In a world stuffed with dark, historical fantasy action RPGS with fast, Soulslike combat, it’s tough to standout. Whilst numerous games are breaking beyond comparisons with FromSoftware’s best – Nioh, Lies of P, and Black Myth: Wukong for instance – there’s still much for games of this ilk to do if they’re to draw in players. The First Berserker: Khazan, first revealed in 2023, looked straight from the off to be one of those games which distinguishes itself from the Soulslike mould. This feature highlights 15 such things that we can’t wait to do in The First Berserker: Khazan.
Witness the brutal combat
Labelled by developer Neople as a hardcore action RPG based on the Dungeon Fighter Online universe, The First Berserker: Khazan is bloody and brutal. Fast paced, stylish hack-and-slash is the aesthetic the team behind DNF Duel have gone for here and whilst, yes, The First Berserker seems like yet another Soulslike, studying gameplay footage both via official trailers and the currently available Steam demo there’s evidence the studio’s inspiration draws more from Team Ninja’s Nioh.
Wield each weapon type
Weapons in The First Berserker: Khazan come in a wide variety of types, with each offering unique attack patterns, attributes, and special abilities, thus requiring players to adopt wide-ranging skills to use effectively. Weapons sit within three categories: Spears, Dual Wield (in which two distinct weapons combine into a unified whole), and Greatswords, offering thrusting, twirling versatility, aggressive, rapid-fire melee, and overwhelmingly strong sweeping attacks respectively. Weapon categories scale their stats differently too: Spears excel with proficiency, Dual Wield with willpower, and Greatswords with strength.
Upgrade weapons
Each weapon category in The First Berserker: Khazan has its own dedicated skill tree, with each avenue for upgrading offering a mix of active skills and passive buffs. Weapon specialisation, then, is clearly a core feature, with the team at Neople strongly pushing the opportunities for players to customise their arsenal and abilities to suit their preferred combat style via five sub-trees within each skill tree. Paths to pursue cover combo proficiency, survivability, or damage, amongst others.
Master combo system
Whilst Dual Wield weapons aim squarely at unleashing breakneck combos, all weapon types in The First Berserker: Khazan harbour numerous combos inside three tiers which will need to be understood and practiced during battle to become effective. The first tier covers basic combos, self-explanatory opportunities to affect damage via straightforward combinations. Strategising when and how to unleash combos comes into play via medium combos, with more damaging attacks requiring players balance against stamina expenditure. In the third tier are the game’s most advanced combos, offering high-risk-high-yield manoeuvres which deal extreme damage at the cost of significant stamina.
Acquire Spirit Skills
Spirit Skills grant Khazan access to more powerful skills at the expense of Spirit, a resource collectable via effective blow-landing, parry deflecting fighting. Each weapon tree – plus non-weapon specific common skill tree (think dodges, parry abilities, health generation, that sort of thing) – harbours six Spirit Skill slots which can then be assigned to a specific button command to execute during battle. With over sixty skills available, the variety with which you can equip and re-spec Khazan is inexhaustive.
Customize armor
Khazan’s protective gear will be another important consideration as you play through The First Berserker, with different pieces of armour and their chosen upgrade paths not only giving boosts to defence but also providing resistance to a breadth of status effects. Several categories including helmets, gauntlets, gloves, pants, boots, and body coverings can be mixed and matched depending on preference and playstyle. There’re even numerous armour sets discoverable, from the minimalist Fallen Star Set to the more heavy duty Hero’s Set.
Create builds
What do you get if you combine stats, weapons, armour, and abilities together? Builds, of course. And – as should be well-established by now – creating and equipping your own builds is all about crafting your ideal character based on personal preference and desired playstyle. Furthermore, numerous builds are possible which can be matched to the specific activity, be it exploration or during battle.
Take on the bosses
Of course, this being a game influenced by Nioh and the games of FromSoftware’s oeuvre, players can expect to test their mettle against a host of ruthless, relentless bosses during The Last Berserker’s campaign. And, again, being similar in presentation to FromSoft, bosses will demand players learn attack patterns if they’re going to best the game’s most powerful foe. Blade Phantom, the boss we’ve had the most extensive look at thus far, unleashes rapid 6-hit combos, conjures formidable weaponry mid-bout, and unexpectedly transitions to grabs mid-attack requiring players react to audible clues in addition to timing their blocks and parries with precision.
Experience the revenge story
Set 800 years before the events of Dungeon Fighter Online, The First Berserker: Khazan promises a gripping tale of revenge. After being falsely accused of treason, being banished to isolated mountain ranges, and narrowly escaping death, Khazan begins a quest of vengeance against those that have wronged him. Alongside uncovering the conspiracies which led to his wrongful accusations Khazan also discovers the dark truth behind the empire he once called home.
Explore the world
The Last Berserker features a range of diverse environments each littered with treasures, secrets, and their own set of challenges. Mount Heinmach is the desolate, snow-capped mountain which the forsaken Khazan was cast away; The Crevice is a realm between the Neatherworld and the Mortal World where dimensions bleed into one another, whilst Palemion is the breath-taking fortress city which guards the gateway to the wider Pell Los Empire. Ancient villages, abandoned subterranean kingdoms, hell-scaped gothic castles, and harsh forests round out the biomes shared thus far.
Witness the cel-shaded graphics in real-time
An anime Dark Souls, perhaps, one of the most striking elements of Khazan: The Last Berserker is its 3D cel-shaded, comic book style character design. It may be lacking in realism, and be immersion breaking for some as a result, but it’s inarguable this relatively unique blend of manga style graphics with realistic environments is appealing even if not to everyone’s taste.
Collect loot
The Last Berserker’s world is stuffed with loot to collect, be it dropped by enemies and bosses, or out there to discover in the wilds. There’re healing, stat boosting, restoring, or combat enhancing consumables, notes and letters which’ll elaborate on the game’s lore, and materials that are vital for crafting and unlocking more items. One great aspect regarding Khazan’s loot system is that, like Nioh, the game doesn’t flood players with hundreds of items which are only good for selling.
Uncover secrets
There’s a wealth of obscure and hidden elements scattered throughout the game’s environments. With levels being inherently linear in design, the opportunity to uncover hidden paths, unlock secret areas, and generally use your intuition and observation to discover tucked-away treasure will give these environments a broader feel.
Adopt gestures
An interesting tool for creativity and self-expression, gestures in The First Berserker: Khazan range from simple movements like bowing or waving, to more unexpected interactions such as singing and sound generation, all deployed as a means to communicate with others.
Spend currency with merchants
Lacrima is the game’s in-world currency and its obtainable by defeating enemies encountered throughout the world. Spending Lacrima with merchants situated at Blade Nexus checkpoints upgrades Khazan’s vitality, endurance, willpower, strength, and proficiency. Much like Bloodborne and, erm, Shovel Knight, worth noting is that dropped Lacrima following death can be recovered by returning to the same location. A unique spin on this tried-and-tested mechanic though is the possibility of gaining bonus Lacrima by damaging a boss by a certain amount, with greater damage yielding more bonus. Taking on a frustratingly challenging boss can have its perks then, with the chance for bonus Lacrima and thus the chance to level up to a suitable strength before finally beating the boss a welcome handicap to exploit for those who’re struggling.
