The 20 Worst Games Of 2025
6. Lost Soul Aside
Lost Soul Aside shows just what can be done when a company gerrymanders a development team into existence rather than letting it grow around a project organically. And it’s not great.
The action-adventure RPG puts you in control of Kaser, an orphan of a great fantasy war who sets out to save his sister Louisa and all humanity from the dragon-like Voidrax. You are aided by Arena - a companion character who transforms into weapons and elements (a little like Clair Obscur) - and progress through various environments on your quest.
Lost Soul Aside began as a one-man development from Yang Bing, but Sony took it on and manoeuvred it to become part of its China Hero Project, an initiative designed to prioritise and further the careers and projects of Chinese developers, and thereby changed the course of the game forever. And it is hard not to feel this influence.
The game has a vibe not dissimilar to some of the old Devil May Cry games, or even Final Fantasy, but without the strong, charismatic characters that drove those series to continual success. The combat is decent, but the puzzles are far too easy for a serious gamer, the exploration is generally dull and linear, and the world never sucks you in or feels all that believable.
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