The First Berserker: Khazan is a classy motion RPG that borrows equally from Souls-likes and looter shooters. Set on the earth of Dungeon Fighter On-line, this single-player spin-off delves into the previous, 800 years earlier than the occasions of the favored beat-’em-up, however you needn’t have performed the unique to take pleasure in this new journey.
Khazan’s story is considered one of betrayal and vengeance. Framed as a traitor, the once-great Normal Khazan is tortured and imprisoned earlier than being free of his bondage by a magical entity made up of the ghosts of a number of sturdy warrior spirits. It solely will get weirder from right here.
In contrast to a typical Souls-like’s interconnected world, The First Berserker’s story is instructed by way of a collection of distinct ranges. It is a selection that fits the sport properly, as every degree gives up a piece of the story so that you can have interaction with, but it surely’s not a very attention-grabbing story. Khazan’s quest for vengeance in opposition to those that wronged him is a compelling sufficient begin, however the narrative takes quite a lot of predictable twists and turns and, as a result of you don’t have any actual connection to his previous, it is arduous to really feel invested.
One non-obligatory quest chain is especially touching and tells an emotional story in regards to the heavy price of vengeance, however its reuse of bosses, a frequent drawback with the aspect quests, makes it, and the remainder of them, arduous to take pleasure in. These shorter missions additionally expose an issue on the coronary heart of Khazan. You’ll be able to principally flip your mind off and breeze by way of the degrees as soon as you’ve got spent just a few hours mastering the core mechanics. The painterly, cel-shaded artwork type makes all of it fairly to have a look at, but it surely’s extra like a poster you look at in your means some other place than a portray you’ll be able to lose your self in for hours.
The degrees all observe the identical method. Though the environments vary from snowy mountain peaks to hilly, rustic villages to deep, darkish mines and caves, you all the time combat your means by way of a collection of ordinary enemies that each one drop randomised gear earlier than going through off in opposition to the boss. You get a lot loot you are virtually drowning in it, however fortunately the sport solely has three several types of weapon: a dual-wield sword and axe, a two-handed greatsword, and a spear.
Khazan was already a legendary warrior, and the ghost has solely made him stronger. Every weapon kind has its personal devoted talent tree that permits you to carry out sturdy combos and have interaction with completely different fight mechanics. The twin-wield weapons can unleash a devastating assault that causes subsequent hits to deal much more injury, and the spear permits Khazan to enter an virtually phantom state, the place every of his blows has an afterimage that strikes the foe once more. You’ll be able to reset all your realized expertise so in case you ever wish to swap weapons, you are able to do so with none consequence. It is an excellent system that encourages and rewards experimentation. The spear was the most effective all-rounder because of its quick, broad ranging strikes, however all of the weapons might be helpful in case you study their movesets and make investments into their expertise. The fight system is flawed, although.
Like Sekiro, you and your enemies have a posture bar that may be damaged to land a crucial hit, but it surely doubles as a stamina bar, so that you’re restricted in how a lot injury you’ll be able to dish out within the early levels of the sport earlier than you’ve got upgraded Khazan’s stats. This feels antithetical to the center of the fight, which inspires and rewards viciousness.
There are additionally a number of methods to dam an assault, however they are often very inconsistent. There’s your normal block which negates most injury, an ideal block which is able to deal stamina injury to your foe, a parry which may deflect sure unblockable assaults and deal injury, and a mirrored image which truly causes you to take some injury however offers big stamina injury to the enemy in return. Studying the very exact timing for all of those, together with which assaults they’re truly efficient in opposition to, is the toughest a part of the sport, and the inconsistency makes it extra irritating than gratifying. It provides you an identical itch for rhythmic fight that Sekiro or 9 Sols does but it surely by no means manages to scratch it.
The randomised loot additionally muddies the entire expertise and means you may spend quite a lot of time in menus that solely serve to stall the extra thrilling components of the sport. Do you actually care that this helmet provides you +25 stamina and that helmet provides you +1.2% frontal assault injury? You’ll if you see that carrying an identical set confers bonuses based mostly on what number of gadgets in it you have got outfitted, however you then see a bit of armour with means higher defence; is it price breaking apart the set and shedding that bonus? Who cares, truthfully? You are going to put on the armour that appears coolest on the finish of the day.
This would not be a difficulty if you got loot sparingly, however on the finish of each degree or two you may have dozens of recent items of substances to analyse and it simply turns into a chore. There’s additionally a blacksmith who can craft gear and a witch who can change its attributes. There’s far an excessive amount of house given to the loot in a recreation the place you simply wish to go quick. Luckily, it is a chore that may be prevented for some time, as your rising aptitude with the sport and studying new expertise make ranges a cinch to get by way of till some bosses unexpectedly and utterly wall your progress and pressure you to really use higher gear.
The fights themselves are exhilarating, which solely makes all of the methods that put them off all of the extra annoying. Any Souls-like is made or damaged on the strengths of its boss fights, and Khazan’s often shine shiny. From beastly yetis to tanky-yet-agile flamethrowing troopers and even a snake-like dragon, there’s quite a lot of selection in the primary missions’ large bads. While you get within the zone and all the things clicks into place, the electrifying music builds and the stress ratchets up as you combat a struggle of attrition, desperately utilizing each device at your disposal to whittle the enemy’s well being down earlier than your personal is depleted. However then a deflection that is all the time labored up till now abruptly would not, and the phantasm is shattered.
Conclusion
In the end, The First Berserker: Khazan is an effective time. Its aesthetic differentiates it from the plethora of ARPG Souls-likes we have grow to be used to, and its sensible boss fights are participating sufficient to entice you thru ranges that begin to really feel boring across the mid-way level of the sport. However its lacklustre story and bloated, inconsistent mechanics hinder what may have been a greater recreation if it have been extra refined.