Lost Soul Aside is nothing if not interesting, a blend of the glossy, flashy combat of real-time Final Fantasy games and the save-the-world story of a shonen anime. In some ways, it’s actually remarkably derivative, but Lost Soul Aside‘s unique background, and decidedly indie roots, make it notable.
As those who followed the game in the leadup to launch are likely already aware, it’s been a long time coming: Lost Soul Aside began development back in 2014, helmed by solo developer Yang Bing, who eventually released a gameplay showcase in 2016. Upon the reveal, Sony took notice and contacted Yang Bing to offer assistance as part of the burgeoning China Hero Project, an initiative designed to elevate Chinese developers. Taking Sony up on its offer, Yang Bing was able to expand his operation and found UltiZero Games, ultimately getting Lost Soul Aside across the finish line this year. Whether the game was worth the wait is debatable, as it’s landed to a rather lukewarm reception, but the context of its development is fascinating to dissect, if nothing else.
Lost Soul Aside’s Development Story Is Part of an Ongoing Saga
China’s Gaming Market Led to Lost Soul Aside
Despite being a major political power and among the world’s top exporters of wine, textiles, and electronics, China has had a remarkably muted presence in the games industry, historically. The 1970s and 1980s were the proving grounds for many companies that would grow in strength and influence in the modern age, like Nintendo, but China was in the midst of economic turmoil following the death of Mao Zedong during this time. Once console gaming took off, China cultivated a black market that deterred foreign investment in the space, and the Chinese government ultimately banned video game consoles outright in 2000, citing concerns of addiction. Of course, China is far less bearish about video games now, as evidenced by recent releases like Black Myth Wukong and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
But China didn’t lift its console ban until 2015, a year after Lost Soul Aside began development. As such, Yang Bing wasn’t in a position to be aided by local powers, which created the opening Sony needed: the China Hero Project was born, in part, from a desire to capitalize on China’s reluctance to invest in video games. Lost Soul Aside joined the China Hero Project during what Sony called its first phase, and Sony’s Shanghai office highlighted the game as being significant in the early days of the initiative. Thus, Lost Soul Aside became one of the Project’s first foster children, its patrons clearly hopeful about its prospects.
While it would have been nice for this early China Hero Project release to have been a smash hit, a modest success is better than nothing. Maybe expectations for Lost Soul Aside were a bit lofty, but then again, it’s the debut of a novice game-maker and a brand-new studio founded under unusual circumstances; it’s no small miracle that the game was released at all. Sony didn’t come aboard as publisher for the game until 2022, and Yang Bing reported that the Japanese company was instrumental during particularly difficult periods of development, so it’s clear that there was a good level of collaboration here. Hopefully, the China Hero Project will continue to assist passionate newcomers for the foreseeable future; perhaps audiences will even see a Lost Soul Aside 2 someday.
