Info about Lost Soul Aside™:

Official game description:
Digital Deluxe Edition
======================
Edition includes:
*   Lost Soul Aside™
*   Three weapon fragment cosmetics: Genesis Thunder, Everlasting Ember, and Crystal of Abyss
*   Arena skin: Golden Blaze
*   Ruby Necklace health booster
*   Gemstone Badge XP booster
*   Digital soundtrack
*   Digital art book
Special Offer
=============
Link your Steam Account to your account for PlayStation® and get Kaser’s Emperor’s Edict costume as an early unlock bonus.
About the Game
==============
Edition includes:
*   Lost Soul Aside™
Fight to save your world. Save your sister. Save your soul.
A HERO’S JOURNEY
----------------
_Louisa’s gone. She’s gone?! How could this happen?_
_We had plans, a future. Everything was going to be better. But… it’s over?_
_No. We have to fight on, the rest of us cannot give up._
_And now I have an unlikely ally… I’m becoming more powerful._
_Can I save her? Can I bring back her soul?_
Run the gauntlet of formidable enemies and colossal bosses in this breathtakingly stylish single player action-adventure RPG; chaining weapon and spectacular attack combos in high-octane, dynamic combat.
Adapt your fighting style, solve puzzles, and evolve incredible abilities on a truly heroic quest.
**A WORLD IN CONFLICT**
It was supposed to be the night that everything changed.
This was the moment Kaser, Louisa and the rebel group finally step out of the shadows – a chance to disrupt the Emperor’s grand birthday celebrations, to take a stand against his cruel oppression, and to give the people something to believe in.
Something to hope for.
But in a heartbeat, everything fell apart.
A violent meteor storm rained down from the heavens, crushing everything below.
Louisa’s soul was taken.
Kaser changed.
With a mysterious new ally at his side, Kaser sets out on a mission to bring his sister back from beyond, realizing the meteor shower was no natural phenomenon.
It was the arrival of the Voidrax, dimensional invaders on a conquest to destroy other species and drain the energy from their souls.
With his new abilities, Kaser must travel across worlds and dimensions to face terrifying enemies head-on to save his sister, and humanity.
And so this hero’s journey begins…
**FIGHT FOR EVERYTHING**
Legends are born from trials.
So steel yourself for electrifyingly fast, dynamic combat that pushes your reflexes and resolve to the absolute limit.
Your enemies are relentless and will show no mercy. Neither must you.
Unleash your skills, combat abilities, and swordsmanship to chain fast and fluid diverse combos; dishing out truly devastating damage across each combat phase.
And think fast to dodge or parry incoming attacks, outmanoeuvring menacing creatures and toweringly monstrous bosses to stay alive in dynamic jaw-dropping encounters.
Simple to grasp, challenging to perfect. You have total freedom to fight your way; switching weapons, mixing attack patterns and learning your enemy’s movements in adrenaline-pumping battles charged with spectacular visual effects.
**CHARACTER EVOLUTION**
Kaser has the potential to grow even stronger, attaining new skills and abilities throughout his mission.
By earning Experience Points, you can unlock and choose more attributes from the character Skill Tree.
Experiment with your picks and try different combinations to build, define and refine your personal playstyle for the challenges that lie ahead.
Weapon skills
Enhance your combat prowess by unleashing attack combos amplified by each weapon’s unique special stats. Vary the range and impact of each attack as you swiftly switch weapons, combining effects for maximum damage.
Arena Power
Harness potent skills granted by the dragon-like creature, Arena. Unlock a variety of Arena Power abilities to boost attack damage, enhance healing, and generate protective shields.
Burst Pursuit
Intensify and stylize your attacks with precise, high-impact bursts of strength by timing your button presses during weapon combos for devastating results.
Fusion Merge/Fusion Blast
Charge the Fusion Gauge through attack combos and abilities, summoning Arena’s claws to strike fiercely at enemies. This upgradeable skill unlocks new combat techniques as Kaser advances on his mission.
Survival skills
Stay in the fight for longer by boosting your dodge reflexes, and honing the fine art of precision parry timing.
Epic weaponry
Collect a diverse array of melee weapons and define your playstyle with stylish, effective combat.
Each weapon’s unique stats can greatly influence your tactical approach as you unleash flurries of light or heavy attacks, dodge incoming blows, and swiftly adjust your stance to maintain control of the fight.
