The First Berserker: Khazan

I'm coming to realize that I'm a fan of the soulslike genre as a whole, as The First Berserker: Khazan is another entry in the genre that I found myself having a great time with. The story is a simple one of redemption, where you play as Khazan - a legendary warrior who has been disgraced and exiled. The gameplay is similar to other soulslikes: you have parries, dodges, and guards, and use these to traverse short maps with challenging boss fights. This time around there is a severe emphasis on stamina, and as a result the boss fights are tough. I found myself switching to "easy" mode after getting crushed by Aratra's poison for far too long. That considered, I still had an amazing time with the game. The bosses are challenging without feeling unfair, leading to steady progress as the deaths rack up. The offense feels fluid, and the button inputs are reminiscent of a fighting game at times in terms of precision. One of my favorite aspects was the artistic style - a very subtle cel shading effect. To me it made the experience feel like a comic book or manga, and made the boss fights feel even more cinematic. This is a must play for fans of the soulslike genre - Korean studios are really making a name for themselves in the space.

Play it for the:

• Very hard bosses
• Cel shaded art style
• Deep combat mechanics and combos

Reviewed on 2025-5-18