Lost Soul Aside

2025 video game
2025 video game
Lost Soul Aside
DeveloperUltizero Games
PublisherSony Interactive Entertainment
DirectorYang Bing‍[1][2]
ProducerYang Bing‍[1]
EngineUnreal Engine 4
PlatformsPlayStation 5
Windows
Release29 August 2025
GenreAction-adventure role-playing
ModeSingle-player

Lost Soul Aside‍[a] is a 2025 action-adventure role-playing game developed by Ultizero Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player assumes the role of Kaser, who embarks on a perilous journey to save his sister Louisa and the rest of humanity from the Voidrax. The game began as a one-man project by the developer Yang Bing, but it became part of Sony's China Hero Project, an initiative supporting Chinese developers, and gradually grew into a team effort.

Lost Soul Aside was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 29 August 2025. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

Lost Soul Aside is a single-player action-adventure role-playing game.[4][5][6]

The player controls the protagonist Kaser, who is aided by his companion Arena, a character capable of transforming into weapons and other elements used in battles and throughout the journey.[7] Kaser can wield a sword, greatsword, poleblade, and scythe as weapons.[8][9][10] He can also unleash Arena powers, which are abilities that may have offensive and other effects.[11]

The game follows a linear structure interspersed with a few open areas.[12] The character Liana functions as the manual save system and hub for the player at specific points in the game.[13] Within the story, she frequently encounters Kaser throughout the journey and documents his adventures for her novel.

The game includes the Surge of Voidrax, a challenge mode that features a hundred waves of enemies.[14][15]

Synopsis

Kaser and his younger sister Louisa were orphaned during the war between the Empire of Celestria and the Kingdom of Frosthold. They eventually joined GLIMMER, a resistance group led by Selene, against the Empire's tyranny. During a festival in the imperial capital, GLIMMER launches an operation to inspire the populace to rise up. However, the mission is disrupted by the arrival of the Voidrax, mysterious invaders from beyond dimensions, who devastate the capital and tear the souls from its inhabitants. Amid the destruction, Kaser falls into a vast underground laboratory and encounters Lord Arena, a dragon-like Voidrax, imprisoned within. Kaser merges with Arena's essence, imbuing him with the being's power, and escapes to the surface. Louisa's soul is claimed by the Voidrax after Vesper of the Holy Order drags her into the onslaught in a desperate bid to save himself. Determined to save Louisa and the rest of humanity, Kaser and his companions embark on a perilous journey.

Kaser, Arena, and Gethya travel to Mount Salvation in search of answers. Kaser and Arena free the four Lords from corrupted Voidrax energy. Their path leads them to Queen Seleria, who guards the seal imprisoning the Voidrax, including their leader Aramon, who once attempted to conquer the world and seize its Life Nexus. To break the seal, Aramon corrupts Voidrax energy to obtain control over others and commands the Voidrax to amass souls into five Soul Crystal Fragments scattered across alternate dimensions. Seleria shows Kaser and Arena the entrance to the Chronocore Dimension, where they retrieve a fragment, and directs them to three other places in their quest to gather all the fragments. In the imperial capital, Emperor HighCastle empowers Victor and Vesper of the Holy Order with corrupted Voidrax energy and orders them to hunt down the resistance.

Kaser, Arena, and Gethya go to the Skycrest Badlands, while the Holy Order and Imperial Army pursues them. Kaser and Arena find and kill the Voidrax that took Louisa's soul. They free the Buckhorn Spirit-Dragon, a sacred protector, from corrupted Voidrax energy. In return, the creature opens the way to the Aeroflux Dimension. The Empire unexpectedly releases all captured resistance members and civilians. The Emperor then offers the Empire and Holy Order's assistance in GLIMMER's fight against the Voidrax threat. He claims that he seeks to harness Voidrax and Life Nexus energy to lead humanity on a new path. Nonetheless, Kaser and his companions remain wary of his motives. Hereafter, Kaser, Arena, and Gethya visit Mistwood. Kaser and Arena free a monastery's master and disciples, including Zana, from corrupted Voidrax energy. Master Neverwind instructs them toward Seleria's ancestral shrine to enter the Lethonix Dimension, but he is too weakened to guide them. Fortunately, Zana knows the way and leads them there. In the imperial capital, tensions grow as Vesper terrorizes and abuses the people, while Victor and Selene try to stop him. The Emperor kills Vesper, asserting his control. Kaser, Arena, and Zana continue to Frosthold. On the way, Zana shares that the King of Frosthold is her father and might be able to help. To cross the storm-wall guarding the realm, Kaser proves his worth in battle against Chief General Drogo. Drogo expends Voidrax energy to lower the barrier, sacrificing his life. Inside the royal city, the group discovers that the King is overtaken by corrupted Voidrax energy, but Kaser and Arena free him from it. They find that the Entropis Dimension is collapsing, causing it to merge with reality and unravel the seal, because the King has heavily depleted its Voidrax energy. Finally, at the royal palace in the imperial capital, the Emperor reveals the entrance to the Dragon Ruin Dimension, which has utterly collapsed. He threatens to execute citizens unless Kaser surrenders all the fragments to him and uses the fragments to transform into a powerful being, but is slain by Kaser, Arena, and Zana, as well as Victor, who renounces the ruler.

With the Soul Crystal Fragments recovered from the alternate dimensions, Kaser prepares for the ultimate confrontation with Aramon. Seleria and the four Lords sacrifice themselves to bestow their power upon Kaser. Aramon reveals that he was manipulating Emperor HighCastle and the King of Frosthold into extracting Voidrax energy from the alternate dimensions and thereby weakening the seal. Kaser and Arena destroy Aramon in a cosmic battle. At the Life Nexus, the souls are set free from the Soul Crystal. Kaser reunites with Louisa. The Empire, with Victor as acting ruler, working alongside Selene, pursues equality for its people and restores relations with Frosthold, with Zana as emissary. Arena leaves for parts unknown.

Development

Lost Soul Aside is a game developed by Ultizero Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.[16][17] Ultizero Games is a studio based in Shanghai, China.[18][19] The game was originally conceived as a solo project by Yang Bing, but it evolved into a team effort over the years.[7][20][21] By 2022, the studio's staff comprised about 40 people, mostly development members.[22] The game was built using Unreal Engine 4.[23][24]

Yang Bing started the development of Lost Soul Aside in 2014.[1] At the time, he was a graduate student at Dongguk University in South Korea.[25] After the game's initial reveal in a promotional video uploaded to Yang's YouTube channel in July 2016, Sony took notice and reached out to him, expressing interest in discussing the project and exploring a potential collaboration.[26] In 2016, the two parties met in Shanghai, marking the start of their partnership.[7] In October 2016, Sony offered a place for the game in its China Hero Project.[16] Yang regarded the opportunity to receive funding and technical support from Sony as a big deal, considering that China's console game market was not established, so he participated in the China Hero Project and worked closely with the people involved starting in 2016.[22] With support from Sony and its game industry partners, Yang founded Ultizero Games in January 2017.[16] Sony officially became the game's publisher in 2022.[27] According to Yang, during a particularly challenging phase of development, Sony proposed a deeper level of cooperation that established its publishing role and helped get the project back on track.[27] The Sony team worked jointly with the studio on certain aspects of development, such as project management, performance optimization, music and sound, and other areas.[27][28]

Tatsuo Eguchi, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Shanghai, said that Lost Soul Aside was very significant for the start of the China Hero Project.[29] He explained that it led to the idea that the Sony team might be able to help creators like Yang achieve their dreams if they provided various know-how and support.[29] The game is part of the China Hero Project Phase 1 launched in 2016.[29]

Lost Soul Aside's long development cycle was largely due to early inexperience and the time required to build a capable team.[20] In 2021, the game's overall tone was established, which was reflected in that year's trailer, and set the direction for the remainder of the development.[20][28] Yang remarked that the story evolved over time, explaining that while the earliest trailer conveyed a sense of loneliness, the final game introduces companions who accompany and support the protagonist throughout his journey.[27]

Yang was inspired by the Final Fantasy series, some of his favorite games, in the design.[1] He was particularly captivated by how the series fused fantasy and realism in its world, a balance in the series that he also sought to achieve in his game.[1] For instance, the protagonist's outfit was designed, then physically produced, and finally digitally recreated within the game, reflecting the intention to blend fantastical and realistic elements much like the aforementioned series.[1] The design of the outfit was created by Roen, a Japanese fashion company.[30] In terms of action, Yang was inspired by Japanese titles such as Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil May Cry.[22]

Release

Lost Soul Aside was released for PC (Windows) and PlayStation 5 on 29 August 2025.[31]

