Raw, Relentless, and Rewarding: ‘The First Berserker: Khazan’ Is a Must-Play Soulslike about Embracing Your Dark Side (Review)

It’s hard to tell what constitutes a “Soulslike” these days. The term’s been tossed around, chewed up, and regurgitated so much that any game with difficult bosses and big swords seems to fit the bill. Is it the atmosphere, obscure lore, and large, interconnected worlds? Or is it in the tight combat, grueling difficulty, and punishing deaths? Is it all of the above or bits and pieces of each? While The First Berserker: Khazan may not have all the tenets that make a purist’s idea of a Soulslike? What it offers puts many of its Souls-adjacent contemporaries to shame. After playing The First Berserker: Khazan, I realized I don’t actually care what to classify it as other than “really damn good.“

‘The First Berserker: Khazan’ sows the seeds of an ancient villain arc

Part of Nexon’s Dungeon & Fighter universe, The First Berserker: Khazan serves as an origin story for its titular protagonist. Set approximately 800 years before the current DNF timeline, Khazan is a once-glorious warrior banished into exile by the Empire to which he devotes his life. Previously serving the Pell Los Empire, Khazan and his friend Ozma saved the realm after defeating Hismar the Berserk Dragon.

Now imprisoned and mutilated, Khazan is transported to Mount Heinmarch to wait out the rest of his days when a sudden avalanche sends the caravan tumbling down the mountains. Khazan awakens, seemingly healed of his wounds, to a mysterious voice calling him forward. Guided by bloodlust and revenge, Khazan marches forward, battling the forces he once stood next to with the dark entity that now resides within him.

This dark entity, the Blade Phantom, is the proverbial devil that sits upon Khazan’s shoulder. Guiding him along his path of destruction and unlocking his latent powers. This strength allows Khazan to push past the bounds of mortality. Resulting in one of the flashiest, most satisfying combat flows I’ve ever experienced in the genre.

the gratifying effects of clashing steel

Combat in The First Berserker: Khazan leans more closely to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice than your typical Souls game. Focusing more on perfect deflections and dodges, duels consist of whittling your opponent’s stamina bar down until exhaustion, opening them up for an execution-style attack. Khazan has three unique weapons at his disposal: a dual-wield Sword and Axe combo, an enormous Greatsword, and a Spear. Each weapon offers a distinct style of combat, with dedicated skill trees that help evolve their options over time.

The Sword and Axe combo acts as a middle ground between raw power and speed. Dishing out flurries of attacks, Khazan can easily close the distance between himself and his foes. While it has decent options for counterattacking, you won’t be knocking the wind out of your enemies like you can with, say, the Greatsword. The ultimate risk versus reward weapon, the Greatsword often leaves Khazan exposed but easily makes smash burgers out of anything in his way. Shield-bearing enemies are laughable at this point, and even the largest foes tumble once this beast slams down upon them. Contrarily, the Spear pokes and slashes enemies from afar, giving Khazan lightning-fast maneuverability to expose his opponents from behind. It’s perfect for players who favor a flashy dance of zigs and zags as opposed to the clings and clangs of parrying.

While this all sounds good on paper, the execution is what really matters. And The First Berserker: Khazan nails that execution in strides.

more than one way to skin a dragonkin

Between its tight, responsive controls and flashy, polished presentation, combat in Khazan feels overwhelmingly rewarding. A generous window for parrying and dodging gives you enough wiggle room to survive. But mastering the timing of “brink guards” and “brink dodges” helps give you the upper hand in tougher fights.

Once upgraded, each weapon has a plethora of ways to approach any situation, between expanding combo strings, additional parrying options, and various powerful Spirit attacks. These options flow together seamlessly, allowing you to chain your attacks together or adapt to your enemy’s behavior on the fly. Khazan‘s combat feels utterly fluid, something all too important in its split-second moments between each swing and stab.

exploration à la carte

There’s no large, interconnected world in The First Berserker: Khazan. Rather, each area is divided into separate stages on a larger map, all accessed from a singular hub world. In that regard, its design is more akin to a Team Ninja game like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty or Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. And while some levels are larger than others, they’re mostly linear experiences with occasional off-road detours for added exploration and hidden collectibles. This exploration is encouraged, however, as you’ll often find recipes for new armor sets to craft or crystals to upgrade your stats with.

Speaking of armor sets, gear in The First Berserker: Khazan works similarly to a Team Ninja game as well. Except without all the added bloat you may come to expect. Armor consists of five different pieces from head to feet with two pieces of jewelry to equip. Gear drops scale along with the recommended level of each stage. You’ll often find higher-level replacements for the gear you already have. Each piece has a few base stats, along with set bonuses available when paired up with similar pieces. While it’s not robust enough to radically change your playstyle, those who enjoy min-maxing have enough leeway to toy around with.

‘The First Berserker: Khazan’ is in a league of its own

Ultimately, I’m more than impressed with The First Berserker: Khazan, even if I, admittedly, didn’t think I would be. While it may not have the most inspired atmosphere and world design, the fluidity of combat, the variety of weapon styles, and the stunning, semi-cel-shaded visuals make for an experience as engaging as it is brutal. And hey, it even has Ben Starr’s sultry voice leading its main performance, so who can really complain?

The First Berserker: Khazan is a perfect fit for fans of Soulslike games looking for something fresh yet familiar. And it certainly holds its own among the genre’s heavyweights.

Verdict: Strongly Recommended

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The First Berserker: Khazan releases March 27, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.