The First Berserker: Khazan Reviews
The First Beserker: Khazan is a brutal but impressive soulslike that makes pushing through its devastating bosses worth the effort.
The First Berserker: Khazan is a challenging and incredibly rewarding Soulslike with intense action and memorable boss fights.
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 brilliant blend of the Soulslike and Hack and Slash genres, offering some of the best combat in recent gaming years and an incredibly polished product. While it does have some shortcomings in its story, replayability, and occasionally borrows too heavily from past titles, if you live for action games such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Devil May Cry 5, this game will likely be your Game of the Year so far and a title we can recommend at full price.
I suspect that most fans of the Soulslike genre will have a great time with The First Berserker: Khazan - especially if their primary focus is on the gameplay. It has some thoughtful approaches to easing frustration while maintaining that rewarding, Soulsian challenge.
The First Berserker: Khazan delights with its heavy-hitting combat and unusual approach to character progression
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.
Neople brings us The First Berserker: Khazan, an anime-inspired soulslike that tries to stand out in a crowded market.
A hack 'n' slash soulslike with an uninspiring plot and tedious level design but its satisfying combat and tough boss fights might make it worth trying.
The First Berserker: Khazan is a fantastic game that has some of the best bosses of any Soulslike ever created. It's a game that will test patience and demand the utmost attention from the player, or else they'll meet the game over screen time and time again.
A very competent Soulslike, with excellent combat and an attractive art style – it’s just a shame it barely even tries to do anything new.
It's easy to write Khazan off as just another Soulslike at a glance, and it would be refreshing to see Neople create its own style and structure instead of just imitating a popular convention. However, Neople went further than most Soulslikes and actually innovated with its take on the genre's combat. That's a big positive, seeing as there's not much else to Khazan outside of battle, but at least all the time spent in combat is enjoyable.
The First Berserker: Khazan has some of the most balanced defensive and offensive combat systems I’ve experienced in a Soulslike game, as well as some rich progression. However, some frustrating boss mechanics, braindead AI, and puzzling mission structure hold it back from reaching its full potential.
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.
The First Berserker: Khazan is greatness from nothingness personified. Neople has done what so many have tried to do in the past. If TFB Khazan is not on your map, then, well, you need a new map. From brutal yet manageable combat to fantastic level and monster designs, Khazan aims high and hits every target it finds.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Neople's The First Berserker: Khazan is a best-in-class.
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 Last Berserker: Khazan (just a terrible name) surprised me with its deep skill tree, brutal finishers and fun combat.
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.