Sony’s China Hero Project is finally showing some promise, and its latest entry is something of an event. Lost Souls Aside is an experience in itself. What began as a solo outing by game developer Yang Bing soon became an enterprise, UltiZero Games. And they have brought out a single-player action-adventure slasher RPG like no other with this title.
What begins as a standard “resistance against the empire” story quickly—and I mean, very quickly—evolves into a cross-dimensional fight against aliens. We play Kaser, who, along with his younger sister Louisa, joins the GLIMMER resistance group to stand up against the oppressive rule of the Empire.
Before you even get your bearings as a new “resistance fighter”, mysterious invaders called the Voidrax attack. Now, you have to save Louisa as well as save humanity. Pretty simple setting, right?
Wrong. You, very quickly, meet a dragon (so far, so good) called Arena, who lends you their power. And with that, you now have to face the Voidrax and their very “illuminating” commander, Aramon.
That’s all the story that I’ll disclose without taking too much away from the player experience in the way of spoilers.
Now, let’s talk about the gameplay. Fast-paced, fluidic, and intuitive for even the most beginner of gamers, Lost Souls Aside eases you in.
It takes you through a mission that also serves as a tutorial, as if teaching you how to fly a microlite aircraft. Then, it just pushes you into a massive adventure, as if you now find yourself in the cockpit of a fighter jet.
That is pretty much the feeling I got. And I loved it. It has been so long since a game challenged me with its bare mechanics. And boy, it is rewarding!
The PlayStation controller pairs great with the battle and movement mechanics… It’s different, but good. Little did I know I would use the Jump button (X) so much in a game.
Now, the bad side
Lost Souls Aside is built on Unreal Engine 4, and it shows at the seams. In fact, that is my only bone to pick. The physics need refinement, and sometimes, Kaser just stands on thin air, just off the edge of structures.
UE4 comes with its own set of performance issues, and Lost Souls Aside accentuates these issues. There is nothing to state as instances, except that if you toggle settings to Quality over Performance mode, some of the joy of fluidity disappears. UltiZero Games, hopefully, will update it soon.
Bringing joy back, DmC style!
In its essence, Lost Souls Aside is a game made with love. And it shows. Set pieces are painstakingly made, and effort is solely focused on the gameplay and the plot. Everything else is just cosmetic. In fact, it takes you back to the days of Devil May Cry V and Final Fantasy XIV, where it just blew you out of the water with resounding experiences.
However, it is 2025, and we as gamers are spoiled to the brim and therefore brutal nitpickers. The movement mechanics, especially coming out fresh from games like Death Stranding 2, could make the game feel too rushed. Notch it down a 0.1x in speed, and you get something better—at least that is what you feel like.
Maybe these AAA games have desensitised us so much that we no longer give indie titles and smaller players their due.
And if we remove the bias, Lost Souls Aside shines bright like the ‘Hero Project’ it is part of. All it needs is an update to iron out the bugs. As a gamer, I am grateful for the chance to experience this game. And what more can one ask for, in the world of video games…
Game: Lost Souls Aside
Developer: UltiZero Games
Platform: PlayStation 5, PC
Rating: 3 out of 5 | ★★★☆☆
