preview The First Berserker Khazan: an action RPG to be released in 2025 or a Souls-like game that will make us rage?
In the world of action role-playing games, there was undeniably a before and an after to Dark Souls. Certainly Demon’s Souls had paved the way, but it was actually the Souls saga that established the genre’s popularity. Thirteen years later, his heirs are thriving a little more each year, each in their own way trying to bring enough personality to distinguish themselves as masters.
In 2025, the Neople teams will be under the auspices of publisher Nexon (The first descendant) want to try their luck The First Berserker: Khazana title they sell as a “hardcore” experience. For our part, we discovered the first hours of this adventure thanks a preview version with three missions. Does he really have the qualities necessary to stand out from the crowd? Soullike Who is currently performing? We share our impressions with you and there is a lot to say, starting with the art direction of this title by the developers of DNF duelmainly specializing in online games.
Bloody and dark, this action role-playing game almost makes us think of the Berserk manga
If only we quoted DNF duelit’s not free. Anyone who knows the universe of this fighting game will understand this Neople wanted to further develop the lore of one of his characters, in this case Khazan, by entrusting him with the reins of his own adventure. The least we can say is that it got off to a very bad start! Accused of treason, Khazan becomes an outcast and endures the worst tortures of the Imperial forces, leaving us still wondering how he can stand or even survive… On the verge of death, locked in a cart and watched by Khazan is an entire regiment, but is still entitled to a small helping hand from fate: a malevolent spirit causes a landslide that sweeps away everything in its path, allowing Khazan to break free. Regardless, this being compensates for this “benevolent” act and chooses Khazan as his vessel. In just a few minutes, The First Berserker: Khazan lays the foundation for its plot, which has a strong preference for dark fantasy.
This is not for free The atmosphere in general made us think a little of the manga Berserk by Kentaro Miura, especially the “Age of Punishment” story arc, which we shouldn’t dislike. Corporal punishment, gloomy atmosphere, an empire that dictates its laws, creatures that seem to come from another world… Ultimately, there are many false airs in the adventures of Guts. The similarities do not end there, however, because this anger that dominates Khazan also refers to the dark side that lies dormant in the main character of Miura’s manga and that resurfaces in the fiercest battles through the armor of the Berserker. The icing on the cake: This handling also revealed how the game works The First Berserker: Khazan promises a bloody adventure. When it comes to hemoglobin, we’ve got you covered! In short, under the guise of more or less realistic settings and an art direction with manga/anime aesthetics, The First Berserker: Khazan manages to inject enough visual originality to get us on board. Now it’s up to the features to convince us. Except that the title Neople isn’t taking any real risks here…
An angry Souls-like… to have one less thing
Let’s say it straight away, The First Berserker: Khazan is not there to disturb the formula of Soullikenor to crack the codes. If you are a regular of this genre, you will not be disoriented on this site. A life bar, a stamina meter, a limited number of treatments, a dodge, a parry, light and heavy attacks (even charged ones), and skills that are later unlocked through progression through the numerous talent trees. To expand Khazan’s range of movement, we quickly know what to do : Fight enemies, collect Lacrimas and spend them on the hero’s five attributes (Vitality, Endurance, Strength, Willpower, Dexterity/Ability) from some kind of remnant of the underworld. As in the series of souls or Ring of fire, Each trait affects the hero’s stats and has its meaning depending on the weapon you choose. There are three different types of weapons: the sword/axe combination, an impressive two-handed sword and a spear.
Obviously, each game has its own gameplay and, above all, its own development. There is no secret to strengthening your mastery of a weapon using talent trees: you must use it in combat. The more you use the sword/axe combination, the more skill points you have available. From there, specialization happens as you wish and you can develop light attacks, powerful strikes, defenses, etc. For the rest, in this case the equipment system, we stick with a very classic approach : multiple armor slots – there are even sets that grant bonuses – a duo of accessories and objects that can be assigned to shortcuts for use in real time via the directional pad. Well we won’t lie to each other, The First Berserker: Khazan makes minimal effort to be attractive in terms of gameplay, providing a structure that can be seen and reviewed This is based more on the feeling of familiarity we can feel when we have the controller in our hand than on any real intention to surprise and stand out.
A first handling that makes you angry
At the end of the day we actually feel like we’re standing in front of someone else again Soullike there is a lack of additional soul. The atmosphere and intrigue initially have little effect, but the basics of the combat system quickly reach their limits. It remains to be seen whether the selection of high-level moves will manage to fend them off and provide bloody gameplay as the title promises. However, this is not the only flaw The First Berserker: Khazan. In addition to the also very classic level design (the separate levels are reduced to corridors of enemies), The way the difficulty was thought about throughout the experience proves tense. Yes, the developers sold it to us as a “hardcore” and “ruthless” title, but still! Ultimately, we experience the same torture as Khazan: we suffer. In some places we only have to fight one or two enemies, while in other areas it is full of wild creatures, which creates an imbalance. Because of race, we are forced to do this in the event of death Constantly walking through boring and uninspired areas where the smallest enemy can become a chore when surrounded by like-minded people.
Yes, The First Berserker: Khazan is demanding, but also particularly annoying. Rather than aiming for the right balance of difficulty that brings challenge and self-improvement that is rightly rewarded, The title turns out to be too tense, almost discouraging at times, as it sometimes requires absolute precision and severely punishes us for the slightest mistake. There are many other titles in this area that offer a much more worthwhile offer. We therefore very much regret this almost elitist desire to focus on a “hardcore” experience The First Berserker: Khazan would have benefited from better accessibility. However, this is a detail that may still be subject to adjustment before publication. For the rest, there are many small details that make us tick over time. Redundancy, uninteresting plot, uninspired environments, too choppy progression, sometimes incoherent ideas, loot that is sometimes more powerful than rarer gear… Ultimately The First Berserker: Khazan respects its guidelines, but by wanting to do too well, it forgets to achieve something: to excite us and make us want to go to the end.
No impressions
As time goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd if you’re a Souls-like. The First Berserker: Khazan could have caused a surprise, but he only caused frustration. Hidden behind a far too codified formula that, moreover, does not take risks, the title Neople is added to the list of action RPGs without reaching the top. We orient ourselves, practice the gameplay, challenge ourselves against the first boss that appears… and we’re up to speed. Demanding but too punishing, a good student but without madness, The First Berserker: Khazan is neither bad nor an excellent surprise: it is in an in-between that, for once, makes us angry.
Editorial opinion
To have
