When Lords of the Fallen came out in 2014, it was interesting to see another developer who mimics from Software’s Souls formula. But now it’s a whole genre, and seeing something like another big budget soul doesn’t feel special anymore – even Star Wars had cracks in it. So, what was the first Berserker: does Kazan bring to the table? What are the fresh twists and novel environments that stand out for this soul-like thing? Frankly, I can’t see it. If I’m as reductive as possible, I think it’s simply going to take some core ideas from Nioh and slap Sekiro’s Parry to the top.
Some of you may have read it and think that this anime eye action rpg sounds derivative. Others will probably spit in joy. Well, both reactions make sense. First Berserker: Khazan definitely doesn’t have originals. It might also be the most enjoyable I’ve been playing something like Souls for years.
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You are a once blessed veteran and General Kazan, framed for treason by a cowardly ill emperor. After the tendons in your arm are severed, you unwillingly make an agreement with a large blue attack called the Blade Phantom, which gives you the power to cheate death. From here you set out on a quest to punish those who framed you and restored your name.
Yes, it’s almost Macbeth. The story is one of the game’s weakest elements, a story of revenge numbers that watches tear apart a bundle of unforgettable villains and consumables allies. Worse, much of the plot is revealed through narrated slideshows. To give the writer some credibility, it appears they have come across the fact that this is a prequel to Dungeon Fighter online. But even those stubborn fans can’t imagine themselves being invested.
The main story mission is easy enough. Fight several enemies through mini bosses, light a bonfire, unlock shortcuts along the way, and finally hit the nose from the boss. Unfortunately, the journey is another drawback to Kazan. Everything is everything until the boss fight feels formal. They sometimes try to confuse it by introducing puzzles, but most of the time you go from point A to point B and kill everything along the way.
The enemy has the same feeling that the longer it gets worse. It was my first time fighting a lot of lizards, but by the time they were featured as major antagonists on the fourth major mission, I was really tired of sending them out. It’s not just the kind of enemy that gets tired, but the way they are placed across levels makes the overall problem feel boring. I lost the number of times the game threw bulky mini bosses at me, and put a lot of shooters behind it, calling it a day.
Even if I try to milk a little extra varieties from the side missions, I feel that these are primarily recycled from the main story. Some maps are reused in an interesting way by adding puzzles or opening new routes that were previously inaccessible. But again, most of these missions added unique enemies, and every mission I played had a version with a reskinned main story boss at the end. I went out of my way to justify this by claiming that the boss was the twin brother of the last man I fought. You are not smooth, Kazan – I know you placed the helmet on the last boss model and dusted your hands.
But the bosses can reappear more than you would like, but they make up for it in one important way. They are an absolute threat. Above the normal, non-blockable strikes, there are combo strings of 10 attack lengths, grabs that are represented only by audio cues, and attacks that build negative status effects even when blocking them, and Area of Effects almost fills the entire arena. Khazan’s Icicle Yetis and Hammer Heaving Demons throw everything at you. Hardcore fans of this genre may think I’m burying Lede here, but this may really be one of the most difficult soul slicks I’ve played just for boss fights.
But in the end, they’re still fair. Khazan balances its aggressive nonsense by offering a huge bag of defensive tools. Certainly, compared to Eldenling, there are only three weapons: Dual Weed, Great Sword and Spear. But this is much more similar to Nioh’s idea. All weapon types have their own skill tree that unlocks unique special attacks, exercise options and buffs. All three weapons are distinguished from each other. Thanks to the steady progression of the skill tree, I didn’t feel like I was burned out just by sticking to Dual Whild for most of the playthrough.
Their intelligence lies in how they use these blades. There are four different ways to counter enemies. You can dodge and guard. However, you can use the “brink” variation by timing your Dodge or Guard perfectly. These help to regenerate stamina and reflect damage that comes back to enemies.
This creates a big battle where other boss fights are satisfied in a way that I have not felt since Sekiro. It’s a great satisfaction that it perfectly reflects the beast’s 30-second-long combo. Or accept the giant monster and shave half of its sticker bar. No cheap strategies or exploits found. You need to lock in and play the perfect game every time. It’s difficult, but there’s an unparalleled sense that it has to outweigh the intense and deadly game at the perfect timing of the dance dance revolution.
As someone who loves this genre, I can forgive many of Kazan’s flaws because of this intensity. However, I cannot deny that the game has many weaknesses other than those pitched battles. If it’s a more concise adventure (a full playthrough would retreat for about 80 hours), then it might seem like many of the issues I mentioned aren’t that big of a deal. Instead, it makes me feel conflicted. I’m caught up in celebrating a truly satisfying and thorough battle, lamenting that painstaking (and often rehashed) campaign. For fans who are like the hard soul buried in Hazan, there are some treasures buried in Kazan. It’s a shame that you’ll have to dig into the mounds of uninterested levels and scores to get to them.
This review is based on a review build provided by the publisher.