The First Berserker: Khazan Preview

The First Berserker: Khazan Preview

If you don’t know about Dungeon Fighter Online, don’t worry. The First Berserker: Khazan feels like it will be a self-contained experience that won’t require players to do homework.

The premise introduces a captured general in a dark fantasy setting who is being transported to be executed for treason. We don’t know if it’s true, but he gets possessed by some kind of demon, and then all hell breaks loose.

As expected with most modern action RPGs, The First Berserker: Khazan is a soulslike. Combat and exploration are the core of the experience, focusing on methodical navigation and regenerating stamina with lock-on targeting.

If I had to pick a similar analog to Khazan, it would be a mixture of Sekiro‘s staggering melee system, but with the gear and leveling up from the Nioh titles.

Khazan is a vicious and aggressive fighter and while he can equip various weapons, I only found dual wield types in the demo. Attacking is fast and his combos and moveset can be expanded via a skill-tree.

Typically, these kinds of games have very simple combat mechanics, but Khazan is taking the genre into new territory with a deeper system than anything done before it.

Dodging works like you’d expect but a new wrinkle is a perfect dodge that grants a limited strength buff, pushing players to be more aggressive. Blocking is effective, but high-level play demands players to time blocks perfectly which is how Khazan can follow up with counterattacks and drain his opponent’s stamina.

Since gameplay is aiming for something very fast-paced and punchy, inputs are almost instant and cooldown animations are almost nonexistent for blocking. This makes it very easy and generous to chain multiple perfect blocks in a row as a towering alpha yeti tries to pummel the hero into the ice. It almost feels too effective.

Other interesting moments that stood out during my time previewing were that not all enemies are on the same side. Stumbling upon a group of soldiers getting attacked by a yeti, wolves, or a rabid bear was something that looked like it happened on its own. I even sat in the back and watched them have a battle, waiting for the chance to prey on the weakened victor.

Khazan learns a few powers that further make this game stand out from its contemporaries. One ability is a berserker lance throw that functions as his ranged attack. He pretty much has an infinite supply so long as players stay aggressive and land perfect blocks to restore the charges.

It feels like Khazan is going to be a thrilling and violent, dark action RPG with some awesome violence. The graphics are stylized and are aiming for a seinen manga-look where guys are big and burly and monsters are even bigger.

The only setting in the demo focused on a frozen mountain location, but it was an atmospheric place where you could see remnants of a destroyed village and corpses everywhere.

The art style goes for a cel-shaded look that relies on flat and high-contrast lighting. Khazan is a fine-looking game so far and the animation is impactful and readable. After many tries battling the alpha yeti, I realized most of his attacks are blockable and Khazan has generous i-frames while dodging.

This is definitely going to be a tough game, but fair. As powerful as Khazan is, rushing into a scrap against a couple of scrawny monkeys can still lead to an embarrassing defeat.

There is no sting more painful than watching this mighty warrior fall dead from a wad of shit hitting him in the face at terminal velocity. Don’t underestimate anything in this game.

Fans of soulslike action games are probably going to enjoy Khazan. The demo was beefy and showcased a combat system with a lot of promise and flexibility.

I don’t know anything about Dungeon Fighter Online or how it ties to Khazan, but I must admit I am curious now because of this preview and the intriguing scenario.

The First Berserker: Khazan is set to launch on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on March 27, 2025, in North America.

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A youth destined for damnation.


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