Lost Soul Aside was first revealed in a promotional video uploaded to Yang Bing's YouTube channel on 30 July 2016.[26] During a press conference in March 2017, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that the game had joined its China Hero Project.[32] During a press conference in November 2022, the company announced that it would serve as the game's global publisher.[33] The game was initially confirmed as a timed exclusive for PlayStation 4 in October 2016,[24] but a PlayStation 5 version was confirmed in April 2021[34][35][36] and a PC version was confirmed in July 2023.[37][38] Media outlets suggested that the PlayStation 4 version may have been canceled, as the most recent statement did not list PlayStation 4 among the supported platforms.[37][39][40][41]

During the PlayStation China 10th Anniversary Party in December 2024, Ultizero Games released a trailer revealing that Lost Soul Aside would launch on PlayStation 5 and PC in 2025.[20][42] During the State of Play in February 2025, the studio released a trailer announcing the game's release date as 30 May 2025.[4][43][44] In April 2025, the studio stated that the game was delayed to 29 August 2025.[45][46]

For the launch, Lost Soul Aside received a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition for its digital versions.[47] The latter adds extra content comprising a soundtrack, an art book, an Arena cosmetic (Golden Blaze), three weapon fragment cosmetics, and two accessories.[47] The game became available for pre-order starting 19 February 2025.[2][48][49] Kaser's initial reveal outfit (The Origin) and a few other items were bonus incentives for pre-ordering.[47]

For the launch, Lost Soul Aside received a Standard Edition for its physical disc version.[47] This includes a voucher to redeem the pre-order bonus content comprising Kaser's initial reveal outfit (The Origin) and a few other items.[47]

Reception

Lost Soul Aside received "mixed or average" reviews on PC and PlayStation 5 from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[50][51]

Notes

  1. ^ Chinese: 失落之魂; pinyin: Shīluò Zhī Hún.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 村田征二朗; 古屋陽一 (20 February 2025). "『Lost Soul Aside』は日本のゲームにインスパイアを受け、現実と幻想が絶妙に融合した世界観を持つスタイリッシュなアクションRPGを目指した【インタビュー】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Screenshot captured from the original on 13 June 2025. Translated in "Fami 通专访《失落之魂》导演杨冰：将现实与幻想融为一体". Game Bonfire (in Chinese). 20 February 2025. Archived from the original on 17 May 2025.
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  3. ^ "Lost Soul Aside". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Sam (13 February 2025). "中國之星計畫《失落之魂》確定 5 月推出 公開預購宣傳影片與各版本內容". 巴哈姆特 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 22 March 2025.
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  14. ^ Koselke, Anna (17 November 2025). "After a rough launch, PlayStation-published Final Fantasy 15-style action RPG Lost Soul Aside woos players with "biggest free update yet," polishing combat and adding a 100-wave gauntlet". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 7 December 2025.
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  23. ^ Bentley, James (28 February 2025). "Lost Soul Aside system requirements suggest Sony's upcoming RPG is a breeze to run, but you may want to make some room on your SSD". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025.
  24. ^ a b Vazquez, Suriel (22 October 2016). "One-Person Project Lost Soul Aside Is A Timed PlayStation 4 Exclusive". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025.
  25. ^ 김재석 (7 August 2025). "1인 개발자의 꿈이 현실로… 중국풍 데메크 '로스트 소울 어사이드'가 온다!". This Is Game (in Korean). Archived from the original on 24 August 2025. Screenshot captured from the original on 24 August 2025.
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  28. ^ a b 熊猫命 (25 July 2025). "篝火营地《失落之魂》主创访谈：提供 SIE 第一方级别的支持". Game Bonfire. Archived from the original on 20 August 2025.
  29. ^ a b c 林克彦; 古屋陽一 (10 August 2023). "SIE上海代表・江口達雄氏に中国PS市場の"いま"を聞く。『原神』の大ヒットが家庭用ゲーム機に対する認識を変えた。スターを生み出すChina Hero Projectにも手応え【ChinaJoy 2023】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Screenshot captured from the original on 14 September 2025. Translated in "索尼中国之星计划第三期负责人 Fami 通专访：助中国游戏走向世界". Game Bonfire (in Chinese). 15 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2025.
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  37. ^ a b arsan (31 July 2023). "《Lost Soul Aside 失落之魂》公開最新 demo 實機展示！PC 版確定追加上市". Gamebase (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 24 May 2025.
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  52. ^ "Lost Soul Aside". OpenCritic. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  • Lost Soul Aside official website.
  • Bing Yang on YouTube.
  • Lost Soul Aside on X.
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