With that, the nominees for the best PS5 games of 2025 are:

Lost Soul Aside

What originally began as a one-man tech demo eventually blossomed into a competent action RPG with Revengeance-like combat and tons of style to spare. You’re not alone in thinking it looks a bit like Final Fantasy given the crystal theming and character design. Still, Lost Soul Aside carves its own identity with its combo-laden combat and varied boss mechanics. The game may have some growing pains as a debut indie effort (especially in its story), but the kernels of greatness are there in its gameplay systems.

The Midnight Walk

If you’re looking for a short-but-sweet adventure game with some uncanny claymation visuals, it’s impossible not to recommend The Midnight Walk. What struck me most as I reviewed the game was the strong atmosphere created by inventive environments, Burton-esque character designs, and a stirring musical score. It’s a game with a remarkably strong sense of place , and the experience lingers long after you’ve completed it.  And for horror fans, there’s plenty to enjoy too, the stealth sections are legitimately nightmarish despite the game’s demure appearance.

Dying Light: The Beast

You don’t need to have played any other Dying Light to have fun with this one. This standalone entry flips the bright, colorful world design of Dying Light 2 on its head with an all-new wooded region infested with infected zombies. In short, it nails the horror vibe fans have been begging for since the first game. Kyle Crane returns with new beast powers that feel great to use on the horrific denizens of Caster Woods, and the skill tree is the best the franchise has seen to date.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong finally came out this year and its been well worth the long wait. It earns the perfect 10 we gave it due to its exhilarating boss fights and fun platforming. The level design and progression system add tons of replayability and substance to the game as well, providing well over 30 hours of tough-as-nails content for fans to enjoy. Even newcomers will find plenty to appreciate through the lush soundtrack and charming hand-drawn art

Where Winds Meet

Free to play games have come a long way in offering top-tier experiences without requiring players to spend a dime, and Where Winds Meet might be the most impressive leap yet. The sheer abundance of genres it fuses together is remarkable. You’re getting a vast, gorgeous open world with a meaty single-player campaign, tons of boss battles, minigames, and immersive sim mechanics. If you’ve ever wanted to explore 10^th Century China with some side quests reminiscent of The Witcher 3, and you don’t mind a mostly non-invasive F2P structure plus a few glitches, Where Winds Meet delivers in spades..

Blue Prince

Blue Prince is easily in the discussion for best puzzle game of the year. Heck, it’s arguably one of the best rougelikes of the year as well, especially since it got me, a rougelike denier, to enjoy it. What I love is how simple it is to jump in and immediately understand. You explore a mansion with randomly generated rooms, with the twist being that you’re the one choosing which rooms get “drawn.” The goal is to unlock and enter the mysterious 46th room by selecting the right rooms and solving puzzles along the way. Don’t sleep on Blue Prince. Even if you’re not a fan of puzzle games or roguelikes, its deceptive simplicity has a way of hooking you.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

The original Death Stranding was an amazing game, but it had noticeable issues. Then came the Director’s Cut and it added some new content which made an already great game even better. But Kojima has learned his lessons and after working on the sequel for more than five years, we finally got Death Stranding 2:On the Beach back in June. And, by all accounts this is a stellar achievement. Featuring exceptional gameplay that takes the strand mechanics to newer heights, a story that will capure your attention and visuals that will stun you, this sequel has all the makings of a game of the year.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG that lets players time parries and manually aim for enemy weak spots. This real-time element really adds a lot of dynamism to the classic turn-based formula, complemented by a variety of enemy types to strategize against. Besides the remarkable combat,  genre-specific staples such as story and progression are also exceptional. The cast of characters grapple with mortality and grief throughout the adventure in earnest and thought-provoking ways. You just can’t help but want to solve the ever-dwindling lifespan dilemma The Paintress has concocted. Turn-based RPG fans are eating well this year thanks to Clair Obscur’s stellar story and gameplay.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 expands the grounded medieval immersive sim elements of the first game into a masterful AAA-like experience. You can still get knocked out by common bandits late into the game, but combat is tuned to  be more fun and intuitive. The world design is breathtaking, with the realism of towns like Troskowitz and the bustling Kuttenberg leaving my jaw on the floor. But it’s the story and side quests where the game truly shines. With enhanced cinematography, stellar voice acting, and historically accurate details, KCD2 is as much a narrative powerhouse as it is a medieval simulation.

