The First Berserker: Khazan Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for exceptional bosses, precise combat, and stylish presentation. Skip it if you want a gentle learning curve or a stronger story.
Best for
Soulslike and action-RPG players who want demanding boss fights, precise defensive play, and strong weapon-skill progression will get the most out of it.
Not for
Players who want a gentle ramp, richer character drama, or more exploratory mission design may bounce off its harsher opening and more functional storytelling.
Verdict
The First Berserker: Khazan stands out because it gets the hard part right: combat and bosses feel sharp, demanding, and genuinely rewarding. Its cel-shaded art direction, stable performance, and layered progression systems give the whole package real momentum. The tradeoff is that the story, side cast, and early onboarding do not keep pace with the action, and some mission structure choices feel more functional than inspired. Still, if you want a tough action RPG with memorable fights and precise controls, this is one of the stronger modern soulslike-style games to pick up.
Scored Features
Pros
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Reviews that address price directly frame the game as worth buying at full cost.
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Checkpoints placed right before bosses are a major quality-of-life win and sharply reduce runback frustration.
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Across platforms, reviewers frequently describe performance as polished, stable, and well-optimized.
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Combat is the game’s defining strength, consistently praised for its speed, depth, and rewarding parry-dodge interplay.
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Movement and combat inputs are consistently described as smooth, responsive, and precise.
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The cel-shaded, hand-drawn-inspired presentation stands out as one of the game’s clearest strengths.
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Bosses are widely seen as the highlight—demanding, readable, and memorable—though a few reviews still call out frustrating mechanics.
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Lacrima rewards, skill growth, and multiple advancement layers make repeated attempts feel productive instead of wasted.
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Weapon-specific trees are a major strength, offering meaningful abilities, combos, and build direction.
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Reviews consistently present Khazan as a notably polished release with strong presentation and solid overall finish.
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Enemy and combat animations are repeatedly praised as smooth, expressive, and satisfying in motion.
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A bleak palette and tense environmental presentation reinforce the revenge story’s grim mood.
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Technical issues seem limited overall, with one review seeing no glitches and another reporting only a few minor bugs.
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Levels and locales are repeatedly described as detailed, attractive, and enjoyable to move through.
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Performance is usually steady, with little to no frame-rate trouble outside occasional rare drops.
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Even skeptical or genre-weary reviewers say the game is consistently exciting and hard to put down.
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Weapon impacts, combat audio, and environmental sound all earn strong praise for adding weight to fights.
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Crafting is straightforward and easier to understand than some genre peers, though its full utility opens up a bit later.
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The one Steam Deck-focused review says the game is verified and plays very well on the device.
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Supplemental tools like the relationship map help flesh out the setting and backstory for players who want more context.
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Autosaving appears dependable, with one reviewer specifically noting that crashes did not cost meaningful progress.
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The soundtrack is well-liked and effective at supporting bosses and dramatic moments.
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The tutorials are clear, helpful, and generally unobtrusive.
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Combat and boss effects are repeatedly highlighted as a good match for the game’s stylized presentation.
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The DNF setting, factions, and supernatural backdrop help the world feel broader than the revenge plot alone.
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Returning to checkpoints or missions is convenient, and the hub structure makes travel between objectives fairly painless.
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Voice acting is a consistent positive, with several reviews singling it out as strong or believable.
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Level design trends positive overall, especially once the game opens up later, though some mission layouts can feel samey.
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Loot is plentiful but generally manageable, with enough gear and sets to support build tinkering without becoming overwhelming.
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Reference tools like the compendium and encyclopedia make systems easier to parse and support experimentation.
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Raw fidelity is seen as good rather than best-in-class, with visual appeal driven more by style than technical showmanship.
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Reviews note an easy mode, summon help, and an arachnophobia toggle, giving players several ways to soften the challenge.
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The mission-to-boss structure successfully recreates a satisfying soulslike loop even when it feels familiar.
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Enemy variety is generally strong, though some later impressions say repetition can creep in over long play sessions.
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Gear and character upgrades are broad and useful, though some reviewers note they come online a bit later than ideal.
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Exploration offers worthwhile secrets and shortcuts, but several reviews still say stages are fairly linear or limited in optional discovery.
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Replay value is decent thanks to NG+, weapon differences, and build experimentation, though customization limits cap long-term variety.
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The revenge premise and setting are engaging enough to keep players moving, but the story rarely matches the strength of the gameplay.
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Camera impressions are mixed: some found it solid and helpful, while others mention occasional trouble in specific situations.
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Mission maps and shortcut-heavy layouts are helpful, but backtracking and mission-reset behavior can be clunky.
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One long-play review reports a couple of crashes across roughly 60 hours, suggesting minor but real instability.
Cons
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The difficulty is rewarding for many, but boss balance is one of the most divisive parts of the game.
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Writing impressions are mixed, landing between entertainingly edgy and formulaic.
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Tutorials help, but the opening hours and early bosses do not always showcase or teach the game cleanly.
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Khazan adds some smart twists, but most reviews still see it as heavily derivative rather than especially original.
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Early bosses and systems can be harsh, and several reviewers say the game teaches its ideas abruptly.
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Supporting characters are often described as underused or too slight to leave much of an impression.
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Khazan and the broader cast are often seen as underdeveloped, with arcs and growth that do not fully capitalize on the setup.
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Summoned allies can help as distractions, but their AI is often described as unreliable and sometimes wasteful.
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Khazan’s setup is strong, but some reviewers still find him flat or emotionally distant as a lead.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in save system reliability, bug frequency, checkpoint system, below average in companion AI, protagonist appeal, innovation.
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| companion AI | 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| protagonist appeal | 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| save system reliability | 4.5 | 2.6 | +1.9 |
| innovation | 2.8 | 4.3 | -1.5 |
| character development | 2.5 | 4.0 | -1.5 |
| side character depth | 2.5 | 3.9 | -1.4 |
| bug frequency | 4.5 | 3.4 | +1.1 |
| checkpoint system | 4.8 | 3.9 | +1.0 |
FAQ
Is The First Berserker: Khazan more like Sekiro or Nioh?
Based on the reviews, it pulls from both. The mission structure, gear, and build systems are often compared to Nioh, while the parry-heavy fights and boss learning are frequently compared to Sekiro.
Is the difficulty fair?
Most reviewers say the bosses are brutal but readable, and many praise the checkpoint placement and progression rewards for failed attempts. Still, several reviews also call out uneven balance and a harsh early learning curve.
How strong is the story?
The revenge setup and broader world are generally seen as interesting enough to keep the game moving. The bigger criticism is that character development and side characters do not hit as hard as the combat.
Is it worth buying at full price?
Reviews that directly discuss price or value treat it as worth buying at full cost, especially for players who prioritize combat and boss encounters over story.
Does it play well on handheld?
One long-form review specifically says it is verified on Steam Deck and plays very well there.
Expert Reviews We Analyzed
Video Reviews
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Consider This Instead
If you want better protagonist appeal
Choose Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. It scores 4.7 vs 2.0 for protagonist appeal, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better character development
Choose Saros. It scores 4.8 vs 2.5 for character development, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better innovation
Choose Street Fighter 6. It scores 4.8 vs 2.8 for innovation, with a 4.1 overall score.
If you want better side character depth
Choose Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. It scores 4.4 vs 2.5 for side character depth, with a 4.1 overall score.
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