When it was first revealed, The First Berserker: Khazan appeared that it’s one more Soulslike title, albeit one with a extra stylized strategy that helped it stand out. Dig deeper, nonetheless, and it’s clear that Nexon and Neople’s new recreation has far more than that to supply, particularly for followers of the intensive DNF universe.
The supply materials, which locations the titular Khazan as a legendary hero who will get betrayed by Pell Los Empire after defeating Hismar the Berserk Dragon and is the origin of the Khazan Syndrome, and thus, the Slayer faction, is wealthy and storied. But, what the staff hopes to realize with The First Berserker: Khazan is to each invite new gamers into the DNF world and to fulfill veterans in a single fell swoop. That required a deft contact and a splash of multiverse storytelling.
“The story of Khazan wasn’t actually realized regardless of what it symbolizes and the importance in the entire DNF universe,” defined Junho Lee, Artistic Director. “There are such a lot of sources and references that [come] from DNF, however on the similar time, we wished to attraction to individuals who don’t know the universe.
“To be actual, we thought in the case of creating these spinoffs, we selected the tales that might be fascinating if it went otherwise from the unique story. So, Khazan will get betrayed and despatched into exile, however what if he really survived?”
And that’s the place I discovered myself when attempting out The First Berserker: Khazan for the primary time. Described as a hardcore motion roleplaying expertise, the violence and mechanics match properly right into a style that has turn out to be a mainstay in gaming, however the way in which Neople approached its design nonetheless delivered some good surprises.
From a visible standpoint, watching Khazan transfer by way of the snow and the ruins, it’s simple to be taken in by the visuals on show, particularly with its distinctive artwork fashion that forgoes realism for one thing far more eye-catching.
As Artwork Director Kyuchul Lee stated, “Whereas growing Khazan, it was actually vital for us to include the IP components of the unique recreation but in addition cater to the market’s wants. Now we have achieved quite a few assessments to seek out the proper course, and we didn’t go for the photorealistic strategy as a result of it restricted the creativeness of the gamers. This strategy is extra evocative and in addition helps differentiate our recreation.
“The lifetime of Khazan is filled with struggles, he goes by way of betrayals and totally different issues in his life, and we actually wished to painting graphically and aesthetically the bloody battles and in addition the grit that he faces on this state of affairs. The graphic strategy that we’ve taken justifies the violence and totally different struggles he goes by way of within the recreation.”
It ought to come as no shock that the motion was methodical and impactful, with even the supposed fodder enemies proving to be harmful foes. It takes some time to get used to the heavier weight of Khazan’s motion and assaults, and with blocks and dodges to think about, gamers might want to sharpen their expertise in fight as quickly as they will.
That is particularly so when assembly one of many recreation’s non-obligatory encounters, like a monstrous bear resting in a cave. Every swipe of its claws was terrifying, however after deciphering its patterns, it turned a way more manageable affair as I persistently parried it and ultimately broke its stance, giving me time to actually convey the ache.
For sure, I used to be swiftly introduced again all the way down to scorched earth when going through the demo’s precise boss: A hulking frost ape that was greater than desperate to punish any overeager participant that has no defensive recreation. Between lengthy combos, delayed assaults, and swift motion, the encounter turned extra of a tactical dance, and the primary one to make a fallacious transfer was in for a foul time. But, when you’ve gotten into the rhythm and introduced this beast all the way down to its haunches, that satisfaction is definitely one thing else. With victory in hand, it was clear that The First Berserker: Khazan had awoken one thing in me, and I wished extra, which the staff was very happy to think about.
“In relation to increasing the IP by way of totally different content material, like novels, webtoons, and animation, we will think about other ways,” added the artistic director. “However in the case of video games, we consider that a lot of the tales the universe can provide are higher instructed with motion.”
And on this case, I couldn’t agree extra.
The First Berserker: Khazan is at the moment in improvement and is about for a 2025 launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC.