It’s relentlessly punishing, with challenging spectacle fights and bosses to overcome.
What is even more impressive is that this is Neoples first soulslike - and you cant tell at all.
A familiar formula
The setup ofThe First Berserker: Khazanis a familiar one for the genre.
General Khazan wakes up after narrowly escaping death upon being branded a traitor and mercilessly tortured.
Khazan then journeys from level to level to seek revenge and become The First Berserker.
The rest of the supporting cast, bosses, and human characters you fight are also just as good.
Everyone here does the best they can with the writing which often underdelivers.
No soulslike has challenged me this consistently since I got into the genre withBloodborne.
However, I loved every second of getting slaughtered.
Precise dodge timing is required and parry windows are even shorter.
You cant simply out-level a boss or area.
It also helped with crowd control.
The best moment inThe First Berserker: Khazancame after finally beating Maluca after almost six hours.
There is even a ranged Spear attack that you’re able to use.
Theres an exceptional flow I got into as i combined attacks and seamlessly interweaved moves that became addicting.
Skeletons, humans, demons, dragons, and more litter the games 16 levels and many bonus missions.
Bosses, however, are exceptional and always a spectacle.
I really enjoyed doing these and chasing these items.
It largely just feels tacked on because I got so much gear as I was playing.
Should you play The First Beserker: Khazan?
It also has robust mechanics and gameplay to support that world-building and lore.
However, once you choose that difficulty, you cant bump it back up to normal.
Its a by-the-numbers revenge tale and the writing often lets down the amazing performances.
Its also hard to follow for newcomers to the DNF universe.
The First Berserker: Khazantested me in much the same wayBloodbornedid when I tried the genre in 2015.
First reviewed March 2025.
