Once you’ve played enough games within a specific genre, certain elements—or even entire formulas—start to feel very familiar. Many titles borrow heavily from one another, yet still manage to carve out their own identity, making them feel more unique than they really are. With The First Berserker: Khazan, the first thing that stood out as a potentially unique element was its visual style. The anime-inspired cel-shading is definitely one of the game’s highlights, but like many aspects of this action RPG, it ends up feeling somewhat shallow.

For those unfamiliar, The First Berserker: Khazan is set in the Dungeon Fighter Online universe—a massively popular beat-‘em-up RPG series. I personally had no experience with it going in. Developed by Neople, this spin-off takes place 800 years before the events of the MMO. Fans of the universe might appreciate the deeper lore, but for newcomers like me, it’s hard to muster much interest. The story begins with Khazan being transported as a prisoner, but following an accident—or stroke of luck—he escapes into a harsh, snow-covered mountain range, where his journey begins.

What follows feels like a lighter version of Dark Souls—a description that’s both accurate and a little disappointing. While the game does have its own strengths, they don’t shine as brightly as I’d hoped.

Gameplay unfolds along linear paths, with our determined protagonist steadily pushing forward. A mysterious voice occasionally speaks to him, but despite a story centered on demons and vengeance, the narrative quickly fades into the background, leaving the action as the main focus. Armed with an axe and sword, you face off against tough enemies. Even though the game includes an “easy” difficulty setting, it still presents a fair challenge—especially when it comes to boss fights.

The core mechanics are familiar: quick strikes, heavier blows that deal more damage, dodging, and parrying. Every move drains a stamina meter, which feels limited at first and requires careful management.

You earn experience points throughout your journey. In Khazan, this comes in the form of Lacrima, which you use to strengthen your character at checkpoint shrines. You can upgrade health, stamina, and other attributes—sound familiar? That’s because it is. The game borrows a lot from genre giants, to the point where it occasionally feels more derivative than inspired. Die between checkpoints, and you’ll drop your gathered Lacrima—but thankfully, if you fall to a boss, you can recover it safely at the arena’s entrance.

Bosses are the real test of skill. There are tough enemies in the world, but the true challenges come at the end of levels. Like in other games of this type, success comes down to learning attack patterns, timing your dodges, and watching your stamina. If a boss proves too difficult, you can always grind a bit—enemies respawn when you rest at checkpoints, and the game is fairly generous with Lacrima and loot.

Khazan can equip a full set of armor—helmet, chestplate, gloves, boots—along with rings and amulets that grant small bonuses. Before long, the game throws so much gear at you it starts to feel like a loot-fest. Fortunately, unwanted items can be broken down into Lacrima, which can then be used for skill upgrades. There’s also a skill tree tied to each of the game’s weapon types.

You begin with the axe and sword combo, but one of the first quests leads you to the other two weapons: a massive greatsword and a spear. Each weapon has its own upgrade path and special attacks. These techniques deal heavy damage, and like Khazan himself, enemies have stamina bars. Deplete one and you can perform a devastating finisher. You can also sneak up on enemies to land a critical blow.

Menus and UI lack polish and personality—and while that’s not a dealbreaker, it’s a recurring issue. As I mentioned earlier, while the art style stands out, the world itself often feels lifeless and flat. The visuals are technically fine, but something’s missing. The environments—snowy fields, caves, grand halls—end up feeling like copy-paste versions of one another. There’s little movement, no real sense of atmosphere, and almost no dynamic elements to make the world feel alive. It’s a cool style on paper, but the environments end up feeling hollow and overly rigid.

The soundtrack doesn’t help either. The music is forgettable, with muted male choirs trying to create ambiance but ultimately falling flat. The cartoon-style cutscenes suffer the same fate—initially eye-catching, but ultimately lacking personality. Once you get past the bold art direction, the whole game begins to feel like an unfinished template.

To be fair, I don’t mind games that can feel repetitive. Action-heavy titles like Stellar Blade or Black Myth: Wukong—which I’ve also reviewed—can be just as repetitive. But those games carry a stronger identity and are more satisfying to play. Their combat feels more refined and enjoyable.

In Khazan, combat is a mixed bag. I mainly used the spear, appreciating its speed and reach. There’s fun to be had in mastering the balance between offense and defense, but the targeting system often feels off—you’ll miss hits simply because your character locks on imprecisely. The attacks have weight, but the animations sometimes feel floaty, especially when you whiff. Combos that rely on chaining attacks can get frustrating if they’re interrupted or poorly aimed, and enemy hit reactions don’t always give the satisfying feedback I was hoping for.

Still, the combat is the game’s strongest aspect. While it demands stamina management and smart blocking, there’s definitely some hack-and-slash DNA here—particularly against standard enemies. Beating a boss always feels good, but reaching them can feel like a long and sometimes dull journey.

After the intro, you reach a hub area that gradually unlocks new features like item shops and weapon upgrades. I appreciate that these systems are rolled out over time, but they also feel oddly timed. By the time I could buy better gear, I’d already found equipment in the field that was far superior. Features I would’ve liked to see earlier only became available hours into the game.

Looking back after several days of play, I feel torn. On one hand, there’s a certain charm to the simplicity, and most of the systems—unoriginal as they may be—function well. But Khazan’s journey often feels repetitive and lacks finesse. New mechanics are introduced steadily, but the overall experience rarely rises above “decent.” The First Berserker: Khazan captures the basics of an action-RPG and doesn’t really aim to go beyond that. For me, it ended up feeling a bit too basic—but if you're after a straightforward action experience, there are definitely reasons to give it a shot. If nothing else, few things feel better than finally chipping away a boss’s entire health bar.

-DenzelTheShire