Seamlessly swap weapons in the heat of battle to adapt your attack patterns and execute a wide range of powerful combos.
Weapon customisation
You can enhance and customise each of your weapons using special weapon fragments discoverable during your adventures.
These fragments offer endless possibilities as they can transform the appearance of your weapons, boost your combat or healing capabilities, or even upgrade your fighting style.
Attach fragments to your weaponry and experiment with unique combinations to uncover thrilling and powerful effects as you build the ultimate weapon.
**STUNNING WORLDS TO EXPLORE**
Prepare to adventure far and wide across dangerous dimensions, majestic lands, and strange new worlds filled with mysterious architecture.
From snow-covered vistas to long-lost ruins, ancient alien relics and more, you will meet allies and enemies each with their own unique background tale to be told.
As relationships evolve over the course of his journey, Kaser will come to understand the true meaning of friendship, family and ultimately, sacrifice.
PC FEATURES
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Optimized 4K graphics
Explore majestically vibrant vistas with customisable graphical quality options and unlocked framerates, with support for performance boosting technologies.
Ray tracing
Discover unparalleled visual realism with lifelike shadows, physically-accurate reflections, and high-fidelity lighting effects through advanced ray tracing technology.
DualSense® controller support
Experience powerful abilities and the impact of battle through adaptive triggers and haptic feedback of the PlayStation® DualSense controller on a wired USB connection.
High Dynamic Range display
Enjoy richer colours, vivid brightness levels, and deeper contrast for intricately detailed, ultra-realistic visuals on HDR-compatible gaming monitors.

Release date: Aug 28, 2025

Categories: Single-player Story, Action RPG, Real-time Combat, Weapon Customization, Character Progression, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Platformer


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Strong Visuals & Art Direction (weight 0.56): The game receives high marks for its graphics, art style, and overall visual presentation. Reviewers frequently highlight the beautiful scenery, character designs, and stunning cutscenes, often comparing its aesthetic to the Final Fantasy series.
- Engaging & Fluid Combat System (weight 0.55): Players consistently praise the combat system for its depth, fluidity, and satisfying feel. It offers a wide variety of combos, weapon customization, and responsive controls, making it enjoyable for both casual players and action game enthusiasts. The combat experience significantly improves after the initial prologue as more skills and weapons are unlocked.
- Good Performance & Optimization (weight 0.48): Many players report a smooth and stable performance, with good frame rates even on higher settings. While some initial stutters or frame drops were noted, these often resolved after the prologue or with updated drivers, indicating decent optimization for a new title.
- Positive Overall Player Experience (weight 0.42): Despite some minor issues, a large number of players express enjoyment and satisfaction with the game. Many found it better than expected, fun to play, and a solid entry in its genre, often highlighting its potential for future improvements.
- Inspired by Classic Action RPGs (weight 0.18): The game's combat and overall feel are frequently compared to beloved titles like Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, and Ninja Gaiden. This blend of influences is seen as a positive, offering a familiar yet refreshing experience for fans of these genres.
- Interesting Story & Characters (weight 0.13): The narrative is generally found to be engaging, with an interesting concept that improves as the game progresses. Characters, particularly the female cast, are well-received for their design and appeal.
- Varied & Engaging Enemy Design (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the creativity and variety in monster and boss designs. Boss fights are noted for being challenging yet fair, with unique mechanics that prevent combat from becoming repetitive.
- Pleasant Soundtrack (weight 0.04): The game's music and overall audio design are generally well-received, with many players finding the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting for the game's atmosphere.

Common complaints:
- Subpar Voice Acting & Audio (weight 0.96): Feedback highlights consistently poor voice acting across multiple languages, often described as emotionless, bland, or out of sync. Additionally, sound effects are frequently criticized for being weak, repetitive, or poorly mixed, detracting from combat impact and immersion.
- Poor Performance & Optimization (weight 0.95): Players consistently report severe performance issues, including frequent stuttering, drastic FPS drops, and crashes, even on high-end hardware. This makes the game feel unoptimized and, at times, unplayable, significantly hindering the overall experience.
- Unsatisfying Combat Experience (weight 0.95): Combat is widely described as lacking impact, feeling weightless, and being repetitive. Players note poor hit feedback, generic sound effects, and a lack of depth or innovation compared to other games in the genre, making it less engaging.