Silent Hill f

Capturing the essence of the best Silent Hill games isn’t easy. There’s a lot of subtle detail involved. And despite its change in location, Silent Hill f has that essence down. In fact, the rural Japanese town nails that Silent Hill feel perfectly. The environments are grade A spooky, with that characteristic fog enveloping looming threats in ways that feel natural for the rural countryside. Combat is spicier than usual, encouraging you to engage enemies rather than simply retreating. If the monster designs don’t scare you, the camera work and music probably will. There’s just a lot to love with the new Silent Hill and thankfully, there’s five endings to elongate the playtime as much as you want.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

MGS Delta is arguably the ideal remake. The 1:1 cutscenes, 4K visuals, and quality of life features make this the best way to play Metal Gear Solid 3 today. But what impresses me even more than the way the rising sun glints off of Snake’s visor in that opening scene is the new stuff sprinkled in. Snake’s wear and tear over the course of the game is shown through dynamic cosmetic scraps and clothing rips. There’s also the ability to crouch walk (finally) and an over the shoulder perspective, adding some much-wanted gameplay features to the classic. This remake has it all.

Ghost of Yotei

If you’ve played Ghost of Tsushima, you know what to expect with Ghost of Yotei. Yet the game still manages to surprise and impress. The instant load times and silky smooth framerates are particularly impressive. Being built solely with the PS5 in mind allows the game to run flawlessly and then some. The open world here is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen in a game, thanks in part to sweeping draw distances not detracting from foreground detail. Storywise, the Yotei Six serve as a fun, motivating target throughout the story due to how well the narrative frames their actions. Ghost of Yotei is the premier PS5 showcase game at the moment and it doesn’t look like it’s being supplanted any time soon.

Days Gone Remastered

Sure, Sony Bend hasn’t added much new story content to Days Gone in this remaster, but the current-gen tech has given the game a much-needed boost. It finally feels like it’s living up to its potential, story aside. Fighting through hundreds of Freaker zombies is super smooth in this remaster, with the game very rarely dipping below 60 FPS in such chaotic moments. The result is a dynamic open world zombie game with fun combat similar to The Last of Us. If you can tolerate Deacon talking to himself every five minutes, Days Gone Remastered will put you in zombie madness for many hours to come.

Cronos: The New Dawn

Bloober Team has been knocking it out of the survival horror park lately. Between Silent Hill 2 Remake and Cronos, they’re capturing what makes the genre so compelling. Cronos has an atmosphere so tense that it actively rattles you into missing your shots. The claustrophobic journey is made more limiting by The Traveler’s (that’s you) slow traversal speed. Every bullet is prized in this game, and you’ll be seeing the game over-screen quite a bit. But it’s all worth it to experience the unconventional Polish setting and tight gameplay.

Sword of the Sea

Sword of the Sea is an instantly inviting experience. The colorful art style, mesmerizing soundtrack, and seamlessly smooth control scheme are as intuitive and irresistible as it gets in gaming. It’s a journey as magnetic as, well, their previous game The Pathless. Despite minor performance issues, even on PS5, Sword of the Sea flawlessly delivers on what the studio does best, and that’s something to celebrate.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

Stalker 2 is finally out on PS5 and what a port it is. PlayStation users get to experience the exclusion zone and all its bizarre anomalies and creatures with smooth performance and impressive visual fidelity. The DualSense haptics shine here, enhancing the act of probing for anomalies with immersive rumble and trigger resistance. Stalker 2’s strong horror atmosphere blends with compelling immersive sim gameplay to create an unforgettable experience, made even more personal via PS5-exclusive features.

And The Best PS5 Game of 2025 Goes to:

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

I don’t know how he did it, but Kojima actually managed to make a game even more zany and compelling than the first Death Stranding. The sequel has so many iconic moments it’s hard to know where to begin. Characters have more fleshed-out backstories and quirks in general, which makes sense given the Hollywood talent Kojima brought along for the sequel. But the game does far more than expand its story and presentation: the delivery sim aspects also see tremendous improvement. Those jaw-dropping moments stumbling atop a cliffside overlooking a gorgeous vista are alive and well, and even more striking thanks to the new day/night cycle. Weather plays a massive role too. Earthquakes, dust devils, downpours, sandstorms, you name it, appear while trekking across the brand-new Mexico and Australia environments. There’s no denying it: Death Stranding 2 is a premier PS5 experience that embodies everything PlayStation strives for in its first-party titles. It’s our best PS5 game of 2025 and one of the greatest first-party games PlayStation has even had.

It adds a new mode, Surge of Voidrax – a 100-wave mode set in an alternate dimension where Kaser must slay numerous foes. Each wave subsequently raises the difficulty with various enemies and bosses thrown into the mix. Fortunately, you’ll have access to all weapons and skills.

