The First Berserker: Khazan is an action-RPG Soulslike that follows the titular protagonist General Khazan, a legendary hero who is framed for treason and ultimately banished to the snowy mountains. The story takes place within the DNF universe, albeit much earlier in the timeline compared to the events of previous games. This means it works as a great starting point for fans unfamiliar with the DNF series to date.
Game Rant caught up with Nexon to find out just how tough The First Berserker: Khazan is, and whether it’s designed with new players or action-RPG veterans in mind. Nexon also explained how the game encourages players to keep trying, ensuring that each failure is a lesson. Attaining the balance of keeping players engaged after multiple failures is one of the key metrics when measuring a Soulslike game’s success.
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What to Expect From The First Berserker: Khazan in 2025
Although The First Berserker: Khazan isn’t far from release, there is more to see from it both before launch and as the year moves on.
The First Berserker: Khazan Can be Enjoyed By Players of All Abilities
For players who haven’t experienced games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, the unforgiving nature of Soulslikes can be extremely daunting. Some Soulslikes have begun to opt into difficulty sliders or settings for those who want to experience the story without spending hours having the progress halted by a particularly tricky boss. Nine Sols, one of 2024’s best indie games, is a great example of this, offering multiple ways to adjust the game’s at-times-unforgiving difficulty. For Nexon, though, The First Berserker: Khazan was never meant to be solely for a hardcore audience:
”The First Berserker: Khazan is a title that can be easily picked up, as it allows players to make choices based on their own preferred playstyle. There will be several challenges and even failures throughout fans’ playthroughs. However, these failures and challenges do not come empty-handed, as they provide a number of rewards, once defeated. Additionally, for players who are less familiar with action games, we’ve prepared an easy mode, ensuring that everyone can experience an appropriate level of challenge and accomplishment.”
The First Berserker: Khazan Ensures Failure is a Lesson
Death and failure are commonplace in Soulslikes, but it’s always about what players learn from them. While failure in The First Berserker: Khazan is almost a certainty, it’s how players react to that failure that will define their experience with the game. Nexon has worked hard to ensure that each failure is a chance to learn from mistakes to encourage the player to dive straight back in and have another attempt, armed with the knowledge of exactly what went wrong.
”We consider adventure, challenge, and a sense of accomplishment as the core elements of gameplay. While challenges inevitably involve failure, we believe that failure should lead to another attempt, and it is important to ensure that the process remains enjoyable. Therefore, we have provided clear feedback at every stage of decision-making during challenges. Our goal is to lead players to face various enemies, learn their patterns, resist their attacks, and ultimately grow both the player and the character, Khazan.”
The First Berserker: Khazan‘s demo, which was released last month, offered a glimpse of some of the brutal encounters in store for players when the full game drops next month. It featured two tough boss fights, leaving players in no doubt about the level of challenge the game will present. For those that rise to the challenge, though, they will likely find an engaging and rewarding action RPG experience that is well worth their time.
- Released
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March 27, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Neople