- Clunky Movement & Animations (weight 0.76): Players find character movement, especially running and jumping, to be clunky, floaty, and jarring, with stiff animations. Specific issues include a 'lunging' camera effect during running and awkward transitions, impacting immersion and control.
- Unskippable & Poor Cutscenes (weight 0.76): Cutscenes are criticized for being unskippable, poorly directed, and having stiff character animations and expressions. Technical issues like abrupt transitions, audio cuts, and performance drops during cutscenes further detract from their quality.
- Unjustified High Price (weight 0.73): A large number of players feel the game's quality, content, and overall polish do not justify its AAA price tag (e.g., $60, $70, 268 local currency). Many suggest a significantly lower price point would be more appropriate for its current state.
- Generic & Unengaging Story (weight 0.72): The game's narrative is frequently described as old-fashioned, simplistic, generic, and uninteresting. Players find the plot confusing, predictable, and lacking the depth or originality expected from a modern title, failing to draw them in.
- Problematic Prologue Experience (weight 0.69): The game's prologue is a significant point of contention, described as overly long, poorly optimized, and unengaging. It suffers from severe performance issues, unskippable cutscenes, and a lack of compelling content, often leading to early refunds.
- Limited Control Customization (weight 0.68): Players are frustrated by the lack of custom keybinding options for both keyboard/mouse and controllers. The inability to remap essential actions like dodge and parry leads to uncomfortable and unintuitive control schemes.
- Awkward Camera Angles (weight 0.63): The camera system is frequently cited as problematic, with off-putting angles, being too close to the protagonist, and causing disorientation. Poor lock-on implementation and jarring transitions further contribute to a frustrating experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- DMC/FF-like Combat & Design (weight 0.21): Players frequently compare the game's combat and overall design to a blend of Devil May Cry (DMC) and various Final Fantasy titles, particularly FF15, FF16, and FF7 Remake. It's noted for its action-oriented, linear gameplay, distinct from Soulslike or traditional RPGs.
- Simplified but Flashy Combat (weight 0.15): The combat system is described as simple and easy to pick up, allowing for flashy moves and satisfying combos. While some find it clunky or crude initially, many appreciate its fluidity and engaging nature, especially as more skills are unlocked.
- Progression Unlocks Potential (weight 0.11): The game significantly improves and opens up after the prologue, with combat becoming more enjoyable once skill trees, new weapons, and movement options are unlocked. Early game combat feels limited until these progression systems are introduced.
- Story is Functional, Not Central (weight 0.03): The story is generally considered basic but adequate, serving its purpose without being a major highlight. Many players admitted to skipping dialogue, suggesting it's not a primary draw for the game.
- Platforming and Puzzles Present (weight 0.02): The game incorporates platforming and light puzzle elements, which range from minor parkour sections to more extensive jumping puzzles and mechanism-based challenges.
- Mixed Movement Feedback (weight 0.02): Player opinions on movement are divided; some find it fluid and alright, while others describe it as bad, flat, or weird, indicating an inconsistent experience or preference.
- Bosses are Flashy but Repetitive (weight 0.01): Boss fights are visually impressive and engaging, often featuring unique mechanics. However, some players noted that bosses tend to have a limited number of attack patterns (around 5), which could lead to predictability.
- DLSS and Frame Gen Support (weight 0.01): The game supports DLSS quality and frame generation, with specific mention of compatibility for Intel and Nvidia GPUs, but not AMD.

Performance notes:
- Ray Tracing Significantly Impacts Performance (weight 0.45): A recurring theme is that enabling Ray Tracing severely degrades performance, causing substantial frame rate drops and stuttering across various hardware configurations. Many players found that disabling Ray Tracing was crucial for achieving stable and playable frame rates.
- Optimization Issues Persist (weight 0.45): Despite some players reporting good performance, a significant portion of the feedback indicates that the game still requires further optimization. Players are actively looking forward to patches that address these performance and stuttering problems.
- Driver Updates & DX11 Improve Stability (weight 0.42): Some players found that updating their NVIDIA drivers or forcing the game to run in DirectX 11 mode (using '-dx11' launch option) significantly improved performance, reducing stuttering and stabilizing frame rates.
- Shader Compilation Issues (weight 0.37): A few players reported issues related to shader compilation, including crashes during the process or initial choppiness that eventually smooths out, suggesting background shader compilation might be a factor in early game performance.
- Hardware Specifications Shared (weight 0.37): Many players provided detailed specifications of their PC hardware, including CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. This information helps contextualize their performance experiences, though it doesn't always correlate directly with reported issues.

Recommendations:
- Wait for Sales and Patches (weight 0.55): A significant number of players recommend waiting for the game to go on sale or for patches to address current issues, particularly performance and optimization. Many feel the game is not worth its full price in its current state, suggesting a price point between $30-$40 or a 50% discount.
- Mixed Reception and Refunds (weight 0.46): Player sentiment is mixed, with many expressing dissatisfaction leading to refunds. While some give positive reviews, often with caveats, a substantial portion cannot recommend the game at full price or in its current state, with some even refunding pre-orders.
- Combat System is a Highlight (weight 0.44): Many reviewers praise the game's combat system, describing it as fun, flashy, and addictive. They recommend the game specifically to fans of action, hack-and-slash, or Devil May Cry-style games, often suggesting it's the main reason to play.
- Try the Demo First (weight 0.44): Players strongly advise trying the game's demo before purchasing. This allows potential buyers to assess performance on their system and determine if the combat style aligns with their preferences.
- Average Review Scores (weight 0.36): Based on initial impressions, many reviewers assign the game a score in the 6/10 to 8/10 range. While some combat scores are higher, the overall sentiment suggests a decent but not outstanding experience, often citing issues that prevent higher ratings.
- Positive Reviews to Counter Negativity (weight 0.22): Some players are intentionally leaving positive reviews to support the game or to counter what they perceive as review bombing. This indicates a community effort to balance the overall sentiment, despite acknowledging potential issues.
- Developers Need to Improve (weight 0.16): Players express a strong desire for developers to continue working on the game, specifically to fix performance issues, optimize the experience, and add more content like fashion items. There's hope for future patches to address current shortcomings.

Other player notes:
- Long Development History (weight 0.09): A significant number of players highlight the game's extensive development period, often citing 8-10 years, and its origin as a solo developer project. This long wait has created a strong emotional connection and high expectations for many, influencing their overall perception and willingness to support the game.
- Game's Scope and Identity (weight 0.08): Players note that the game struggles to achieve a AAA experience due to its indie origins and limited resources, often feeling like a linear hack-and-slash rather than a deep RPG. The narrative and world-building are not considered strong points, leading to a perception of the game being 'average' or 'okay' despite its combat focus.
- Influences and Comparisons (weight 0.07): Players frequently compare the game to popular titles like Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy, noting similarities in combat, character design, and overall aesthetic. This suggests the game successfully evokes a familiar style but also sets high expectations based on these comparisons.
- Support for Domestic Games (weight 0.03): A segment of players explicitly states their support for domestic single-player games, often purchasing the game to encourage local development. This sentiment highlights a cultural aspect influencing purchasing decisions and review perspectives.
- Developer's Dedication (weight 0.02): Players acknowledge the developer, Yang Bing, and his dedication to the project, recognizing its origins as a passion project. This appreciation for the developer's effort often influences players' willingness to be more tolerant of the game's flaws and support its future.
- Criticism of Negative Reviews (weight 0.02): Some players express frustration with overly negative reviews, attributing them to 'keyboard warriors,' unrealistic expectations, or outdated hardware. This indicates a divide in the community regarding the fairness of initial criticisms.
- Limited Playtime (weight 0.02): A notable number of reviewers admit to playing for very short durations, sometimes as little as 8 minutes or a couple of hours. This suggests that initial impressions are heavily weighted, and many reviews might not be based on a comprehensive experience of the game.
- Sony China Hero Project (weight 0.01): The game's involvement with Sony's China Hero Project is mentioned, indicating its recognition and support from a major platform. This context adds to the game's background story and its journey from an indie project to a more significant release.
- Graphics Settings and Tinkering (weight 0.01): Some players mention adjusting graphic settings or tinkering to get the game to run properly, even on high-end systems. This further points to optimization issues and the need for players to manually troubleshoot for a smoother experience.
