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Lately, more and more games have been trying to faithfully replicate the successful Dark Souls formula without making any significant innovations. Interestingly, true fans don’t seem to mind at all—so long as a Souls-like title delivers the expected experience, imitation is more than welcome.
However, it’s rare for any of these games to blend multiple titles into their imitation. Most often, a game tries to be like Dark Souls, Sekiro, or Bloodborne, but almost never does a single developer attempt to combine elements from all of them and extract the best aspects into one experience.
At least, that was the case until now. A studio primarily known for developing online titles has dared to step into uncharted territory—the single-player Souls-like genre—taking on a challenge that could lead to either greatness or failure. Fortunately for all of us, The First Berserker: Khazan firmly lands in the former category, standing out as one of the best Souls-like experiences we've had the pleasure of playing in recent memory.
So what exactly is it that makes this game stand out among many other similar titles? I'd say the truest answer would be the perfection in simplicity and finding the perfect balance between harsh difficulty and fairness of the gameplay, between the mystery and openness in storytelling, and finally, between quite beautiful presentation and perfect optimisation—in this game, everything is given just in enough doses to be interesting enough without causing a single moment of boredom.
Let's start with the story. Every Souls-like title out there, the original FromSoft titles and plagiarists alike, has such a cryptic and mysterious story that it is often so hard to follow that many players simply decide to put it on the margins and go straight to appreciating the gameplay, believing that those games aren't meant to have a good story, which is, of course, pure nonsense.
However, in the case of The First Berserker: Khazan, the story and its presentation are as simple and straightforward as they come. No usual item description or weird sidequest that you must search the world upside down to figure out what to do next; in this game, everything storywise is revealed through conversations with the NPCs and, of course, through high-quality cut scenes that will pop up more usually than in any other Souls-like game.
The premise of the story is simple as well. You will take control of Khazan, the Emperor's general who was unjustly accused of treason, and on his way to punishment, the secret demonic spirit saw the opportunity to possess his body for his own purposes. After some moments of struggle, Khazan decides to accept the pact with the spirit to help each other in pursuit of his own vengeance.
From that moment on, Khazan's mission will be very simple: to find everyone who wronged him and to execute good ol' revenge—as simple as that. Even though the story looks uninteresting, trust me, it will pique your curiosity because you'll run into many interesting discoveries and many plot twists along the way. Not to mention Khazan's internal struggles about his choices. Everything is packed very well, so the story is more than interesting; trust me on this one.
The story’s quality is further elevated by excellent voice acting and impressive audiovisual effects that enhance the drama. It’s also refreshing that Khazan, while a man of few words, is not a silent protagonist—he speaks when necessary, and when he does, his words carry weight.
However, as intriguing and well-crafted as the story is, it’s hardly the main reason you’ll fall in love with The First Berserker: Khazan. No—the real standout is its relentlessly challenging gameplay and brutally difficult combat, which will quite literally knock you out of your seat.
If I were to try to explain The First Berserker: Khazan to someone, I'd say it is the game that most closely resembles at least four of the great Souls-like titles. The combat feels and looks like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice because of the huge parry-related fighting style. The overall progression and many skills are heavily leaned to Nioh games, while the movements and presentation resemble Lords of the Fallen a lot. The First Berserker: Khazan took all that is good from those games, mixed it up, and produced a perfect mix that will satisfy the needs of every Souls enthusiast out there.
When I said that the combat is hard, I really meant it. Trust me, it isn't an exaggeration when I say that this is probably the hardest Souls-like yet, but there is a catch to this claim. The game is hard if you play it as it is intended to be played—on its normal difficulty. Unlike many Souls-likes, the First Berserker: Khazan has an easy mode, but if you decide to play the game this way, some trophies will not unlock for you; the game will warn you about this.
In any case, playing on normal is something you must do if you value the true essence of Souls-like games, period, so from now on, I will talk about every feature regarding normal difficulty; an easy mode won't be considered any further.
Interestingly enough, regular enemies are not too difficult, and you'll most likely breeze through the linear levels until you reach a certain area's boss. The bosses will be the true bane of your existence in this game. Each boss is designed to be as hard as it possibly can be, especially the early ones, serving as a sort of trial by fire; if you pass them, you'll be qualified to go further into the game.
For example, the second boss will test your skills big time. This boss will change all three types of weapons simultaneously, forcing you to adapt to his attacks. Each boss fight is pure learning. To beat any boss, you must learn their attacks to the letter; make a couple of mistakes, and you're done for.
What's even more interesting is that you won't rage at all fighting the bosses because each time you die, you'll know that a boss didn't defeat you because some unexplainable forces decided to interfere but rather the defeat is the result of your own poor decisions and mistakes made during the encounters.
One mechanic that is unusual for Souls-like titles that I really liked is that the game rewards you if you die during the boss encounter. Every time you die, you'll get some of the Lactrima (equivalent to Souls in Dark Souls games), which you can pick up in front of the boss arena. Die enough times, and you'll have enough to level up, so apart from learning, you can strengthen your character as well to easily defeat the boss.
