnected from the story. The narrative itself, which begins with a revolution against a tyrant king interrupted by the arrival of soul-stealing creatures, has an interesting premise but is ruined by childish dialogue and poor writing that strip away any emotional weight.
Gameplay-wise, combat is presented as a hack & slash system with basic combos that expand as you unlock new weapons and elemental powers. The game also integrates RPG elements, such as a skill tree, armor, and artifacts that provide bonuses. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it manages to stay engaging and somewhat satisfying in the long run. The inspirations are clear: its combat feels reminiscent of Devil May Cry, while its visual style and storytelling appear heavily sometimes excessively influenced by Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII, which hurts its originality.
In conclusion, Lost Soul Aside is not a disaster, but it doesn’t live up to the expectations set by its lengthy development cycle. It has redeemable qualities and enjoyable combat, but its inconsistency, technical issues, and lack of a strong identity make it feel incomplete. It’s a game with potential, but one that clearly needed more time in development.
Final Score: 2/ 5
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