Once again, I find myself diving into what went wrong with a very promising title that should have been among 2025’s greatest hits. After the debacle that was MindsEye, I turned my attention to Lost Soul Aside, an action-adventure game with a very interesting premise and quite a few popular games inspiring its gameplay, combat, and themes.
I must say I was excited for this one, considering my love for action titles with meaty combat. I could even forgive a lackluster story if the fighting that happens as a result is up to the mark. While Kaser and Arena are certainly capable of delivering the thrills I expected from Ultizero’s maiden adventure, they aren’t enough to wipe away the disappointment I’m feeling with it.
Our review of the game touched upon several issues that hold it back from true greatness, such as the story’s uneven pacing, visuals, and audio that mar what could have been an otherwise excellent experience. But these problems don’t just appear out of nowhere. They’re only symptoms and should have been noticed during a very long development cycle.
But what’s the root cause of Lost Soul Aside’s lackluster performance since its release? Sadly, the answers are quite evident. Let’s dive in.
A Lot to Like
It’s a good idea to take a look at what works in Lost Soul Aside before diving into why it hasn’t done as well as I, along with a lot of action-adventure fans, had hoped. That would showcase how it is a title with a lot of potential that has been squandered away for reasons that we’re about to get into.
For starters, the game’s premise is quite compelling. Pitting Kaser against an authoritarian regime and a hostile alien race allows Lost Soul Aside to justify its action loop while also presenting us with a protagonist who has every chance and a viable reason to be a total badass. Raising the stakes by putting his sister’s soul in the balance makes it quite personal, and the game’s story should have been among the pillars of its success.
Second, the game’s combat absolutely slaps. It took me back to titles like Metal Gear Rising, Ninja Gaiden, and of course, Final Fantasy, elements of which are present in Yang Bing, the game’s developer’s title. Every swing of your weapon, every perfect dodge, and a combination of very potent skills from both Kaser and Arena are a treat to unleash, tearing through grunt enemies and bosses.
The promotional materials and marketing for Lost Soul Aside were also on point, probably thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s role as a publisher. They’re a part of why I was as excited as I was for this title. And despite the game’s linearity, its gameplay is quite fun when it brings in some very entertaining platforming sequences in addition to the many fights you will have to guide Kaser and Arena through.
On paper, all of these strengths should be elements that contribute to a title that is both entertaining and great to play. But it’s time to flip the script and look at the other side of Lost Soul Aside.
Fatal Flaws
Ultizero’s adventure is one that clearly brought some brilliant ideas to the drawing board when the company was born in 2017 out of Bing’s collaboration with Sony, and the latter’s China Hero Project. Those ideas had already been a part of the game’s DNA when it was still a solo project that Bing was working on, even as he pursued his education.
But unfortunately, that collaboration may have been among the reasons for Lost Soul Aside’s downfall. All of its great ideas seem to be the victims of flawed execution, a theme that underlines everything that’s wrong with the game. Despite having Sony’s full support and a lot of help from the Japanese giant, Ultizero’s inexperience with a big-budget title has not allowed its debut title to shine in the way that it intended.
Inconsistency in every important aspect of the experience showcases how Lost Soul Aside may have suffered from a development cycle that went back and forth between its developers and Sony’s vastly more knowledgeable teams. It feels like a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, and it’s the game and its players who have suffered for it.
Take the game’s visuals, for example. They’re an important part of my argument that Lost Soul Aside was the victim of misaligned priorities during its development. While some areas of the game are stunning, others look like they were made for previous-gen systems. Considering that the game used Unreal Engine 4, that’s a problem that should have been identified and rectified early on.
The game’s performance is also an area that shows a lot of inconsistency, with the game struggling to maintain a steady framerate even on the PS5 Pro in Quality Mode. That’s a pity considering how its combat, which is the game’s best part, suffers as a result. It seems that Ultizero focused a little too much on the action while neglecting equally important areas of the experience it aimed to deliver.
It’s kind of a rookie mistake that could be forgiven if not for the fact that Ultizero was being supported by Sony from the time of its inception.
A Lack of Balance
It’s clear that Kaser’s grace and balance haven’t been a part of the development of his adventure. It’s quite noticeable even in the way that Lost Soul Aside thrusts him into what feels like an endless stream of battles against grunts and bosses. It doesn’t help that the game’s prologue took the story in one direction only to have the narrative go completely the other way.
The Voidrax invasion should have been introduced a little further down the line, allowing Kaser’s battles against the Empire to shine through a little more before placing it on the back burner. As it stands, the game’s narrative wasted the potential of its prologue, rendering it quite forgettable once you’re thrust into the larger story beats that accompany it. To me, it made Kaser rather one-dimensional as a character, and the story fell flat in the wake of him being forced to take on a larger threat despite his obvious grudge against a regime that I was led to believe he spent a significant part of his life trying to overthrow.
Another area in which I believe Ultizero could have made better choices was its choice of engine for the game. Considering that Lost Soul Aside was in development since 2017 at least, the game’s visuals would certainly have benefited from a shift to Unreal Engine 5, making it a true current-gen title, but then the performance issues could have been worse!
While Ultizero, being a newly formed studio, could be seen as a potential reason for avoiding the relatively new engine, Sony’s expertise could have, and dare I say should have, been leveraged to make up for any discrepancies. That’s especially true considering that titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers have done very well with UE5 despite starting development on UE4.
Both those titles extended their development cycles thanks to the shift, but came out as vastly better experiences as a result. Lost Soul Aside could have gone in a similar direction, and perhaps even ironed out both its visual inconsistencies and performance issues in one fell swoop.
The Road to Redemption
It’s clear that Lost Soul Aside could have used more time in development, with the end result being a lot more palatable. With that being said, however, there is still the chance for Ultizero to attempt a bit of damage control and perhaps improve the situation to an extent.
It’s a good sign that the studio has acknowledged the feedback it has received and is working on fixes that could help with the game’s current problems. A day one patch aside, it’s going to be interesting to see how Lost Soul Aside looks in the next few months. But can it be saved entirely?
While I’d be inclined to say no, I cannot disregard the fact that Sony is involved with the title. That could very well be the ace up the game’s sleeve, and with the right fixes, a lot of Lost Soul Aside could be brought up to scratch if the publisher behind some of modern gaming’s greatest heavyweights gives Ultizero the support it so clearly needs.
It’s going to be an uphill task, but I do want Lost Souls Aside to succeed at earning the good graces of its players, myself among them. It’s really quite fun when it fires on all cylinders and brings a lot of memorable moments to the table.
Time will tell if my wish will come true. But I sincerely hope that Ultizero has learned lessons that make its efforts to fix the situation better, and perhaps allow it to achieve even greater results on its next title.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
