Review: The first berserker: Khazan

The First Berserker: Khazan is a challenging action RPG developed by Neople, drawing heavy inspiration from the Soulslike genre. As a spin-off from the Dungeon Fighter series, it follows Khazan, a disgraced general on a path of vengeance after being wrongfully accused of treason. His journey is fuelled by the power of the Blade Phantom, a supernatural entity that grants him enhanced abilities. The game explores the origins of the Khazan Syndrome, a condition that significantly boosts strength but at the cost of the user’s sanity, providing a strong narrative foundation for the experience.

A souls-like that stands out

One of the most striking aspects of the game is its unique visual style. It uses cell-shaded graphics with an anime-inspired aesthetic. This art direction sets it apart from many other games in the genre, offering vibrant character designs and richly detailed environments. The mix of striking colours and bold character outlines helps establish a distinct identity while maintaining the bleak atmosphere typical of Soulslike games.

The story in The First Berserker: Khazan was nothing short of amazing. Every aspect of it—the writing, voice acting, and pacing—kept me fully engaged from start to finish. I was always excited to meet new NPCs, eager to hear their stories, and even more motivated to complete their side quests as soon as they became available. These quests weren’t just filler; they added real depth to the world, providing both lore-rich moments and meaningful upgrades to the hub area and the main character. Whether it was learning more about Khazan’s past, uncovering hidden truths about the world, or simply seeing an NPC’s arc reach a satisfying conclusion, every interaction felt rewarding and well-crafted.

Difficult? Yes. Satisfying? Very.

Combat is the core of the experience, requiring precise timing and mastery of mechanics such as parrying and dodging. Players can wield three distinct weapon types: Dual Blades, Greatsword, and Spear, each with its own playstyle and skill trees. Learning enemy attack patterns and executing well-timed counter attacks is crucial, as the game does not shy away from punishing mistakes. The parry system, in particular, I have to praise for its responsiveness, providing a satisfying sense of accomplishment when executed correctly.

Although I am not a highly skilled Soulsborne player, I found immense satisfaction in overcoming bosses and enemies throughout the game. While I had to attempt bosses more times than some players might, I usually ended up defeating them with a near-perfect run in the end. Learning each boss’s attack patterns and recognizing their different phases never felt frustrating. Instead, every attempt was a motivating experience that pushed me to improve. One boss in particular, which appeared fairly early in the game, gave me a tough challenge. After multiple attempts, I finally mastered the fight, parrying and dodging my way to victory—only to be caught off guard by a sudden second phase and immediately die, forcing me to start the process all over again. Rather than feeling disheartened, I took it as a lesson and went in even more determined, which made my eventual success all the more rewarding.

Engaging, all the way through

Level design follows the classic interconnected structure seen in many games of the genre. Environments are varied, ranging from dark caves filled with dangerous creatures to sprawling castles and eerie abandoned mansions. Shortcuts are integrated seamlessly, encouraging exploration and rewarding players who take the time to uncover hidden paths and secrets. Despite the complexity of these areas, navigation remains intuitive, avoiding the frustration of excessive backtracking. Areas are more inspired by the Nioh series, with Khazan traveling to areas from the hub instead of an inter connected world. This works great for the game as the player can clearly see which resources you may have missed in certain levels and replay Khazan’s memories in order to pick up whatever you might have missed first time round.

Progression is handled through the collection of Lacrima, a resource obtained from defeated enemies, which is used to enhance core stats like what you would expect from the souls series. The game also features a variety of gear sets with unique perks, allowing players to experiment with different loadouts.

From very early on armour sets have awesome visuals. Yes some may not look as great as the others but for the most part I loved the design of individual pieces and the entire sets. While players progress through the story and explore each level they will come across blueprints for craftable consumables, but also armour sets. Through side objectives, NPC stories and simply exploring, these blueprints will allow to easily craft and upgrade sets that suit each individual play style.

Highly recommend

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.

If you are a fan of the soulslike genre and are looking for a new challenge with countless hours there is AI Limit that released at the same time. In my humble opinion Khazan is the better investment of your time and money.