There’s even a slight rogue-lite aspect with options to acquire potions, improve Arena and much more. Progress far enough and you’ll even earn Phantom Cards for some sleek new white outfits.

Thankfully, the update offers further improvements to the game, from the option to skip the Prologue to the Voidrax Pathfinder for locating objectives and bypassing puzzles. Cutscenes have also received a massive overhaul and feature “more lifelike emotion, improved global lighting and shadow effects to heighten the atmosphere, and added environmental voice lip-sync animations.”

If that wasn’t enough, rolling and double-jumping, alongside the Scythe and Greatsword, should feel better to execute. And yes, you can finally customize button layouts, at long last.

Lost Soul Aside is available for PS5 and PC. You can check out our review for the launch version to learn more about the positives.

Further balance adjustments continue to roll out, from the shields in Chapter 4’s Entropis Dimension lasting longer to its boss arena receiving some mechanical adjustments on Nightmare “for a better combat experience.” Greatsword users are also good with a more “optimized” invincibility window while using skills.

Some visual effects in the final boss fight also proved a little too bright and have since been toned down. And Epic Games Store players who couldn’t claim their pre-order and Deluxe Edition rewards can now do so.

Check out the full update notes below for more details. Lost Soul Aside is available for PC and PS5 – check out our review, where we gave it a seven out of ten.

Patch 1.008 is the latest, bringing even more fixes, including in Chapter 1’s Chronocore Dimension, where players could fall through the environment. The Poleblade has seen its damage values “adjusted”, and Arena’s dialogue trigger frequency has been “optimized,” which could mean less yapping than necessary. Chapter 2 main boss Drogo’s damage is also adjusted, and the Greatsword’s Burst Pursuit should feel better to use.

Check out the full patch notes below for more details. Lost Soul Aside is available for PS5 and PC with a free demo containing two boss fights to try out. To learn more about its myriad of issues, check out our feature and stay tuned for further updates.

One major bug fix is for an issue that could come up that essentially blocks the Upgrade menu from ever unlocking. Thankfully, it doesn’t require players to start playing all the way from the beginning – the Upgrade menu will automatically unlock once the update is installed.

As for some of the other changes, some of the puzzles and mini-games from Lost Soul Aside have seen their difficulty adjusted, and controller users can to find a new preset control scheme as well. NPC animations have also been touched up, offering smoother visuals, and boss difficulty across Normal, Hard and Nightmare modes has been tweaked. PC players are also in for smoother overall gameplay, with the update addressing performance, frame rate and lag issues.

Following mixed user reviews, Ultizero Games announced that it would be working on updates to fix stuttering and other performance issues affecting Lost Soul Aside with updates. These also include plans for a “comprehensive” revamp of combat sound effects, as well as some changes to early-game progression.

Lost Soul Aside is available on PC and PS5. For more details, you can check out our review, where we gave the title a score of 7 out of 10. In our review, we praised some of the title’s characters and its core combat, but criticised its story, lack of overall polish, and a variety of performance issues.

For a more comprehensive look at what happened to the title since its development started all the way back in 2014, check out our thoughts about how Lost Soul Aside lost its way.

Lost Soul Aside September 5 Update Patch Notes:

PS5 & PC – Bug Fixes

• Fixed a rare issue preventing the Upgrade Menu from unlocking. No new save file is required—the menu will automatically unlock after installing the update.

PS5 & PC – Gameplay Optimizations

• Greatsword skills: Adjusted attack mechanics and improved responsiveness.
• Auto-save: Improved logic in Chapter 4.
• Kaser Roll: Adjusted invincibility frames for smoother game experience.
• NPC animations: Enhanced for smoother visuals.
• Controller: Added a new preset control scheme.
• Puzzles & mini-games: Difficulty adjustments for improved gameplay flow.
• Cutscenes & credits: Can now be skipped at any time.
• Skill points: Adjusted to 3 points when unlocking new weapons.
• Divine gold drops optimization: Players can get more divine gold in hard and nightmare mode, and dispersed dimension.
• Boss difficulty: Tweaked across Normal, Hard, Nightmare modes.
• Skill & boss VFX: Optimized visual effects for clarity and impact.
• Equipment: Adjusted timing for items sold by the weapon merchant.

PC-Specific Fixes

• Addressed performance, framerate, and lag issues affecting certain Windows versions.

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.

"The true story of the game – what you’ll ultimately be doing for the vast majority of gameplay – kicks off when Kaser’s sister is targeted by a particularly large Voidrax and her soul is taken."

