REVIEW: Lost Soul Aside – Leave It Aside

I went into Lost Soul Aside hoping for something solid,  a mid-tier action RPG that takes risks, gives me fun combat, decent story, maybe a few platforming spikes. What I got instead was a slog. What’s working is real, but it’s buried under so much that feels flat, clunky, or just bland.

What Lost Soul Aside Is

Made by Ultizero Games, published by Sony (part of the China Hero Project), Lost Soul Aside released end of August 2025 for PS5 (and PC).  You play as Kaser, who after some dramatic events becomes bound to a dragon‐type being called Arena. The plot involves his sister being taken by interdimensional monsters (Voidrax) and a journey to stop them, restore stolen souls, all that RPG staple stuff. Combat is the big draw: weapon swapping (sword, greatsword, poleblade, scythe), some elemental or Arena powered skills, combos, light/heavy attacks, etc. There are platforming sections and skill trees, exploration, boss fights. 

What Falls Flat (Spoiler: A lot)

Story & Characters

The characters are dull. Kaser is… well, he wears the emo trenchcoat, he’s serious, brooding, but there’s nothing in his personality that grabbed me. Supporting cast are generic, the “goth one,” “noble one,” etc.. Think tropes, rather than people.  The story starts with promise (political resistance, Voidrax, saving souls) but it soon slips into clichés, predictable quests (“get all magic crystals from alternate dimensions”) and dialogue that doesn’t pull you in. 

Gameplay & Flow

Platforming sections are awkward. This isn’t a polished platformer, and it shows. Jumps, climbs etc often feel clunky, stiff, and more frustrating than fun. Enemies (especially the basic ones) are boring, too easy or too samey, with little incentive to mix up tactics until very late. If much of a game is combat versus basic mobs, variety matters, and here it’s lacking. The pacing drags. Early hours are slow, buried in cutscenes, walk-throughs, bland dialogue. The game gives you a taste of fun combat later on, but by then a lot of momentum is lost.

Technical / Presentation

Graphically, nothing terrible, but nothing that makes me say “wow” either. Early PS5 generation would’ve been fine with this level; now it feels underwhelming. Animations sometimes feel off, the movement isn’t always smooth, especially outside of combat. If a game has been in development for over a decade, you expect polish. In a lot of moments, Lost Soul Aside does not deliver it.

What works (Yes, There Are Some Ups)

• Boss fights are genuinely fun. These moments shine. More carefully designed, more variety, more risk. If you like boss-action, this is where things click.
• Combat potential once you unlock more weapons and abilities. Mixing weapons, using elemental/Arena powers can feel satisfying in short bursts. If they leaned more into this earlier it might’ve saved the rest of the experience.
• Visual flair & effects in specific scenes. Not always consistent, but in boss arenas, some cutscenes, some environmental touches, there are moments of eye candy.

Verdict

For me only about 10 % of Lost Soul Aside is worth sticking around for. Boss fights, the occasional combo burst, the flashier visuals. The rest is slog: generic narrative, boring basic enemies, platforming that frustrates more than delights.

If you’re a hardcore fan of hack-and-slashers like Devil May Cry, love messing with weapon moves, combos, maybe you’ll squeeze some fun out of this one. But if you’re casual, or want something more consistent, story engaging, gameplay tight from the off—you’ll probably want to give this one a skip.