The First Berserker: Khazan Preview
I’m a fan of Soulslikes. They’re definitely my go-to genre and I never tire of trying new ones, though admittedly most of them drop off my playlist in short order. The truth is that while many developers try to crack FromSoftware’s code, most fall far short. But I’ve noticed a trend in recent Dark Souls wannabes. I call it “take-away difficulty.” Following Sekiro’s model, these games build in restrictive mechanics, taking away multiple approaches to combat, and forcing the player to master one technique. In the recent Black Myth: Wukong it was dodging. In the upcoming The First Berserker: Khazan — as in many other recent Soulslikes — it’s parrying.
All of FromSoft’s games — excluding Sekiro, which is brilliant but niche — offer multiple paths to progress. Maybe the player can’t nail parries, but they can overcome it with better gear, magic, or consumables. Games that take away options and then additionally gate progress by early game difficulty are simply frustrating. As a dedicated Soulslike player with thousands of hours invested in FromSoft’s games and many others, I obviously enjoy a challenge and seemingly insurmountable bosses. Repeated failure can be fun when you know that victory is within your grasp if you change or refine your approach. What I don’t love is a game that gives the player almost no tools and demands them to master one technique.
Difficult by Design
That brings us to The First Berserker: Khazan. While it’s firmly a Soulslike, and its mechanics are immediately familiar, its art style is exceptionally striking. It goes for an anime/graphic novel/cel-shaded look that’s bloody and detailed. Combat feels weighty and extremely satisfying, and the game’s visual effects and animations are excellent. I love the way it looks and feels to play. Except.
Except that it’s a Soulslike that forgets about creativity and giving the player a chance to enjoy the game’s vibe before slamming them in the face with an elite normal enemy that can one-shot them. Unless, of course, they’ve already mastered the game’s specific parry timing and have perfect stamina management. Because the starter weapon is naturally rubbish and there’s almost no armor or healing items. The first actual boss has a ridiculous amount of health and the player can get stun-locked and killed from one mistake in timing. The First Berserker: Khazan, like so many recent Soulslikes, is populated by trivial trash mobs or elites with little range in between.
Heavy Metal
The First Berserker: Khazan has a bloody, metal attitude that comes through in its narrative. You play as Khazan, a great general of the Pell Los empire. Khazan is falsely accused of treason, captured, and tortured, the tendons of his arms torn asunder. Exiled to the snowy mountains, a powerful supernatural force inhabits his broken form. Khazan sets off on a quest for vengeance. Which, in true Souls fashion, means killing everything in sight, from soldiers to oversized monkeys.
Also in Souls fashion were standard mechanics like heavy and light attacks, checkpoints called a Blade Nexus, a souls-like currency for upgrades called Lacrima, and a strong reliance on stamina management. Khazan has a particularly brutal and lengthy stun cooldown when stamina is depleted, making him doubly vulnerable to attack. As the player progresses, they have access to a trio of weapons — dual blades, greatsword, and spear — and a growing number of special abilities.
The preview I played took Khazan through three areas of the game and the hub area called The Crevice. Level design in The First Berserker: Khazan follows the Soulslike template of a linear progression path, with shortcuts and hidden areas, and bosses. There are plenty of precarious ledges with mobile enemies waiting to knock the player into the void.
Potential and Lots of It
On one hand, I absolutely loved The First Berserker: Khazan’s art direction, character designs, and the feel of combat. On the other hand, it seems to take few major chances with the proven Soulslike formula. In its present, very early form, it can be overly punishing and definitely needs a more deliberate ramp-up in challenge. Overall, though, I was left impressed by The First Berserker: Khazan and I’m genuinely excited to watch it develop.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
