The First Berserker: Khazan has all the familiar hallmarks of a souls-like--from a bonfire-esque checkpoint system that respawns enemies to XP you can lose upon death--yet its primary influences might not be what you would expect. While its parry-heavy combat is immediately reminiscent of From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, its level-based structure, weapon skills, and approach to gear are clearly inspired by Team Ninja's Nioh. Developer Neople has some ideas of its own, too, including a multifaceted progression system and cel-shaded art style that makes The First Berserker visually distinct from most of its contemporaries. As a result, this souls-like manages to feel familiar while also carving out an identity of its own, delivering a challenging yet rewarding experience that's anchored by a hard-hitting defensive style of combat and a degree of freedom in how you choose to play.
In terms of story, you play as the eponymous Khazan. Once a legendary general famed for saving the empire from the fearsome Berserk Dragon, he's falsely branded a traitor at the game's outset. After being mercilessly tortured--with the tendons in both of his arms severed--and exiled to a mountainous, snowy tundra, our hero manages to escape and forms an unlikely alliance with a mysterious entity known as Blade Phantom, who grants Khazan otherworldly powers in his quest for revenge.
What follows from here is a fairly boilerplate tale that's relatively light on story despite its ties to a broader world. The First Berserker is set in the Dungeon & Fighter universe--known for the MMO Dungeon Fighter Online and, most recently, the fighting game DNF Duel--so those familiar with the eclectic series might appreciate Khazan's origins. Those unfamiliar won't feel lost without this additional knowledge, but The First Berserker also gives you little reason to care about its narrative or dark fantasy world. Paper-thin characters anchor a forgettable tale that often tries to elicit emotion from characters you know next to nothing about. At least Ben Starr adds some gravitas in his role as the gruff protagonist.
Ultimately, the story is little more than a vehicle for getting you from one location to another, and in that sense, it works. As I mentioned earlier, The First Berserker is structurally similar to Nioh as you embark on missions within self-contained environments. There are optional side missions, too, although these bite-sized quests simply revisit areas with revised enemy types and duplicated boss fights. The rewards are worth it, and some are necessary to unlock vital upgrades like a blacksmith, but these side excursions aren't the most interesting from moment to moment. The main missions are significantly stronger, whether you're precariously fighting on the docks of a fishing village overrun by snarling Dragonkin or descending into the bowels of a labor camp in the middle of a barren desert, there's plenty of aesthetic variety.
You're rewarded for venturing off the beaten path with new gear, collectibles, and other upgrade materials, but The First Berserker's level design is relatively linear for the most part. There are a few exceptions to the rule, and these levels are its most compelling. But while this linearity isn't a bad thing in a vacuum, in the broader context of the genre, it's hard not to feel a tad disappointed that these locales don't quite capture the same sense of discovery and feeling of a labyrinthine, interconnected space that the best souls-likes are known for.
With exploration kept to a minimum, each level feels designed around various combat encounters, which is where The First Berserker shines. Fights are dictated by alternating light and heavy attacks, with a dodge and block giving you two different approaches to defense. Each action is governed by a stamina meter you need to be constantly mindful of, lest it runs dry and leaves you in a vulnerable state. The same is also true of the enemies you'll face, though, leading to a knife-edged dance as you attempt to break your foe's stance and set them up for a high damage-dealing Brutal Attack, without succumbing to the same fate yourself.
Successfully striking an enemy with light or heavy attacks chips away at both their health and stamina, but executing a perfect block--known as a Brink Guard--does the same. It's here where The First Berserker most closely resembles Sekiro, with aggressive enemies bombarding you one attack after another, challenging you to perfectly block each one in succession. It's possible to dodge these strikes, but the timing window is tight, and failure means you're guaranteed to get hit. Nailing the timing of a Brink Guard is not only more forgiving, but you'll still block the attack if you're early--at the cost of a significant chunk of stamina--and contribute to breaking the enemy's stance, making defense an integral part of your offense. Weaker enemies can be staggered and dispatched with little need for blocking, but more formidable foes demand that you learn their attack patterns to successfully defend until you can inflict some damage of your own.