The world of Lost Soul Aside is, despite its vibrant colour palette, a bleak one. A major portion of humanity is ruled by the Empire, which took on the reins of leadership after winning a war that led to several homes destroyed. Protagonist Kaser is one of the victims of this war, and has become a skilled fighter and a member of rebel group GLIMMER that is working to overthrow the Empire and confront the emperor face to face. The story starts off with a plan, a call-to-action for the common people of the Empire to stand up and fight back against the emperor during a parade celebrating his birthday.

This interesting beginning is, unfortunately, brushed to the side quite early on thanks to an invasion of an inter-dimensional force known only as the Voidrax. These enemies are not only able to swarm humanity and bring about large-scale destruction, they also have the ability to steal souls from humans, which they are seemingly hoarding underneath a mountain. In the midst of this explosion, Kaser finds himself allying with a friendly Voidrax, Arena and the two must work together to fend off the invasion.

The true story of the game – what you’ll ultimately be doing for the vast majority of gameplay – kicks off when Kaser’s sister is targeted by a particularly large Voidrax and her soul is taken. Kaser and Arena decide to travel to a place theorised to be where the Voidrax keep all the human souls they’ve been collecting. Unfortunately, this means that Lost Soul Aside essentially turns into a collection quest where you’re just running around and collecting magical macguffins that can potentially help save Kaser’s sister.

"The pacing also suffers quite a bit thanks to how the story is told."

The general pacing of the story is a strange one. It starts off quite well, with a setup that implies that the Empire has been maliciously using Voidrax powers to keep its citizens under check with heavy taxation as well as force thanks to the power of the Knights. Unfortunately, none of this narrative pays off in a particularly satisfying way, and the moment you finish the prologue, you might as well forget about the entire prologue.

The pacing also suffers quite a bit thanks to how the story is told. Lost Soul Aside is an incredibly linear game with nothing in the way of side content to give you a break from the main story. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing on its own, the main story often throws you into back to back battles and boss fights, with only the occasional character interaction or light platforming puzzle to break things up. As a result, playing through it can feel exhausting at times. Fortunately, while this issue is most noticeable in the opening hours, the frequency of encounters does stabilize later on.

Lost Soul Aside is a fast-paced game that will pit you against several enemies at the same time while also making sure you’re never in any real danger thanks to an abundance of healing items. You get two core attacks – light and heavy – along with a dodge, and abilities given to you by Arena, of which you can equip three at any given time.

"To give credit where it’s due, the boss mechanics in Lost Soul Aside are quite well done."

The combat has a tendency to look quite flashy, with particle effects flying all over the place as you mix up combos by freely switching between light attacks, heavy attacks, and your abilities. Unfortunately, most encounters aren’t particularly challenging, rarely encouraging you to do more than string together combos, dodge, and land the occasional perfect block to deal with enemies.

To give credit where it’s due, the boss mechanics in Lost Soul Aside are quite well done. These bosses can range from being a duel against a similarly skilled and powered up soldier, to massive hulking beasts where you have to work at taking them down one claw at a time before you can get an opening to unleash your biggest hits on them.

The variety offered by the three distinct weapon types also help quite a bit. While you start off with a regular sword, you quickly get your hands on two more weapon types – the Greatsword and the Poleblade. All three weapons can end up feeling quite different, each with their own area of expertise. Where the Greatsword can deal high amounts of damage with its slower combos, the Poleblade can help you take down groups more efficiently. The basic sword itself sits somewhere between these two in terms of its niche. All three weapon types can be switched between at any moment, giving you plenty of chances to vary up your combos.

"When it comes to visuals, Lost Soul Aside seems like it’s stuck in different eras of gaming. "

Each weapon can be equipped with a number of accessories which can change up how much damage or other utilities the weapon can add to your arsenal. These accessories must be manually attached to the weapon, and since their placement is up to you, each weapon ends up with a unique look. The effects of these accessories can range from letting you dodge further, recharging your abilities more quickly, or even just giving you some bonus damage for certain attacks.

The other major source of progression is the ability to unlock new Arena abilities. Up to three of these abilities can be equipped, and they essentially act as major combo attacks in their own right. Along with the flashy abilities, you can also unlock additional moves for each weapon, increasing your potential for epic combos even further. There’s also a loose crafting system in Lost Soul Aside, allowing you a quick way to make use of all the plants you’ve been picking up to craft healing potions and other upgrades. Overall, combat is easily one of the game’s strongest aspects and the main reason to play Lost Soul Aside if you choose to.

When it comes to visuals, Lost Soul Aside seems like it’s stuck in different eras of gaming. While the overall art direction can be quite strong at times, especially once you’re done with the long prologue mission, fidelity is essentially all over the place. Some parts of the game look like they might have been developed with much weaker and older hardware in mind, while other parts look flashy and current-gen. Together, these factors result in a noticeably uneven visual experience, perhaps an inevitable byproduct of the project’s prolonged development.

