The First Berserker: Khazan

With blisteringly fast paced combat and visceral gameplay, The First Berserker: Khazan is a masterclass in the hardcore action RPG genre. Unrelenting bosses, vivid and varied environments, and fair-but-challenging foes come together with engaging mechanics to create an unforgettable journey of vengeance.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a breath of fresh air in the Soulslike genre. While it carries the core elements that fans expect, it distinguishes itself with enough unique ideas to feel new and exciting. As I mentioned, I’m not amazing at these types of games, and I definitely struggled at times, but I never felt disheartened or that the game was unfairly difficult. In some cases, my own playstyle might have made things harder—I often prioritized fashion over optimal stats—but that only added to the personal challenge and enjoyment. Whether you’re drawn to the game for its rewarding combat, gripping story, or immersive world, it delivers a near-perfect combination of all three. It’s an experience well worth trying, no matter what aspect of the genre you love most.

Those willing to truly master The First Berserker: Khazan will be treated to a world that is equal parts brutal and rewarding.

Among the finest soulslike games around, though the label doesn’t quite do it justice. This is an action game brimming with charisma, featuring fierce, exhilarating gameplay destined to earn a place in the hall of fame of great classics. Even if you're not familiar with the lore of Dungeon & Fighter, it's still worth diving into its dark fantasy story and experiencing a game that caters to all those who crave a real challenge.

With its excellent combat system, complementary mechanics, solid level and enemy design, and engaging story, The First Berserker: Khazan stands out as one of the best action RPGs in recent years. While its heavy inspiration from FromSoftware and Team NINJA’s latest titles is a little too evident, and PC performance issues occasionally impact the experience, the tale of Great General Khazan is a compelling one that makes for a great game and the perfect introduction to the world of Dungeon Fighter Online.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a game that understands the essence of Souls-like games, but brings its own identity. Its combat system is deep, the pace of evolution is well balanced, and the narrative manages to be engaging without giving up the freedom of interpretation. With some performance adjustments and refinements in graphic details, it would be a milestone, but it easily enters the list of greats of the genre.

Derivative though it most certainly is, The First Berserker: Khazan is still incredibly fun to play because combat is so satisfying. The gothic anime visuals look great, and the game manages to sneak a few new and smart mechanics into the formula. The First Berserker: Khazan may be a familiar experience, but it’s probably a must-play for fans of hardcore action games and Soulslikes.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a great game for fans of the Souls-like genre, especially those who enjoyed the Nioh series. The combat is fun and challenging, the progression systems are deep and satisfying, and the art design is impressive. But I honestly don't think it's for anyone who isn't a Souls fan.

It's not without its flaws, but The First Berserker: Khazan is ferociously capable of instilling first hatred and then love in the most determined player to tame it, and this makes it a must-have for any hardcore action game fan.

Quotation forthcoming.

Khazan is pure hardcore souls-like, with gameplay and progression systems that add to the classic formula, and the final result is really enjoyable to play. Neople's game is visually appealing, with a dark fantasy universe halfway between Dark Souls and Berserk, and very well-polished Tales of art direction. An excellent, addictive game that doesn't reinvent the formula, but remains solid enough to be one of the best games of the new year. It will nevertheless slow down some players who get tired of being destroyed by certain bosses, but the satisfaction at the end is well worth the hundreds of times you see the Game Over screen.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a game that most action RPG fans will likely enjoy. While it has its flaws and falls short of being a masterpiece, it delivers exactly what was expected. At the very least, it’s a solid and well-crafted title.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a game built on an exceptionally solid foundation, featuring excellent gameplay, impressive visuals, and challenging, meticulously designed bosses. This strong base demonstrates immense potential, but unfortunately, it falls short due to its repetitive and lackluster sidequests. As a result, what could have been one of the standout games of the year becomes instead a solid recommendation primarily for fans of challenging action games.

For a hardcore action RPG, The First Berserker Khazan doesn't lie about the goods. But, beyond a very high - and almost caricatured - difficulty, the Neople studio demonstrates very impressive know-how (especially for its first project of the genre), and this throughout the 60-70 hours that the adventure lasts. Frankly, despite a structure already seen and a slight lack on the technical and artistic direction side, it's difficult to expect more from a demanding action role-playing game. The fights are top-notch, the bosses too, there are even little "twists" that constantly punctuate the progression. What do you say again? Oh yes... first attempt, masterstroke!

