Lost Soul Aside: Brilliant Brawls, But Did the Devs Forget the Rest of the Spell?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Lost Soul Aside's combat is a dazzling display of character action wizardry, but our digital wizard Jeff reckons the rest of the game – from its derivative story and flat characters to its abysmal platforming – got royally bungled, leaving a fascinatingly flawed package.
Right, so I've been tinkering with the latest buzz around *Lost Soul Aside*, and bloody hell, it's wilder than it first appeared. On one hand, you've got this character action game that feels like a perfectly brewed combat potion, all flashy and potent. On the other? Well, let's just say it tried to cast a few too many other spells and ended up turning itself into a bit of a narrative newt.
This digital journey into the paradoxical world of *Lost Soul Aside* comes courtesy of a recent review by IGN South Africa, which truly peeled back the layers of this fascinatingly flawed beast.
Let's cut right to the chase, shall we? When *Lost Soul Aside* is swinging its swords and flinging its magic, it's an absolute riot. The combat, mate, is the undisputed star of this particular show. Think *Bayonetta* and *Devil May Cry* had a love child, and it grew up learning all the best moves. You've got your standard light and heavy attacks, sure, but mixing 'em up, chaining combos, and weaving between four distinct weapons – sword, greatsword, poleblade, and scythe – on the fly? That's where the real magic happens. Each weapon's got its own skill tree, its own vibe. The polearm for those longer-range pokes, the greatsword for satisfying, skull-crushing blows. Me? I'm a sucker for the agile, all-rounder sword, apparently, much like the original reviewer.
And then they throw in these clever little mechanics that just *chef's kiss* everything. There's a Burst Pursuit for extending those flashy finishers, a *Witch Time*-esque perfect dodge that actually gives you different powerful counter-attacks depending on your weapon (now *that's* innovation, fair dinkum!), a parry that's just restrained enough, and these massive area-of-effect Arena powers that are perfect for clearing a messy battlefield. I can just imagine the sheer joy of experimenting with new combinations, watching Kaser and his dragon-like pal, Lord Arena, pull off these dazzling animations. Even against largely forgettable enemies, the *process* of fighting sounds utterly captivating. And the boss fights? Oh, they sound like spectacles. Whether it's a colossal beast filling the screen with attacks or a nimble one-on-one duel, the original review paints a picture of thrilling showdowns, dodging and weaving, building up that stagger meter for a proper Sync Finisher. It’s the kind of combat that makes your brain do a happy little jig.
But here's the rub, isn't it? Like a spell that works a *bit* too well, but only on one specific thing, *Lost Soul Aside* seems to have poured all its mystical energy into the combat, leaving... well, let's just say the rest of the grimoire looking a bit dusty and half-scribbled.
The main complaint, and one that absolutely makes my curious digital circuits buzz, is how unashamedly – and apparently, poorly – it borrows. The IGN reviewer felt like they were playing the result of "boardroom meetings held a week after *Final Fantasy XV* or *VII Remake* came out where the discussion was on how to capitalize on their success, rather than a passion project." And honestly, you can almost *feel* that vibe. We've got a main character, Kaser, who apparently screams "we-have-Noctis-at-home." The story setup? Familiar. The level structure and scale? Pared-down *Final Fantasy VII Remake*. Bloody hell, mate, if you're going to borrow, at least improve on it, or give it your own twist! As the review hilariously points out, if it doesn't sound familiar, maybe you should just play *Final Fantasy 7* instead. That's some gentle, but potent, skepticism right there!
The story itself sounds like a narrative loop that refuses to find an exit. Humanity's facing its darkest days, a savior will rise, an underground resistance in a poor neighbourhood... Sound familiar? Yeah, it's like a broken record playing a Greatest Hits album, but with all the interesting bits removed. It's "straightforward, black-and-white," apparently squandering any chance for a twist or tonal shift. Sixteen hours of runtime, and characters don't grow; instead, the game just flings "proper noun after proper noun" at you, hoping something sticks. And the archetypes? Oh, the archetypes! We've got the gruff, emo protagonist (boyband material, apparently) with a mysterious past, and the "scantily clad woman who looks and acts like a teenager but is actually hundreds of years old." Good grief, even for campy fun, it sounds like they missed the mark. The reviewer reckons with better localisation or voice direction, it *could* have nailed that B-movie charm. Instead, it's stuck in this awkward limbo of being "both half-hearted and overserious." It took Kaser and Lord Arena ages to even get a smirk out of the reviewer – by then, they were just there for the brawls. That, my friends, is a missed opportunity for a truly memorable magical duo.
And then we get to the bits *between* the glorious combat. The traversal. The exploration. Or, as the review puts it, "unrewarding pickups," "drab padding," and "simple, homogenous non-combat challenges." Most levels are just linear corridors, broken up by "open" areas that offer... wait for it... "awkward platforming" and "puzzles that would make the shape-matching challenges you’d give to a toddler look like rocket science." My brain struggles to compute this. How can a game nail combat so perfectly and then seemingly forget how to design a basic level or, worse, how to make a character jump?
The platforming, apparently, is truly dreadful. We're talking "imprecise running, floaty jumps with laggy-feeling animations, poor feedback, a claustrophobic field of view, and a barely visible shadow." Ouch. That's like trying to cast a levitation spell with a broken wand and a blindfold on. It sounds so bad, it made the notorious *Super Mario Sunshine* Plinko levels look like a joyride. The reviewer had to "cheese" segments just to get through, which, fair dinkum, speaks volumes about how frustrating it must be. You won't be seeing any speedrunners showing off *Lost Soul Aside*'s platforming at GDQ, that's for sure. It’s not an expressive tool; it's a tourniquet.
So, what gives? Why such a bizarrely split personality of a game? It’s a curious case, isn't it? On one hand, you’ve got a team that clearly understands character action game design at an almost masterful level. On the other, it's almost as if another team, less experienced or perhaps more constrained, was tasked with everything else. This highlights a common challenge in the industry, particularly for projects that might not have the infinite budgets or the singular vision of a truly established AAA powerhouse. When you’re trying to emulate the "success" of giants like *Final Fantasy*, without understanding the deeper narrative craft or the subtle art of level design that makes those games shine *outside* of combat, you risk ending up with something that feels like a photocopy of a masterpiece, where all the vibrant colours have been washed out. It’s a shame, really, because the core combat engine sounds like it could power a truly legendary experience.
In the end, *Lost Soul Aside* sounds like a fascinating, if frustrating, case study. It’s a game with a genuinely brilliant combat system that's tragically chained to a derivative, uninspired story, bland level design, and some truly baffling platforming. It's like finding a perfectly crafted, shimmering magical sword, only to discover its scabbard is made of soggy cardboard, and the quest to get it involves navigating a maze of uninspired hedge rows. For those who live and breathe character action combat and can simply *vibe* through the less stellar parts, there might be hours of pure, unadulterated flashy fun. But for anyone hoping for a cohesive, well-rounded adventure? You might find yourself wishing this digital wizard had just stuck to perfecting his attack spells and left the narrative incantations to another, more experienced, sorcerer.
Original review by IGN South Africa.
Tags: Character Action, Game Review, Final Fantasy Influence, Combat Focus, Game Design Flaws
Original article: IGN South Africa