The First Berserker: Khazan

if you guys like games with difficulty such as sekiro with a revenge story with the animation style of Asura's Wrath and the gameplay of God of war, dark souls etc. This is the perfect game for you. Now I'm not much of a fan of games such as dark souls because of their difficulty. This game made me grow grey hair because it had some of the toughest boss fights I've ever experienced. However it did surprise me. The storyline was captivating, the animation style is gorgeous to witness. Last game I was captivated by it's story like that was Lies of P.

The combat alone is so satisfying to experience. Even though this game is not open world. The world itself is huge. There are less than 20 levels along with side quests for completionists to get the "true ending". The world building is dark, gritty, bleak and all you can feel in the air is anger, as the main Character is so consumed by revenge that the whole atmosphere around him feels bloodthirsty as all you're surrounded by is death and misery.

Something that holds this game back is definitely the lack of versatility when it comes to weapons. You only get around 3. Even though it is action packed, making the Combat chaotic, it is not fast paced, which sort of makes the game drag its welcome a bit, mixed in with the unnecessary difficulty spikes. The game may not be fast paced but the combat is, and boy is this man quick when you use them dual blades. There is a tutorial system through out the game as you learn new skills. it even surprised me at the fact that there was stealth also involved and boy are the sneak attacks brutal.

There is a crafting system but I don't need to explain how that works, I mean what game doesn't have a crafting system? Don't answer that. this isn't the time for you to be a smart ass on the comment section. 🧐 You will level up throughout the game however the bosses are insanely hard so you will find yourself grinding for resources to level up enough to take on a boss unfortunately. As you kill a boss you get rewarded with extra upgrade materials to make the journey ahead easier. You will end up dying a lot and going from checkpoint to checkpoint ain't no kids walk unfortunately.

Sometimes the bosses do look similar just with slight colour and minor ability changes but that didn't really affect me much. It didn't really make it feel cheap. Cause they still look great and terrifying. Sometimes you even need to make your own potions to fight enemies with as they have a certain type of weakness. Don't be fooled by seeing difficulty options. even on easy it will feel like veteran level of difficulty.

You can summon ghostie friends to help you fight bosses without their help this game would be unplayable imo. Collectig orbs can summon them or you can even upgrade them to make them stronger. The soundtrack is fantastic and they make use of their sound effects to give you a heads up of what is up ahead.

Some of the flaws I noticed are some level designs are not that nice to look at like during the mine levels. The main outfit is boring and bland until you have a chance to customize it yourself. I encountered a few bugs that did crash the game, sometimes camera angles can get you stuck or confused.

Imo it is harder than elden ring but not as hard as sekiro. Good game however not my style and not something I'll ever revisit.

The best niohlike you will get

A masterpiece of a game. One of the best combat systems in any game. This is one of those games that make me look at others games and just go "what are they even doing".

The First Berserker Khazan – A Savage, Impressive First Swing

Okay, let me just say this straight: I did not expect this game to hit like it did. This is the studio’s first try at a brutal action-RPG like this, and honestly? They crushed it way harder than anyone had a right to expect.


Combat
Man, the combat feels good. Every hit lands with weight, every combo feels like you’re actually tearing through something alive. You can tell they focused on making it feel raw. My only real gripe? The camera — sometimes it just loses its mind when you’re fighting in tight spaces. But overall? Super satisfying.


Bosses
These bosses are no joke. Aggressive, fast, wild. And yet, they never feel cheap — just deadly. You die, you learn, you go back in, and eventually, you win. It’s a good kind of painful. Some of them are a bit too over-the-top, but I still loved the rush.


Visual Style
The game looks awesome in the most grim, gritty way possible. The environments are soaked in decay, the monsters look like nightmares, and it all fits the mood perfectly. For a new studio doing this kind of game? Massive respect.


Story
The story’s solid. You’re not some hero — you’re broken, hunted, betrayed. That’s what makes it interesting. You feel the anger and the pain. But the pacing is a little uneven, and sometimes I felt like it could’ve gone deeper into Khazan's backstory. Still, I was hooked enough to want to see it through.


Atmosphere
The world doesn’t just look dark — it feels dark. You’re always tense, always waiting for the next horrible thing to come around the corner. The devs absolutely nailed the mood.


Difficulty
It’s hard, no doubt. But it’s also fair — mostly. Some fights feel like they were made just to break you, but I never felt like giving up. If you’re into games that test you, you’ll love this.


Progression
Leveling up feels meaningful. You don’t get a thousand upgrades — just the ones that matter. Simple, but effective. I would’ve liked a little more depth in builds, but what’s there works well.


Sound & Music
Sound effects are brutal. Every hit sounds like it hurts, and the music kicks in at all the right moments. It’s not flashy, but it adds to the vibe. Voice acting fits the characters — rough, heavy, no nonsense.


Performance
It ran well most of the time, but yeah, there were a few frame drops and weird moments. Nothing that ruined it, but you can tell this isn’t a AAA studio — and honestly, that makes what they did achieve even more impressive.


Originality
Look, it clearly takes inspiration from stuff like God of War and Souls games — but it doesn’t feel like a copy. It’s got its own voice, its own personality. And the fact that this is the first time the devs are making a game like this? That’s huge. If this is them just starting, I can't wait to see what they do next.


Final thought's
It’s not perfect — but it’s got heart, grit, and real talent behind it. If you like dark, brutal games where nothing is handed to you and everything feels earned, this is 100% worth your time.

Really good demo other then the spear trial made me rape Ben hecht

One of the best Souls-Likes I ever played! Fantastic combat, epic narrative and beautiful art style! That was great experience!