"The sound effect for sword attacks, for instance, come off as incredibly weak despite your epic combos."

Even the audio is a bit of a mixed bag. While the game’s music can be quite impressive, especially when it comes to epic boss fights or big story moments, gameplay related sound effects don’t quite feel as punchy as they should. The sound effect for sword attacks, for instance, come off as incredibly weak despite your epic combos. Similarly, a lot of enemies tend to sound the same. Voice acting is also uneven, ranging from the fun scenery chewing dialogue coming out of Arena, to the more human enemies sounding like little more than underpaid extras. The performance for Kaser and other supporting characters are decent enough, thankfully.

We played the game on the PS5 Pro, where Quality Mode showed some serious issues. In the short time I tried it, everything felt sluggish, movement and combat, struggled to maintain a stable framerate, making it a slog to play. Fortunately, Performance Mode was far more stable, with only a few drops here and there, particularly during auto-saves.

Speaking of a lack of polish, there is plenty of evidence that Lost Soul Aside may have ironically needed a little more development time all over the place. For example, music during cutscenes cuts off abruptly the moment they end, instead of fading out naturally or being timed to match the scene. Enemies also glitched out surprisingly often, either getting stuck behind a piece of scenery or just freezing altogether, letting me score some free hits.

"All of the issues in Lost Soul Aside feel like they might be emblematic of a lack of experience on the developers’ side."

To wrap it up, all of the issues in Lost Soul Aside feel like they might be emblematic of a lack of experience on the developers’ side. Despite combat having a solid foundation, the game rarely pushes you to experiment, since simple combos are usually enough to get the job done. Coupled with its lack of polish, Lost Soul Aside is a title I can only recommend to those already invested in this style of action. RPG fans may struggle with the story’s uneven pacing, while action game fans will likely find more to enjoy, but even they may feel drained by the overwhelming early boss encounters, which fortunately stabilize as the game progresses.

Lost Soul Aside could have been much better than it turned out, but despite its flaws, there’s still clear potential for something truly great, if only its rough edges were smoothed out.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

At the time of writing, the Metascore for the PS5 version is 60 based on six critics (with one of them being a review-in-progress). IGN Spain gave it a 7 out of 10, complimenting the “fast-paced combat full of clever mechanics” while criticizing the “forgettable” story, “flat characters”, and a world that it ultimately didn’t care about.

Eurogamer Germany echoed the same complaints in its 4 out of 10 review, noting that, “Fans of precise, skill-driven combat may enjoy its encounters,” but “everyone else will likely struggle to look past its flaws.” Gamersky was more positive, giving it an 8 out of 10 and praising the “thirty hours of pure, exhilarating action,” though it wasn’t particularly high on the story either.

There should be more reviews in the coming days (including our own), so stay tuned. In the meantime, Ultizero Games has announced updates to address issues with the game’s sound effects, early-game progression, and controls. Head here for more details.

Lost Soul Aside is available for PS5 and PC. Check out the launch trailer and learn more about the free demo here.

It has since outlined other improvements in forthcoming updates, including an “expanded gamepad adaptation solution,” a “comprehensive” revamp of sound effects in combat, and optimization of early-game progression. There’s no ETA, but they’ll be released “incrementally” across patches. Ultizero is also working on evaluating and planning “additional optimizations,” and asked fans to stay tuned.

In terms of Steam numbers, Lost Soul Aside peaked at less than 3,100 concurrent players, with its user rating still at “Mixed.” The number of PS5 players remains to be confirmed.

While further updates await, check out our feature on everything you should know about Lost Soul Aside. A free demo is also available on both platforms, offering a sampler of the combat across two boss fights.

The developer specifically addressed the complaint regarding stuttering for some of the Prologue’s cutscenes. “Currently, some of these cutscenes are pre-rendered 4K/30fps videos, which may cause occasional stuttering during playback. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding.”

It’s currently working on “optimizations” and promises that “future updates” will address these concerns to “deliver a smoother gameplay experience.”

Of course, there are other complaints, including the audio mixing, quality of the English voice acting, the save system and floaty movement. You also apparently can’t skip cutscenes, which makes the stuttering problems in the Prologue even worse. There are also performance issues on PC that Ultizero is currently investigating with an update to be deployed “very soon.”

Stay tuned for more details and updates regarding potential improvements. Alongside PC, Lost Soul Aside is available for PS5. Check out the free demo here.