"Lost Soul Aside Blocked on Steam in Over 130 Countries by Sony"

The highly anticipated game, Lost Soul Aside, will launch with a significant caveat: it will be region-locked for over 130 countries on Steam, much to the dismay of PC gamers around the world. This restriction has led many fans to reconsider their decision to purchase the game. Dive deeper to understand the implications of the region lock and gain insights from recent interviews with the game's director.

Lost Soul Aside Locked For 130+ Countries At Launch

Players Frustrated With Lost Soul Aside Being Region-Locked

UltiZero Games' upcoming title, Lost Soul Aside, will face region-locking at launch, causing widespread frustration among gamers. This move is part of Sony's ongoing strategy to limit the availability of PlayStation-published games. According to SteamDB, the game will not be accessible in over 130 countries that are not supported by the PlayStation Network (PSN).

Interestingly, Lost Soul Aside does not mandate a PSN account for gameplay. However, the region lock means that the game will not even appear on Steam in unsupported countries. To circumvent this, players would need to create a new Steam account in a country where PSN is supported—a solution that has left many scratching their heads, especially since PlayStation recently eliminated PSN requirements for their PC titles. The backlash has been swift, with PC gamers voicing their discontent across social media and forums, many vowing not to purchase the game due to these restrictions.

Lost Soul Aside Will Blend Fantasy Elements With Realistic Visuals

Since its initial announcement in 2016, Lost Soul Aside has consistently showcased a unique blend of fantasy and realistic visuals. In an IGN interview on February 20, 2025, UltiZero Games CEO Yang Bing elaborated on the game's artistic direction and inspiration.

Bing emphasized that the game's style has remained consistent since its first promotional video, maintaining its high-speed, flashy combat. He stated, "So this is something that we have been sticking to for all these years. During this development process, we, of course, continued to see some new and excellent works, which maybe we got some influence through, [on] our thought along the way. So from the beginning, this personal trailer gradually evolved into a more mature and well-run version, I should say."

Bing also highlighted the influence of Final Fantasy 15 on Lost Soul Aside, particularly in the design of the protagonist, Kaser. Kaser's character design combines cartoonish facial features and hairstyles with realistic textures for skin, hair, and clothing, embodying the game's fusion of fantasy and reality.

Influences From Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil May Cry

Lost Soul Aside draws inspiration from a variety of acclaimed Japanese games, including Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil May Cry. In an interview with Famitsu on February 20, 2025, Yang Bing discussed how these influences have shaped different aspects of the game.

He noted that the design of Kaser is heavily influenced by the Final Fantasy series, aiming to merge realistic and fantastical elements. Yang explained, "I had a designer design the clothes for the main character, and I wanted to combine realistic and fantasy elements, just like in FF. After the clothes are designed, they are actually made and reproduced in the game. By doing so, we thought that the players would feel as if it actually existed, and that the main character, Kazel, would also feel as a bloody, realistic character."

Regarding combat, Yang drew parallels with Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil May Cry, emphasizing the game's fast-paced and flashy combat system. He added, "We're also constantly improving and refining the combat system, maintaining a sense of speed in combat while also adding a certain amount of depth. Players can develop their own style, and even if they are not good at sequential moves, they can use various systems to achieve high performance and make the game go smoothly."

Lost Soul Aside is slated for release on May 30, 2025, on PlayStation 5 and PC. Stay tuned for more updates and detailed coverage on this exciting title!