Khazan: The First Berserker is a modern action soulslike whatever label you want that takes the best elements from titles like Sekiro and Nioh 2 and mashes them together into something fast brutal and fun.

If tough games usually scare you off wait This one might surprise you.

• You earn XP every time you die to a boss
  Instead of making you grind mindlessly the game rewards your attempts. This small but smart feature keeps you going without the usual burnout.
  
  
• There’s an Easy Mode
  Not everyone has time to git gud. If you’re a working professional short on time or just here to enjoy the combat the easy mode makes the game far more accessible.
  
  
• Boss rematches anytime
  Once you beat a boss you can return to its arena and fight it again. Whether it's to practice or just relive a cool fight it's always there.

Khazan’s gameplay is the standout.

Do you like aggressive fast paced combat
You’ve got it

Do you like tight parries like in Sekiro
That’s here too

Prefer dodging over blocking
Yep the game lets you do that

It borrows a lot from Sekiro’s precision based combat and Nioh 2’s loot system and yokai style transformations. If you’ve never played those games don’t worry. Just know that each level is a semi open zone where you explore fight loot and level up. It’s structured but never dull.

The biggest win It’s the gameplay that keeps you going even when things get tough.

The bosses in Khazan are peak gaming.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3484366937

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3476578585

Each one is memorable some are beautifully designed and a few even earn a spot in my all time favorite list. They’re the kind you think about even after the game’s over.

Dragons beasts mages you’ll face all sorts of enemies and they don’t hold back
Some bosses even have their own unique soundtrack and the visual design alone is enough to make you pause mid fight to admire how good it all looks

They’re tough but fair and every win feels earned.

• Level design is forgettable
  The stages aren’t as creative or atmospheric as the bosses. Most areas look fine but there’s nothing that really sticks with you once you leave.
  
  
• Boss HP is too high
  Some bosses just drag. Not because they’re hard but because they have way too much HP. It stretches the fights out longer than they need to be and can wear you down.

The game looks great and runs smooth. Stylized visuals with crisp animations optimized really well. Performance isn’t an issue and it’s just plain nice to look at. Every slash and transformation has weight.

If you love games like Sekiro Nioh 2 or even Lies of P then Khazan deserves your attention

It nails the feeling of fast aggressive combat with just enough build variety and progression to keep things interesting. While the level design could use more personality and some bosses overstay their welcome with bloated health bars the core experience shines.

This is one of those games where you finish it and still remember specific boss fights music animations all the little things that matter. It’s a flawed gem but a gem nonetheless.

One of best games/soulslike

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It's a very good game, but it definitely plays differently than Souls-likes. So stop complaining about how hard it is and start using combos.

amazing combat, rewarding parry system, I literally cried when khazan said "It's time to berserk, for the first time"

Great game overall. For me the bosses were one of the hardest ones in the souls like genre. Very good first attempt from this studio though. Will surely look forward for their next game.

I just like the game tbh

Positive:
- Very fluid and smooth combat
- Despite only having 3 weapon types, there's a very good build variety
- Great crafting system
- The last boss is really challenging, In my opinion, only Sekiro's last boss is harder.

Negative:
- Some questionable design choices at a few bosses
- Map design is below average, the color palette is even worse than in a dark souls game. I hope you like brown, green and the mix of both.
- Enemy variety doesn't exist, you'll kill the same mobs in the last areas, that you've seen in the first few hours. Almost all of the bosses were reused in side quests.

All in all, the game was a real surprise and I hope they'll release another installment. If they would've added more enemy variety, better maps and no reused bosses for side missions, this would've been an instant classic.

7/10

DISCLAIMER: SPOILERS WILL BE MENTIONED, SO LOOK AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANNA BE SPOILED :)

While hanging out with some friends, one of them mentioned this game to me before it released and while it looked pretty cool, at the time, I kept it in the back of my head as a potential option to sink my teeth into.

Then the demo came out and I got hooked immediately. While what was shown was limited (which makes sense, considering its a demo), I instantly recognised the potential this game had, which prompted me to pre-order for the early access.

Fast-forward to now, I am confident in saying that if you are a fan of games as a medium, this is a must play. The love that the developers have put into this game, especially with the post-launch support they give it, is abundantly clear to see, but I will describe what makes the game so great (in my eyes, at least).

The Story:

While nothing revolutionary, the story does an effective job of moving the game forward with a simple tale of revenge, amplified by the great performances of Ben Starr, who bring Khazan to life with his voice acting skills, conveying Khazan's stoic determination and built up rage as the story progresses, conveying his descent into the mantle of First Berserker. Another highlight is Anthony Howell's performance as Blade Phantom, effectively conveying their prideful yet treacherous nature as an entity who previously tried to overthrow Charon, while also nicely showing Blade Phantom's growth as a character alongside Khazan, as they go from a tenuous alliance at the beginning, to one of the endings, where Blade Phantom sounds regretful in not allowing Khazan to be free of them after fulfilling their missions due to the lingering presence of Chaos. So to put it short: the story is simple, yet effective.

The Gameplay:

I think it's safe to say that this is the main selling point of The First Berserker Khazan and for good reason. Of all the action games and souls-likes I have played, this is easily among the best gameplay out of any souls-like in my opinion and stands with action game titans like DMC5 in terms of quality combat. The presence of just three weapon types might seem limiting at first, they have so much unique depth to them that experimenting with different builds is encouraged, especially by the end of the game, when you have access to all the bosses to farm (another nice feature which I hope other souls-likes try to incorporate). This is expanded upon as you start acquiring different gear sets, which allow you to access different buffs and even outright new abilities for Khazan, allowing rabid buildcrafters like myself and hopefully many others, to turn Khazan into a powerhouse of the player's making. Furthermore, even at a fundamental level, the blocking, dodging and attacking all feel fluid and as you learn to weave the fundamentals alongside the skills you acquire throughout your journey, you will truly feel like a beserker dancing with your enemies against impossible odds.

The only minor criticisms I have, while they don't compromise the experience for me, I think are worth mentioning. First is the lack of non-boss enemy variety. Regular mobs can feel a bit samey to fight, which can cause feelings of deja vu and repetition, possibly leading to boredom for new players looking for more enemy diversity akin to something from Bloodborne or any other Fromsoft game. In addition, the spear weapon type definitely has the best early game out of the three weapon types, with dual wield in particular feeling quite underwhelming until you reach the appropriate boss in which you can obtain a gear set that can help make a dual wield setup viable. Ultimately, however, they don't detract from the high quality of the gameplay, as the latter can be addressed by future patches, which the devs seem to be on top of, as they have been doing a good job of communicating to players via dev blogs and within their own patch notes. As for the former, I believe the next point I'm about to mention negates that.

The Bosses and Music:

When I first reach Maluca's phase 2 in which he quickly went full on Vergil on me and executed me with his own rendition of Judgement Cut, I had the biggest smile on my face and said to myself in my head "this game is amazing".

Most of the bosses in this game are awesome, with only a few leaving me wanting for more. They gradually build themselves up in difficulty alongside Khazan's growth in power, with each boss presenting a distinct challenge for the player to overcome, with the player being rewarded for learning a boss' moveset and mechanic(s) (should they be present), such as breaking Viper's head for extra health and stamina damage and brink guarding Maluca's sword dash attack for a momentary stagger, eventually culminating in the test of all your skills with Ozma, requiring you to unleash everything you have learned in order to obtain victory. The only things that left me wanting were the bosses Aratra, Shactuka and Hismar, especially Hismar, as the game spared no effort in making his legacy in the setting known, which made it more disappointing for me when I finally got to his boss and found his fight to be a straightforward battle of attrition in most cases. Also, I wished both of Maluca's phases had their own health bar as opposed to sharing the same one, that way, I would be able to enjoy his fight more and the themes of both his phases, but that just might be the masochist in me craving an insane challenge. ;)

Speaking of music, at least the boss themes, they range from good, to outright incredible. Maluca's Veiled Knives 1 and 2 might be the best tracks I've heard in any game I have played ever. Same goes for the themes for Ozma, Reece, Viper and so many more to the point I'd basically be listing all the boss themes. It is their impeccable track alongside the thrill of the intense challenge each boss brings that truly make each boss fight an experience worth going through, further amplifying the cathartic feeling of overcoming a boss after many attempts.

Summary:

I implore anyone who reads this to try this game, even if you don't feel comfortable with harder games that surround this genre, this is truly worth giving a try, as pure love and passion were clearly put into the making of this game and if nothing else, this game does feature an easier difficulty mode, with more varied difficulty options coming in the future as of the writing of my review, allowing players to tailor their experience to their own satisfaction even more. This game absolutely has my utmost confident approval and I will never be able to recommend it enough.

If you have made it this far through my rambling, thank you for reading. :)

pretty good game

Peak male fantasy minus a big beard.

While playing you can feel your testosterone levels rising.