The Lost

The Lost is a cancelled PS2 and Xbox game from Irrational Games and FXLabs. It was to be a third-person combat with survival horror, platformer, and RPG elements.

Plot
You would play as Amanda Wright, waitress and medical student. Her only daughter Beatrice is killed in a car accident. Amanda sells her soul to the devil to enter Hell to retrieve Beatrice's soul.

Virgil, a reptilian being, guides Amanda through Hell. The game was heavily inspired by the Inferno part of The Divine Comedy.

Gameplay
Amanda can trade identities with four beings called Entities. These grant her powers. Each character has six skill that use mana and three different weapons each.

There are nine levels spread throughout five locations. These are representative of the nine levels of Dante's Inferno. Locations ranged from a castle to an industrial area.

Development
At E3 2002 the game was applauded for its concept but derided for its poor framerate. The graphics engine was LithTech 3D, which was designed for FPS games. The graphics engine was swapped to the Unreal Engine, delaying the game to 2003.

Cancellation
Crave Entertainment picked up the publishing rights but then changed business models to be more budget-game orientated. The Lost was pretty much complete but was unable to be released due to these legal issues.

FXLabs, the Indian studio co-developing The Lost, had the rights to the game. They retooled the game and released it as Netherworld: Beyond Time I Stand in 2009.

Video
Gameplay from E3 2002.