Lost Soul Aside Is A New IP Inspired by Many Great JRPGs
During PSX 2017, PlayStation brought along some special games from their Hero Project initiative. For those of you who don’t know, Hero Project is Sony’s way of bringing Chinese game developers into the spotlight. In so doing, they’re nurturing new talent for more PS4 exclusives. The biggest gem I found out of the bunch was UltiZero Games’ Lost Soul Aside.
I got my hands on Lost Soul Aside on the PSX ground floor. Put simply, it’s a new type of hack and slash title with stunning graphics. However, this IP took me completely by surprise with its beautiful environment and action gameplay. It’s very fast-paced and emanated a Final Fantasy vibe – I was very much reminded of Final Fantasy XV. Even the main menu is incredibly reminiscent of the character key art we’re used to seeing in Square Enix games. But while it bears a very similar aesthetic, gameplay-wise it truly stands on its own.
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“I would say that the game’s combat bears Final Fantasy aesthetics, some of that Monster Hunter grind, and a Dark Souls relentlessness.”
Lost Soul Aside is like a marriage between Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter, and from what gameplay I experienced it’s pretty much as good as that sounds. The short demo invited me to fight waves of ravenous monsters, unforgivable and formidable AI that brought a Souls-like difficulty to the combat. Except, the pace is even faster than Bloodborne. Actually, think Dynasty Warriors but with hack and slash mixing magic and melee like never before. Not to mention impressive textures with movement straight out of a visceral anime. This is a game for the hardcore player to beat and the casual player to try and have fun. Even though Lost Soul Aside is difficult, the overall package is beautiful.
The demo also included a respectable mix of weaponry: a regular sword, a two-handed sword, and a two-sided spear, all of which entailed their own mix of attacks and combos. The assortment works because it allows players to find their preferred playstyle. To make the experience easier and more fun, you can switch weapons during combat, which leads me to believe that they’re designed to complement one another.
Lost Soul Aside encourages crazy combos, attention to enemy patterns of attack, and brings mentally-demanding boss battles. Boss battles! To sum up, I would say that the game’s combat bears Final Fantasy aesthetics, some of that Monster Hunter grind, and a Dark Souls relentlessness. Unfortunately, I know virtually nothing about the world or the campaign (I’m assuming it has a campaign). All the press thus far hints at a story, but very little is known about the project as of yet. Either way, UltiZero Games has a very interesting IP, and I look forward to following their development progress in the hopes of finding a release date. Sure enough, it looks like it will arrive as a Sony exclusive title. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check back for more PlayStation updates.
