PlayStation today dropped a touching new developer diary, A Hero’s Journey, about Lost Soul Aside, and it is one of those “from nothing to something incredible” tales that just hits differently when you know the backstory.
What Is Lost Soul Aside
First, if you did not hear about this game yet, here is a small overview of what it is about! At its core, Lost Soul Aside is a single-player action-adventure RPG where you control Kaser, a young hero orphaned by war. Kaser is now a member of the GLIMMER resistance. He is guided by his companion Arena. This is the dragon-like “Voidrax” that will transform into weapons and various attacks.
Kaser wields a variety of weapons:
- Swords
- Greatswords
- Poleblades
- Scythes
On top of that, you can add Arena’s other unique abilities like Frost Blast, Crystal Blast, or Purgatory Dance.
The game takes you across multiple worlds and dimensions as Kaser fights to rescue his sister Louisa and stop the Voidrax invaders and their ruthless commander, Aramon, who seeks to exploit the planet’s Life Nexus.
You can expect a fast-paced, fluid combat combined with a story of survival, loyalty, and interdimensional conflict. Everything you need for a thrilling hero’s journey!
A Creation Born of Passion
What started in 2014 as a personal project by Yang Bing, filled by his love for titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, quickly became something unexpected. His early demo trailer is born from pure passion and went viral! It directly put his project on Sony’s radar.
The result? An invitation to join the China Hero Project, a PlayStation initiative that supports emerging Chinese developers. With that support, Yang’s hobby quickly changes into a full-fledged team effort, with new resources, teams, and the help to dream bigger.
How the Project Evolved
In the developer video, the team walks you through the evolution of Lost Soul Aside. The combat and boss designs clearly reflect the team’s careful, repeated work! They tried things, refined them, and polished them until they felt just right.
Yang and his team aimed for fast, fluid hack-and-slash combat, with a variety of weapons combined with elemental magic. Each attack, combo, and spell is brought to life with amazing visuals, dynamic animations, and immersive sound design, making every move feel powerful and satisfying.
Building Worlds and Bonds
The interview also gives us a first look at how this world and story came to be. It was all about place and storytelling. Yang describes crafting levels that will make you go “wow”.
You have a lot of different environments, the weather shifts, and the sound mixes rock and electronic music to electrify each scene. The protagonist is a hero bonded to a giant beast. Together, they face an epic threat, making the narrative as interesting as the combat.
During your journey, you bond not only with the hero, but also with the beast he is connected to. As you travel through valleys, forests, towns, and more, these bonds grow stronger with every step!
Trials, Teamwork, Triumph
The development was not smooth. Early on, the team hit walls because of lack of experience, moral struggles, technical mistakes. But as support from PlayStation and the China Hero Project grew stronger, so did their confidence and capability.
What was once a solo prototype is now a big studio effort. Sony’s feedback helped refine gameplay and enemy behavior, and the original art direction and combat style remained strong as well.
The game finally launches August 29, 2025, on PS5 and PC! You can expect a game that looks and feels next-gen. The PC version supports 4K HDR, ray-tracing, and seamless DualSense integration. Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro version also ramps up the performance!
Keep an eye on our latest news! We will share more about Lost Soul Aside as we get closer to launch!
You can also watch the Behind The Scene video here:
