Choose The First Berserker: Khazan for demanding, skill-heavy action and standout boss fights. Skip it if brutal spikes, thin storytelling, reused missions, or loot-menu friction will wear you down.
Best for
Best for Soulslike and hardcore action fans who enjoy learning bosses, refining builds, and pushing through tough encounters for a high-satisfaction payoff.
Not for
Not for players who want forgiving difficulty, rich character drama, broad exploration, multiplayer, or a low-friction loot and menu experience.
Verdict
The review evidence points to an action RPG carried by combat, bosses, and presentation more than story or level structure. Reviewers repeatedly praise Khazan’s fast, precise combat, distinct weapons, strong boss encounters, and stylish cel-shaded art. The tradeoff is that the same intensity can become punishing: several reviews flag brutal early walls, stamina pressure, second-phase frustration, or uneven balance. Narrative and character depth are also inconsistent, with many calling the revenge story coherent but thin, predictable, or underdeveloped. Level and mission design divide reviewers sharply; shortcuts and exploration rewards help, but recycled side missions, boss reuse, and samey areas are common caveats.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Elden Ring
Compared: boss-run quality-of-lifeCOGconnected compares Khazan’s boss retry comfort with lessons FromSoft learned in Elden Ring.
Worse: story clarityDigital Trends says Khazan’s story is easier to follow than Elden Ring’s cryptic lore.
Better: early difficulty flexibilityIGN says Elden Ring offers more ways to overcome an early boss than Khazan.
Nioh
Similar: mechanical influenceRPS says Khazan takes core ideas from Nioh.
Similar: gameplay influenceThe reviewer says Khazan leans toward the Nioh side of Soulslike design.
Boss design is the strongest point of consensus, with many reviewers calling bosses excellent, memorable, fair, intuitive, and satisfying despite some reuse or harshness.
Combat is the product’s clearest strength: reviewers repeatedly call it fast, satisfying, deep, and among the genre’s best, with only a few reservations about stamina or consistency.
Level design is highly divisive: some reviews praise memorable layouts and shortcuts, while others call the levels basic, boring, recycled, or even terrible.
Difficulty is the most contentious attribute: many reviewers find the challenge fair and rewarding, while others report brutal spikes, stamina strain, or unbalanced bosses.
Narrative quality is mixed: reviewers like the coherent revenge setup and some entertaining moments, but many call the story thin, generic, predictable, or underwhelming.
Replay value is moderate: New Game+ and weapon experimentation help, but limited build variety and repeated playthrough fatigue are recurring concerns.
Lore depth is limited in one review’s view, with little to learn beyond mechanical hub functions.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in save system reliability, below average in character development, lore depth, side character depth.
Summary
8 compared features
Above average0.4+ pts higher13%
1 feature
Same as averagewithin 0.3 pts0%
0 features
Below average0.4+ pts lower88%
7 features
Attribute
This product
Category average
Difference
character development
2.0
4.2
-2.2
lore depth
2.0
4.2
-2.2
side character depth
2.0
3.9
-1.9
live-service support
2.0
3.8
-1.8
onboarding experience
2.3
4.1
-1.8
save system reliability
5.0
3.3
+1.7
learning curve
2.0
3.6
-1.6
mission design
2.0
3.5
-1.5
FAQ
Is The First Berserker: Khazan mostly praised or criticized?
The review set is broadly positive on combat and bosses, but mixed overall because story, level design, mission reuse, and difficulty spikes draw repeated criticism.
Is the combat the main reason to play?
Yes. Across the reviews, combat feel, responsiveness, weapon identity, and boss learning are the strongest recurring positives.
How hard is it?
Reviewers describe it as demanding and sometimes brutal. Some find the challenge fair, while others report early walls, stamina problems, or unbalanced boss pressure.
Does the story matter?
The revenge setup is clear enough and occasionally entertaining, but many reviewers say the narrative, side characters, and protagonist depth are not the main draw.
Are the levels good?
Opinions split. Some reviewers praise shortcuts, layouts, and memorable areas, while others criticize linearity, samey missions, weak exploration, or recycled side content.
Is there replay value?
There is some replay value through New Game+, weapon experimentation, boss refights, and gear systems, but reviewers also note limited build variety and repeated content.
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