Lost Soul Aside has been a curious one.
As mentioned in our First Impressions, it could be better, with something sparkling or something that could make it better. So, with the full game now in our hands, does it improve at all after the prologue?
Not really. But I personally appreciate what the team at UltiZeroGames are trying to do, even if it’s a bit convoluted at times.
So let’s dive in.
Presentation
For a game that has been in the works for a decade, the world-building of its lore and locations looks alright in my books, but it feels a bit samey, as the locales that you get to roam around feel like they might have been played in a different game from the same genre. Like the harbor prologue does remind me of a certain opening act as well, but with an eviller emperor doing evil things.
The performances on PC are a mixed bag, unfortunately. Like my RTX2060 can run it at my usual expectation of 60fps during combat and even boss fights, but somehow has dips during slow-down times when I get to speak to my companions, which is a bit strange and during more intense areas later on in the game, which is to be expected but it is jarring to be doing combos while the hitching and dips happen mid-attack.
As for the audio side of things, I won’t really comment on the quality of the dubbing since I know that the voice cast would probably have done their best with what they are given, and sometimes translated wording doesn’t convey it correctly, which is fine (case in point, that Kaser scene).
But I actually do feel the VO for our main MC does fit his demeanor right, along with his trusty dragon-being companion, Lord Arena, as they bond and bicker, like how a certain main title character and his book companion would as well. And it does help to showcase the lore with a companion that has been out of it for quite a while, so it’s a good way to help introduce the world via characters.
As mentioned before, the music is quite exceptional and while our issues with the transitioning of combat music to the exploratory ones are now less infrequent, but the songs within the soundtrack only has a few that I feel were noticeable, like during the Royal Palace or Mount Salvation, and the rest feels a bit bland to me, something you have probably heard before.
Gameplay
How Lost Soul Aside plays is quite an interesting predicament. The combat swordplay plays like a mixture of Devil May Cry and that other game with the hearts and also have kingdoms. It includes various Swords, Greatswords, Poleblades, and even a Scythe as weapons, which could be used as a way to juggle enemies in air-combos.
Plus, these weapons also have uses in the level as well, with the likes of breaking over blocks to advance the level and such. It’s a neat way to learn using the powers before entering combat. Of which the enemies feel a bit lacking.
A battle feels weird with how the enemies attack, with the sense of floatiness that can help you with doing the dodges that look cool, before parrying it with a light or hard attack. It looks slick in the full game, and while I do appreciate it, I can’t really say the same for the enemies, which don’t look as smooth and make trying to get that dodge a bit harder and more frustrating at times, even with their telegraphing the attack.
And what’s a weirder choice is the stamina meter for actions that could have made the gameplay more interesting. But I guess to stand out and perhaps not make the combat cheesy.
As for the other stuff, the skill tree is what you would expect from an action-adventure game such as this, with how you could get more damage from your skills and more stamina and so on.
Content
So, we’re looking at an action game that could entertain you for the whole playthrough if you don’t mind the rocky start of its prologue, because it does well to pull you into its grasp if you care to indulge it with its exposition before letting you loose. We’re looking at a 17-hour game from the start of your adventure to save your sister’s soul to the end.
The usual collectathon stuff are also in Lost Soul Aside as you traverse from one locale to another, gathering Crafting materials (from better health potions, weapons and such) to Documents to learn about the lore and even Trickets, which are collectables that tied to higher difficulties and that can be accessed via New Game Plus, which continues after the prologue after each playthrough. So if you wish to be very involved with this game, then you could play on after the first credits roll.
Personal Enjoyment
As someone who loves its muse, a certain game about finality and it being the 15th one, it feels alright when you first boot it up and play through the game. It does well to try and rope you into its world, but I just wasn’t really into it, unlike its inspiration, and I get it is quite a hard sell, considering its rivals are already bossing it without the stumbles that Lost Soul Aside has been facing, but is it a bad game? Not at all.
Verdict
A Passion project that gets delivered is always a great outcome, no matter how the reception is going to be. And while its mixed reception could be demoralizing for some, I feel that the team and their director behind Lost Soul Aside could learn from this, and perhaps we might see more games from them in the future. Only time could tell.
But as for the here and now, Lost Soul Aside is just alright.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by publisher.
Lost Soul Aside
The team and their director behind Lost Soul Aside could learn from this, and perhaps we might see more games from them in the future.
- Presentation 8
- Gameplay 7
- Content 7
- Personal Enjoyment 7