- Character Design Appreciation (weight 0.01): A few players appreciate the female character designs, noting 'thicky waifus' and 'hot girls' with specific aesthetic preferences. This indicates a positive reception for the art direction in terms of character appearance.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.24): Players are largely disappointed by the game's high price relative to its perceived low quality, unpolished state, and numerous technical issues, especially after a long development period. Specific complaints include poor optimization, bad voice acting, a weak story, and unimpactful combat, leading to a feeling of unfulfilled potential.
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Frustration stems primarily from severe technical problems such as poor optimization, constant stuttering, frequent crashes, and unplayable frame rates, even on high-end hardware. Other causes include unchangeable keybindings, clunky controls, and poor sound design, which collectively hinder the gameplay experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.21): Satisfaction is mainly derived from the combat system, which many players find to be fluid, engaging, and highly satisfying, especially as more skills and weapon combinations become available. Good performance on some systems, appealing graphics, and enjoyable boss fights also contribute to a positive experience for these players.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players express excitement about the game's dynamic and flashy combat system, interesting boss fights, and overall action-oriented gameplay. The anticipation of exploring more content and the game's potential as a domestic ACT masterpiece also contribute to this emotion, particularly for those who have followed its long development.
- Hope (weight 0.04): Hope is expressed for future improvements, particularly regarding optimization, bug fixes, and overall polish through patches and updates. Players also hope for the continued success and improvement of domestic single-player games, believing the game has potential if its current issues are resolved.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Anger is directed at the game's unplayable technical state, perceived poor quality after a long development cycle, and high price. Players are also angry about the lack of timely updates, poor voice acting, and what they see as unjustified design choices or excuses for the game's flaws.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from the core hack-and-slash combat, which many players find fun and engaging, especially with the variety of combos and skills. The overall gameplay experience, character visual design, and a nostalgic feeling for classic action games also contribute to this positive emotion.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Players are annoyed by jarring animations, distracting or poor voice acting (especially for companions), and occasional FPS drops. Other sources of annoyance include specific mini-games, strange camera movements, and the perceived negativity or 'review bombing' from other players.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion arises from the discrepancy between their own positive experiences (e.g., good performance) and the widespread negative feedback from other players. Players are also confused by specific design choices, technical oversights, and the game's overall identity or lack of polish.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is expressed for the developers' dedication, persistence, and the achievement of creating an action game, especially given its origins as a solo project and the challenges of making single-player games in China. Players also admire the character designs and imaginative scenery.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the developers' effort, particularly in character design and focusing on core action elements, especially for a first project from a small studio. The game's style and the persistence of the development team in pursuing their dream project are also valued.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy is felt from the game finally being released after a long wait and from the overall positive and fun gameplay experience. The pure and exhilarating combat also brings joy to players, even when acknowledging the presence of bugs.
- Support (weight 0.01): Players express support for domestic single-player games and the developer, Yang Bing, often viewing him as a 'dream builder.' This support is driven by a desire to see the game and its creator succeed, despite any existing flaws.
- Acceptance (weight 0.01): Acceptance is shown towards the game's flaws, often attributed to the team's size and scope, or simply getting used to minor issues. Players accept that the game is still playable despite performance drops and a predictable story.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from unintentionally funny aspects of the game, such as overly dramatic plot moments, the absurdity of the story, or finding charm in its low-budget feel. Some players also find amusement in others' complaints about minor issues.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Players experience mixed feelings due to the game's uneven quality, finding it pleasant in some aspects but empty or rough in others. This often stems from the game's long development history and specific issues like English voice acting, animations, and a slow beginning.
- Anticipation (weight 0): Anticipation is driven by the long wait for the game's release and the desire to unlock more weapons and skills. Players also look forward to future boss battles and the game's potential for improvement with better performance.
- Concern (weight 0): Concern is raised by severe technical issues such as screen flickering, numerous bugs, and performance problems with certain abilities. The game's $60 price, poor voice acting, and the overall negative reception from other reviewers also cause concern.
- Optimism (weight 0): Optimism is based on the belief that the game's minor issues can be fixed with future patches and updates, leading to a solid story and improved performance. Players are optimistic about the game's potential to be fun despite its current flaws.
- Boredom (weight 0): Boredom is caused by the game feeling tedious, particularly during fights and story segments. Unengaging cutscenes and formulaic music also contribute to a lack of interest in the gameplay experience.}