The First Berserker: Khazan Reviews
The First Berserker: Khazan is yet another great action RPG that, although it uses concepts from the soulslike formula, is still able to deliver intense and satisfying combat to make it unique. Some decisions in the art direction make its visuals a little repetitive in the final stretch of the campaign, but overall it is a game easily recommended for fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Heavily inspired by Demon's Souls and Nioh, The First Berserker: Khazan may lack depth in its narrative and feel somewhat uninspired in terms of level design, but it still leaves a mark thanks to its great combat system and some fantastic boss fights. Despite a few excessive difficulty spikes, it remains enjoyable for the most part.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazam and its brutal action combat will be a real challenge for you, and manages to deliver a very enjoyable gameplay experience. Although with some bumps in the road, it is a game that manages to earn his spot in the genre with a challenging proposal and with some very interesting ideas
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazan definitely feels old-school in its approach but its vast assortment of super-tough bosses and oodles of extras that are great fun to master make it stand out as an excellent Soulslike. Plus, you can wear goofy jars on your head! 🩸
Khazan borrows heavily from Team Ninja’s work, both for good and bad (but mostly good).
While mechanically sound, The First Berserker: Khazan fails to innovate, its by-the-numbers narrative and uninspired worldbuilding relegate it to ‘just another’ genre entry.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazan may not look like a classic Souls-like at first glance, but the combat puts it boldly up there with the best. It's a brutal, fast-paced, and addictive brawler that rewards patience and precision. The story doesn't impress and the side content feels repetitive, but the essentials - the combat system and boss fights - work a treat. If you enjoy a challenge, like to learn from mistakes, and don't mind Korean style, you shouldn't miss this one. Khazan isn't a revolution, but it's a damn fun evolution.
Review in Czech | Read full review
It may not reach perfection, but The First Berserker: Khazan is among the best soulslike games of the last decade.
Review in Greek | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazan features some tight combat and an interesting presentation, but is hit hard by a botched main story and repetitive content.
The First Berserker: Khazan proved to be a game as challenging as it is captivating. The developers paid attention to aspects that often caused frustration in soulslike games and implemented improvements in favor of the player. At the same time, the game boasts combat dynamics very similar to slashers, which turned out to be a successful idea. The variety of enemies encourages experimentation not only in terms of tactics, but also in character skills and attributes. In my opinion, this title is the best action RPG in years.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The First Beserker: Khazan is an absolute riot. It’s brutal, punishing, and has so many systems, mechanics, and upgrades, that show their purpose immediately. The customization you have for Khazan is perfect for build-crafting, even within each weapon type. Khazan has its presentation on lock and is a gorgeous game with incredible art direction and tone. It’s action-packed, its bosses are spectacles, and with nearly 70 armor sets to craft, there is so much to this game beyond a single playthrough.
The First Berserker: Khazan delivers an excellent Soulslike experience that most of the fans of the genre will enjoy. The parry system might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the game still delivers an excellent gameplay experience sprinkled with amazing boss fights.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazan is one of the great Soulslike games of recent years. While many titles in this genre are quickly forgotten, very few manage to rise to the level of truly solid games. Thanks to its generous lifespan (a good 40 hours), the precision of its controls, its diversity and its memorable boss battles, you'll come away clearly satisfied. Yes, there are a few drawbacks: the level design is decent, but lacklustre, and the story takes a back seat. But nothing really dramatic. Apart from anything else FromSoftware has come up with, Khazan is undoubtedly the best thing to come out of Lies of P. And that's a compliment we don't pay lightly.
Review in French | Read full review
In the end, what is The First Berserker: Khazan? It’s a deeply rewarding and engaging experience, if challenging a boss 50 times in a row sounds fun to you. The story is a huge miss, the characters are boring, and the setting is all of the drab of Dark Souls with none of the wonder, but the peaks here are incredible, and if you can endure the journey, Khazan is an awesome, awesome experience.
Despite its notable shortcomings, like its lackluster storyline and somewhat constrained level design, The First Berserker: Khazan is saved by its impressive combat system.
You know what is worth losing sleep? That’s right, fighting another boss in Khazan on New Game +, that’s what I’ll be doing soon. Probably as soon as wrap up this article. Care to guess what I’ll see? “Khazan has fallen”.
The First Berserker: Khazan is a game that brought me many emotions. Sometimes, I was mesmerized by its agile and fluid gameplay, which evokes moments of true brutality. In others, I just wanted to throw the game out of the window due to the bosses causing too much damage and the tedious level design. In the end, what remains is the realization that this is an excellent game for a debut and I recommend it to fans of soulslikes more in the style of Nioh.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The First Berserker: Khazan 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 First Berserker: Khazan offers one of the most challenging souls-like experiences in recent memory. With its gripping narrative, amazing gameplay, and rich atmosphere, it’s a brutal but unforgettable journey.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Ultimately, what can be considered the best selling points of The First Berserker: Khazan could also be its most significant drawbacks. The action role-playing adventure may be hardcore in name, but there are ways in which the developers have tweaked things to make it possible for more players to enjoy the game. It is also a more constrained journey with smaller levels that constantly funnel you into its biggest strength, the combat. Over 20-30 hours spent on an initial run, and more to see alternate endings, this bloodthirsty revenge tour was utterly enjoyable. The fact that I am now more interested in discovering the Dungeon Fighter Online universe is a testament to the quality, and positions this game as no mere pretender but a genuine contender for the Soulslike crown.