Summary
- The First Berserker: Khazan aims to be more than a Soulslike, but its design is heavily influenced by FromSoftware principles.
- Gameplay focuses on visceral combat, with satisfying heavy and light attacks, but dodging feels ineffective, and stamina management is crucial.
- Khazan's unique cel-shaded art style and character design help it stand out, but its identity as a game remains undecided between Soulslike and Dungeon & Fighter.
Over the past few years, non-FromSoftware Soulslikes have become all the rage, with varying degrees of success. In my humble opinion, is the pinnacle of the category, although games like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Enotria: The Last Song, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Star Wars Jedi, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Lords of the Fallen have also successfully dippe♈d their toes into the genre.
The First Berserker: Khazan is the latest title to vent☂ure into what the developers call the “Hardcore action RPG” space, and I got to go hands-on with it at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.
More Than A Soulslike?
Set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe, our titular hero Khazan has been branded a traitor, ♌had his tendons severed in both arms, and has been cast away into a snowy mountainous region. Through our control, he sets out on a path of destruction and revenge to right his wrongs and exact pain on those who exiled him.
Khazan’s developers were quick to 𓄧tell me that the game would be more than just another Soulslike. But🐲 from the demo I got to play, I failed to see much proof of that.
Khazan’s developers were quick to tell me that the game would be more than just a༺nother So♛ulslike.
Every element of The First Berserker is root𝕴ed in FromSoft’s design principles. The gear, the leveling system, the bonfire-esque checkpoints, it’s hard to see how this is anything but another game in the genre.ꦑ But that’s not necessarily a bad thing for those sadists out there looking for another challenge.
Humble Beginnings
Despite being a once-mighty hero, Khazan is stripped of💧 everything that made him powerful, including⛦ the use of his arms. This should have, in theory, made the beginning of The First Berserker very, very difficult.
A quick pact later, however, and Khazan is blessed with not only the use of his ꦿarms but also a powerful sword/axe combo, disappointingly retconning the previous plot points, as our hero is once again able to tear enemies apart with a few swift swings of his weapons.
But I didn’t jump into my The First Berzerker: Khazan demo for the plot; I came for the ultimate anime-esque Souls power fantasy, and that’s what I ⛄got. Mostly.
As I touched on earlier, as much🍌 as the devs are reluctant to admit it, the game is a cel-shaded Soulslike, and its combat is the perfect predication o💟f this. Fights are dictated by the need to alternate between heavy and light attacks, with an emphasis on dodge rolls and blocks (but no parries) used to avoid attacks.
Each hit with Khazan’s sword or axe felt visceral and punchy, which is precisely what you want from a hardcore action RPG. Plus, any game that has numbers fly out of an enemy on impact e𝄹arns bonus points from me. So far, so good.
Each hit with Khazan’s sword or axe ꧂felt visceral and punchy, which is precisely what you want from a hardcore action RPG.
But while attacking in The First Berserker felt great, the defensive side of the game had me pulling my hair🌳 out. If you’ve read any of my previous commentaries on Soulslikes, you’ll know I’ꦐm bad at parrying, so its omission is no big deal for me, but that means that the dodging needs to feel perfect. In Khazan, it doesn’t.
During the famed dodge roll, I never generated enough distance from an enem🧜y, and it never seemed like there were enough I-Frames, meaning fundamentally, they felt wholly ineffective. As somebody whose crutch is a dodge, this frustrated m🔯e to the point where I almost completely stopped using them, opting to block instead.
Blocking, however, is a bigger drain of stamina, and running out of stamina is fatal. As you’d expect from a game of this ilk, every motion in combat usesꦇ stamina. You hit an enemy, stamina drain; you dodge an enemy, stamina drain; you block an enemy, yep, stamina drain. Taking a hit once Khazan’s out of stamina will stagger him, leadi♓ng to the enemy having their way with him and almost certainly killing him. This was by far the biggest source of deaths, and exasperation, in my preview.
Cel-Shaded Supremacy
While the combat needs fine-tuning ahead of launch, I was instantly enamored with Khazan’s art style. I’ve always♓ been a sucker for a bit of cel shading, and Khazan has it in abundance.
Its characters and enemies are drawn in a cel-shaded ar⛦t style, while its backdrops are “semi-realistic,” giving the game a really interesting stylistic juxtaposition.
Khazan’s art dir🌼ector, Kyuchul Lee, told me that this technique was implemented to make the game feel more evocative and emotional, likening it to “watching an animated film in a theatre.” It certainly helps it to stand out in a sea of murky competito🐭rs.
I was instantly enamored with Khazan’s art style.
And, for as good as the visual style was, the game’s character design was equally🌱 as compelling. As somebody unfamiliar with DNF lore, the range of human and non൲-human enemies kept me on my toes throughout my 30 minutes with the game. I tussled with hulking guards, ranged bowmen, monkeys, and golem-like creatures in this short window, acquainting myself with some of the game’s NPCs along the way.
The First Berserker: Khazan has potential, but🔜 it needs to shake off its confusion and decide what it wants to be. If it settles on becoming a Soulslike game, there’s a serviceable experience in here. Its unique look and engaging setting mean that there will be more than enough to satisfy those looking to scratch a Souls itch.
Unfortunately, it feels like the developers are comᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚmitted to putting all of their eggs in the Dungeon & Fighter basket, meaning that although the game has clear Souls DNA, it could end up as some strange, messy hybrid that fails to commit to anything.
The First Berserker: Khazan is a hardcore action role-playing game. The player will become Khazan, the great general of the Pell Los Empire, who overcame death, and sets out to reveal the incidents that led to his downfall and seek vengeance on his enemies.
Khazan and Ozma, the heroes who saved the Pell Los Empire from Hismar the Berserk Dragon and the Dragon Legion. However, General Khazan, falsely accused of treason, becomes a wretched outcast as he is condemned to exile beyond the empire through brutal torture.
YOU MUST PREVAIL
Survive the relentless pursuit of imperial forces, navigate conspiracies aimed at killing Khazan, and overcome the harsh environments you encounter.
YOU MUST REMEMBER
You were once a hero in the history of Arad, a once-in-a-lifetime figure. Recall the forgotten skills of battle learned through brutal torture and slay the enemies who defame and stand against you.
YOU MUST RECLAIM
Find all potential enemies, reclaim everything that was taken from you, seek revenge, and regain the honor and glory that rightfully belong to you.
Story
The First Berserker: Khazan is a game that adapts the universe of DNF (one of Nexon's globally known intellectual properties), dealing with the story of Ozma and Khazan.
The player will become the hero "Khazan," the ancestor of all Slayers and the one who defeated Hismar the Berserk Dragon, proceeding to uncover the truth of his downfall within the empire.
Action
The First Berserker: Khazan is a hardcore action role-playing game.
Experience DNF's frantic hack and slash style mixed with hardcore action as Khazan's devastating battles await you.
Growth
The First Berserker: Khazan is an RPG with various equipment and perks to customize your own way of growth.
Play as the protagonist "Khazan," upgrading not only character abilities but also co🅠mbining different types of weapon and armor abilities to match your playstyle.