I remember when I fought the first two-phase boss in the game; the fight was so hard that I really struggled to defeat him, and after I finally did, the boss revealed the second phase. I thought, is it even possible to defeat this dude, and who with the sound mind decided to give him two phases? A couple of deaths after, the first phase is hitless, and I was rushing towards victory. The game is designed the way it is to force you to learn, and once you master a certain combat, the satisfaction of emerging victorious is unmatched.
Speaking of Lactrima, it is worth noting that the usual levelling system is present in The First Berserker: Khazan too; you'll kill enemies and earn Lactrima, and in the dedicated places called Broken Swords (Dark Souls's Bonfires), you'll be able to invest Lactrima in levelling Khazan. You can level usual stuff like vitality, strength, proficiency, agility and more, just like in all other Souls-likes.
Also, if you die from the common enemies or fall to death, you'll lose Lactrima, and if you return to that place, you'll recover it—the very well-known mechanic introduced in Dark Souls a very long time ago.
Apart from levelling through Lactrima, you'll gain experience fighting enemies, and that experience will unlock skills. Those skills will be tied to the weapons you're using throughout the game. Speaking of weapons, Khazan will use three types of them: dual wield axe and sword, longsword and spear, with many iterations of each type discoverable throughout the game.
Each weapon will force a certain playstyle, so the skill trees will be tied to the certain weapons and the certain style you prefer. The good thing is that respeccing in this game is totally free, and you'll be able to experiment with the different playstyles for as long as you like.
I already mentioned that the combat is heavily parry-related with the mechanics that resemble the ones from Sekiro. Just like in Sekiro, apart from the usual health bar, you and the enemies will have a posture damage bar, and once this bar is depleted, the enemies will get staggered. However, there are some differences with this game. The staggered state won't grant you a death blow, but rather, the enemy will get staggered, allowing you to deal some free damage.
The second difference is that Khazan's posture bar is also his stamina bar, and while enemies won't lose posture while swinging, you definitely will, so you'll have to keep an eye on your stamina during the fights to prevent being staggered and losing the fight on account of a staggered state.
The levels in The First Berserker: Khazan are linear and do not have so many secrets and mysteries to find and discover in them. Don't get me wrong; each level will feature a thing or two to discover, some chests containing gear like armour pieces, weapons, amulets, or rings, or some items you'll be tasked to find for some NPCs, but everything regarding exploration is very generic and very obvious, without any mystery to follow, and if I have to highlight a single flaw of this game, it would be this.
Visually, The First Berserker: Khazan is a stunning game, featuring an art style that masterfully captures the dark beauty of its fantasy world. Its graphics blend anime-inspired aesthetics with a touch of realism, creating a unique and captivating visual identity.
The levels are impressively varied, ranging from snowy mountain peaks to abandoned villages and eerie underground caves teeming with spiders and other nightmarish creatures. Each environment effectively conveys the horrors Khazan must endure on his path to vengeance.
However, from a technical standpoint, a keen eye will spot a few drawbacks. One of the most noticeable is the game's persistent use of fog, seemingly employed to mask its limited draw distance. For instance, when reaching some of the grand vistas these games are known for, you'll find the scenery obscured by haze, preventing you from truly appreciating the distant landscape.
The other visual effects are truly impressive, with standout moments including the parry animations and the eerie red-tinted effect when the spirit speaks to Khazan. Adding to the immersion, the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller enhances the experience with sound effects at key moments, creating an unforgettable and praise-worthy sensation.
Speaking of sound, the developers truly excelled in this area. While the sound effects I mentioned earlier are fantastic, the epic music that accompanies every boss fight is equally remarkable—worthy of comparison to the best compositions from the Dark Souls series. Overall, the sound design is outstanding and, alongside the phenomenal gameplay, stands as one of the game’s greatest strengths.
Conclusion
I probably missed mentioning many things regarding The First Berserker: Khazan because this game has so many qualities, it is simply impossible not to overlook some of them. In essence, this game is hands down one of the best Souls-likes that came out recently and can go hand-in-hand with the most outstanding FromSoft titles with zero problems.
The brutal combat and bosses that will challenge your skills will keep you occupied for many hours, and they are so good that you’ll enjoy every second of it. The skill and parry-related combat will keep things interesting to the very end, and the story will genuinely intrigue you to the point that you’ll want to finish the game, even though you’ll definitely struggle.
With all those qualities and only a handful of minor flaws, I dare to say that this is definitely a Souls-like that we all needed, and not playing it if you’re a fan of the genre would be a true miss.
The Good
Faithfully blends elements from multiple Souls-like titles- Brutally challenging yet fair combat
- Skill-based, parry-heavy fighting system
- Satisfying boss battles with rewarding learning curve
- Excellent voice acting
- Impressive audiovisual presentation
- Unique art style blending anime and realism
- Varied and atmospheric level design
- Outstanding sound design and music
The Bad
Overuse of fog to mask limited draw distance- Exploration lacks mystery or rewarding discovery