The First Berserker: Khazan delivers a rewarding hardcore action experience, appealing even to players unfamiliar with Dungeon & Fighter. Emphasizing mastery over its deep combat systems, the game offers increasingly satisfying gameplay the more time players invest. While some may expect similarities to FromSoftware titles, its design is more in line with Team Ninja’s Nioh series, delivering a fast-paced and technical challenge.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a Soulslike that is brutal and genuinely challenging, yet never unfair to the player. Its combat system, finely tuned, satisfying, and varied, keeps players engaged until the very end, offering a worthy title for fans of the genre. While it may rely a bit too heavily on NiOh’s structure, it unfortunately inherits some of its more frustrating flaws, which inevitably prevent it from fully reaching its potential.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a truly great hardcore action RPG that fans of the genre owe it to themselves to play. While I did feel some fatigue after fighting many spiders, skeletons, and zombies, I still kept coming back for more. Some fantastic boss fights, a satisfying sense of progression, an intriguing story, and a stellar soundtrack make this an easy recommendation.

A well-crafted soulslike that doesn’t reinvent the genre, but excels where it counts. The combat is sharp, visceral, and deeply satisfying, offering a solid challenge without feeling unfair. Boss fights are a definite highlight, with memorable design and mechanics. Unfortunately, the overall experience is held back by a weak story, uninspired level design, and rather monotonous environments. Still, for fans of the genre, it’s a gritty and rewarding adventure that hits most of the right notes.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a fantastic action-RPG, with impeccable combat. Despite some minor issues shortcomings, it’s one of the best of the genre.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a fantastic game for all Soulslike fans who appreciate challenging boss battles. Sekiro fans, in particular, should definitely check it out.

The First Berserker: Khazan doesn’t get it all right, but the core combat and character building are a blast. For a first effort in a very competitive genre, Neople has done a fantastic job with this game. It pulls elements from the best of the Soulslike genre while mixing in just enough of its own spices to stand out. There are clear areas to improve on if the publisher chooses to follow this up, as a better story and more engaging level designs would help round things out. A true berserker only cares about the fight though, and that’s one place where Khazan cleans up.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a solid action game that draws inspiration from Souls-like mechanics while incorporating the fast-paced combat and stamina management of titles like Nioh. The result is a battle system that retains the tension of Souls-likes but also delivers the satisfying fluidity of traditional action games.

The First Berserker: Khazan is an action-RPG set within Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online universe that pivots from the franchise's beat 'em up roots to embrace weapons-based, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-like action. However, the game stands apart from its inspirations by leveraging cool anime-style aesthetics and environments filtered through stylized comic book shading.

Despite a forgettable story and some constricted level design, The First Berserker: Khazan's excellent combat is more than enough to cover for these missteps. It's challenging, engaging, and consistently satisfying, complemented by a cavalcade of dynamic enemies and a versatile progression system that extends beyond the typical XP-based approach. It can feel derivative at times, yet The First Berserker's confluence of ideas and influences makes for a thrilling souls-like that stands out in what has become an increasingly crowded genre.

Though not reinventing the Soulslike wheel, The First Beserker is a thoroughly enjoyable game in its own right. A challenging adventure with enough combat variety to suit your playstyle.

Despite somewhat samey missions and a flat protagonist, Khazan's combat and boss design are some of the best I've seen in a soulslike.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a great action game that's not reinventing anything by any means, but is consistently fun to play. The visuals are lovely, the action is a lot of fun thanks to ever-evolving skill trees, and the boss designs are great too. If you're after a Soulslike challenge, it can fit that bill in some ways, but it should also have a broader appeal thanks to the easy mode and more.

Khazan is the perfect example of a game that's more than its individual components. The game does re-use a lot, but the gooey core of the game is so engaging, so fun, that you don't really care. It's moorish, devilishly so, and while the game doesn't nail everything, it has got enough guts behind it to warrant a sturdy recommendation to almost everyone. That is, unless you struggle with the challenge these sorts of games champion. In that case, Khazan won't welcome you to the Dungeon Fighter universe with an open hand, but rather smack you away with a closed fist.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a perfect opportunity for players who've always wanted to dip their toes into soulslike waters. With its beautiful, bloody fantasy anime flair, it's something special – but the combat system is what really got me hooked. However, it's a piece of cake for veterans of the Soulslike genre.

If you enjoyed Sekiro's parry-heavy combat and Nioh’s mission-based structure, The First Berserker Khazan will likely work for you. Even with few new ideas of its own and often unexciting levels, its build variety and brutal boss fights more than make this soulslike worth the effort.

Despite a certain generosity and explosive sword fights, The First Berserker : Khazan stretches so far and wide that its strings end up fraying after thirty-five hours of play. Between a retrograde avalanche of color-coded loot, damage-sponge bosses and plain level designs, Nexon has clearly studied the genre in depth yet lacks the necessary spark to coalesce varied designs into a radical proposition. In the end, you'll just find an okay action game.