Executing a Brink Guard feels fantastic, as the sound of clashing steel rings out and sparks fly, but especially when you're able to do it consecutively in a short amount of time. Some enemy attacks, like grabs and Burst Attacks, can't be blocked, so you always need to be on your toes to quickly dodge out of harm's way or use techniques like a Counterattack to avoid damage. All of this makes defense an active and rewarding part of most encounters, complementing an offensive side that feels weighty and impactful, with a delectable crunch behind each hit--no matter which of the three distinct weapon types you favor.
Khazan can equip a dual wield combo of an axe and sword, a greatsword, or a spear. Only three options may initially seem stingy, but each weapon type feels unique and has its own skill tree, allowing you to gradually unlock various passive and active skills that elevate The First Berserker's punchy combat. You're free to experiment, too, since any skill points you spend can be refunded for free and redistributed into another weapon's skill tree. I settled on the spear due to its speed, range, and Moonlight Stance, which creates additional afterimage attacks after you've landed a few light strikes, almost making it seem like there's more than one of you. Later on, I unlocked a couple of weapon skills that I discovered could be chained together between regular attacks, to the point where I was performing these lengthy and incredibly satisfying combos to blow enemies away. Being able to unlock and incorporate various weapon skills is where Nioh's influence becomes apparent, and only heightens when it comes to gear and its associated benefits.
You'll loot different rarities of gear from both chests and dead enemies, and each piece--whether it's a helmet, gloves, weapon, and so on--has three random attributes alongside a value for either defense or attack damage. These random attributes might increase your max stamina or buff the damage of Brutal Attacks, while complete gear sets also add five or six additional attributes that are set in stone. There's an element of luck involved in snagging a specific gear set, but crafting is eventually an option, letting you choose a set with attributes that complement your specific playstyle. It's part of The First Berserker's multifaceted approach to character progression, where numerous elements come together to define the experience.
XP earned from killing enemies can be spent on the usual assortment of stat upgrades, such as vitality, endurance, and strength, but there are also multiple ways to improve other aspects of Khazan's aptitude. There's an abundance of Phantoms to find and unlock, with each one providing a boost to attributes like stamina and health recovery just by being equipped. Finding each of the collectibles in a level earns Vengeance Points that can be spent on three different types of damage increase, while destroying all of the glowing red crystals hidden within each level lets you improve both XP gain and health recovery. You can even summon an NPC companion to fight alongside you during boss fights, who you can then upgrade by summoning and defeating antagonistic versions of the same NPC. Essentially, you can tailor the game's difficulty to your liking, and that's without even mentioning the game's easy mode.
On the normal difficulty, at least, The First Berserker is tough. Each boss fight, in particular, feels like a skill check for your current prowess, providing a stern test to overcome at the conclusion of every level. These fights never feel unfair, but you're expected to die and learn through your failures, returning stronger and wiser with each new attempt. These battles are exceptionally tense and engaging, and there's a multitude of wonderfully diverse bosses and regular enemy types, too, from dual dagger-wielding outlaws and horned demons to enraged yetis and incorporeal knights. The game's art style, which features cel-shaded characters and backdrops that sit somewhere between realism and illustration, creates a stylistic juxtaposition that brings these creatures to life with anime-esque clarity.
Despite a forgettable story and some constricted level design, The First Berserker: Khazan's excellent combat is more than enough to cover for these missteps. It's challenging, engaging, and consistently satisfying, complemented by a cavalcade of dynamic enemies and a versatile progression system that extends beyond the typical XP-based approach. It can feel derivative at times, yet The First Berserker's confluence of ideas and influences makes for a thrilling souls-like that stands out in what has become an increasingly crowded genre.
