The First Berserker: Khazan Review (PS5)

The First Berserker: Khazan is a trendy motion RPG that borrows equally from Souls-likes and looter shooters. Set on this planet 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 Common 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 advised by way of a collection of distinct ranges. It is a selection that fits the sport effectively, as every degree affords up a piece of the story so that you can have interaction with, however it’s not a very fascinating story. Khazan’s quest for vengeance towards those that wronged him is a compelling sufficient begin, however the narrative takes plenty of predictable twists and turns and, as a result of you haven’t any actual connection to his previous, it is onerous to really feel invested.

One non-obligatory quest chain is especially touching and tells an emotional story concerning the heavy value of vengeance, however its reuse of bosses, a frequent drawback with the facet quests, makes it, and the remainder of them, onerous 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 means of the degrees as soon as you’ve got spent just a few hours mastering the core mechanics. The painterly, cel-shaded artwork model makes all of it fairly to take a look at, however it’s extra like a poster you look at in your approach elsewhere than a portray you possibly can lose your self in for hours.

The degrees all comply with the identical system. Though the environments vary from snowy mountain peaks to hilly, rustic villages to deep, darkish mines and caves, you at all times combat your approach by means of a collection of normal enemies that every one drop randomised gear earlier than dealing with off towards 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 ability tree that means that you can 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 your whole realized expertise so in the event you ever need to swap weapons, you are able to do so with none consequence. It is a terrific system that encourages and rewards experimentation. The spear was the perfect all-rounder resulting from its quick, large ranging strikes, however all of the weapons could be helpful in the event 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 vital hit, however it doubles as a stamina bar, so that you’re restricted in how a lot injury you possibly can dish out within the early phases of the sport earlier than you’ve got upgraded Khazan’s stats. This feels antithetical to the guts 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 commonplace block which negates most injury, an ideal block which can deal stamina injury to your foe, a parry which might deflect sure unblockable assaults and deal injury, and a mirrored image which really 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 really efficient towards, 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 however it by no means manages to scratch it.

The randomised loot additionally muddies the entire expertise and means you may spend plenty 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 while 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 chunk of armour with approach higher defence; is it price breaking apart the set and dropping that bonus? Who cares, actually? 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 drugs 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 area given to the loot in a sport the place you simply need to go quick. Luckily, it is a chore that may be averted for some time, as your rising aptitude with the sport and studying new expertise make ranges a cinch to get by means of till some bosses unexpectedly and utterly wall your progress and pressure you to truly use higher gear.

The fights themselves are exhilarating, which solely makes all of the programs 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 normally shine vibrant. From beastly yetis to tanky-yet-agile flamethrowing troopers and even a snake-like dragon, there’s plenty of selection in the principle missions’ massive bads. Whenever you get within the zone and all the pieces clicks into place, the electrifying music builds and the strain ratchets up as you combat a warfare of attrition, desperately utilizing each software at your disposal to whittle the enemy’s well being down earlier than your personal is depleted. However then a deflection that is at all times labored up till now all of the sudden does 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 turn into 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 might have been a greater sport if it have been extra refined.