The First Berserker: Khazan is not a bad game, and I am just going to say that firsthand. If anything, it is a good souls-like game. The more time you spend in it, the more layers you peel. It offers quality time from the beginning to 30 hours that I have put into the game and counting. The demo was well received, and the game built on that strength. The demo was not the main course but rather an appetizer, and the full game is the main meal if that makes sense.
There are a lot of things to like about the game and some things not to like about it. However, I want to make one thing clear: the good things outweigh the bad things by a huge margin. It means that the game is a good experience overall. If you have played the demo, then there are a lot of things that you haven’t seen. There are aspects to the game that show up once you fully commit to the game. And let me tell you, some of these aspects can be a treat. It brings us to the question, Is The First Berserker: Khazan worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise (Spoiler Free)
Players will be put into the shoes of Khazan, who was once a great general. He made a name for himself by defeating a powerful berserk dragon. In a plot twist, instead of being hailed as a hero, Khazan is framed by the emperor and branded a traitor. He then embarks on a quest to take revenge and reclaim his honor.
A spirit has merged with Khazan, which is a being from the Netherworld called the Blade Phantom. Blade Phantom gives him more power, which is exactly what he needs to take down the empire. That’s all there is to know about the story of The First Berserker: Khazan because it is pretty generic. It’s not like one can expect a story-driven narrative from a souls-like game. I wonder why that has never been done. Anyway, the game does have an anime-inspired art style, and that suits it.
Gameplay
Even though the developers are branding it as an RPG, at its core, it is very much a souls-like game. It hits the mark of the type of game it wants to be while still being souls-like. Its quality and gameplay remind me of Lies of P, which was another surprisingly good souls-like. It is among the most difficult games in the genre, so keep that in mind. Once you get to the boss, the chances of you being stuck there for hours are quite high.
There are things in the game that go beyond mere punishment. The First Berserker: Khazan is divided into different missions, but you are not locked out. So after beating them, you can explore that region to your heart’s content. You can even replay each mission to fight bosses and get better loot. There are bonus missions as well, which are easier than the main ones with their own side stories. These side missions are quite good. It offers a good diversion when you are stuck with a difficult boss.
The RPG
The First Berserker: Khazan is also an RPG with a skill tree and a souls-type leveling system. Armor customization also plays a huge part and lets you create builds as per your play style. The leveling and loot systems are not in harmony with each other. You get a lot of loot, which is good in theory. In reality, you might get an item with all the good attributes, but due to its low level, it is unusable since it’s not at the recommended power level.
Late in the game, you do unlock a blacksmith, but the stuff there is expensive. You might need to deconstruct nearly all of your gear just to craft an armor set. There is a red glowing stuff that you can interact with, which can drop a mini-boss. Defeating these mini-bosses offers guaranteed loot, so you can always trigger them to get higher-level loot if needed.
Exploration
Every part of a map is worth exploring because if you don’t explore, then you will miss out on items that are important in combat, putting you at a severe disadvantage. There are also fetch quests and a currency of sorts, which can be used to buy special stat-boosting jar hamlets that give a major stat boost.
The art style and the colors of the environment are stale, which makes it really hard to look for equipment and find items in corners. There are not many amazing-looking scenes. Up until 18 to 20 hours, most I saw were caves and sewers in The First Berserker: Khazan. So, new environments are introduced pretty late in the game. Even if levels don’t look great, their layout is pretty good.
Combat
Combat is the main element of the game, and it is something that you will be doing most of the time. The game gives you the choice to select one of the three weapon types. It includes a great sword, a spear, and a dual-wield axe and sword. Each of the weapons has its own skill tree, which can be upgraded that unlock new powerful attacks, abilities, buffs, and combos.
At its core, it is a souls-like game, and there is no other way to describe it. Like any other souls-like, there are parries, dodges, and stamina. You will also need to rely on knowing the attack patterns of the bosses. Parry is more reliable, but you would still need to dodge a lot to get out of the enemy’s grasp.
The First Berserker: Khazan becomes more fun when you start using attacks and abilities that Khazan unlocks. These powerful attacks use a spirit gauge, which is a meter on top of your health bar. Combat is stratifying, and if you like the souls-like game, then it is something you won’t get tired of in this game. You won’t be repeating the same attack and action consistently, which makes it more fun.
Similar to the Bonefire system, you have such a checkpoint. You can use it to save the game and respawn there when you die. Interacting with it or respawning will respawn all the enemies. You usually get a shortcut to Bonefire when you progress, so you don’t have to finish all the enemies just to save once more. If you have played the souls-like games, then you know the drill.
Boss Fights
Boss fights are when The First Berserker: Khazan is at its best, and that’s when your combat skills are put to the test. These boss fights can be pretty intense, even for a souls-like game. When you get to a boss fight, expect to spend a few hours in it. If you have played a decent amount of games from the genre then it will take 10 to twenty tries to kill most of the bosses but for a noob like me oh boy. I don’t play that many Souls games, so this was to be expected.
In terms of look, every boss looks interesting, which makes them more menacing. Fights are based on memorizing enemy attack patterns and responding at the right time. Just don’t expect to take them down in one clean swoop. You have to know when to attack and when to defend. Enemies have long combos, so they can take you out with one such combo.
You should rely on parry, not the dodge because the big moments of attacks take place when you deplete the enemy’s stamina. Some bosses have weak points, so if you land enough hits on the weak points, it will break, enabling you to do major damage. Not all bosses have it, so keep that in mind.
One of the things that was really annoying was the status effect that the enemy inflicts on you, even if you land a perfect hit. I guess it’s there to encourage you to dodge. There is no cheat difficulty, so the damage is due to your screw-ups.
Verdict (Is The First Berserker: Khazan Worth It?)
The First Berserker: Khazan is an amazing souls-like game that will resonate with many players who are into the genre. However, if you are not into such games, then this might not work for you. Don’t expect Elden Ring’s level of grandness. That aside, it is a good non-From Software game that fans of the genre won’t get enough of. As I said in the beginning, there are too many positives of the game and not many negatives, which speaks for its merit.
The negatives, like the loot system, go in the background once you are immersed in the game. It checks most of the boxes for an amazing souls-like experience with epic bosses, good music, good combat system. All the stuff that makes a good souls-like is there. It might not be a perfect experience, but it is above most of the games from the Souls genre. If you have played the demo and like it, then this is a must-play.
Buy from Our Affiliates and Support The Looter Shooters By Clicking on The Image Below
Trailer:
