The First Berserker: Khazan has all of the acquainted hallmarks of a souls-like–from a bonfire-esque checkpoint system that respawns enemies to XP you possibly can lose upon death–yet its major influences may not be what you’ll anticipate. Whereas its parry-heavy fight is instantly paying homage to From Software program’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, its level-based construction, weapon abilities, and strategy to gear are clearly impressed by Group Ninja’s Nioh. Developer Neople has some concepts of its personal, too, together with a multifaceted development system and cel-shaded artwork type that makes The First Berserker visually distinct from most of its contemporaries. Because of this, this souls-like manages to really feel acquainted whereas additionally carving out an id of its personal, delivering a difficult but rewarding expertise that is anchored by a hard-hitting defensive type of fight and a level of freedom in the way you select to play.
When it comes to story, you play because the eponymous Khazan. As soon as a legendary common famed for saving the empire from the fearsome Berserk Dragon, he is falsely branded a traitor on the sport’s outset. After being mercilessly tortured–with the tendons in each of his arms severed–and exiled to a mountainous, snowy tundra, our hero manages to flee and varieties an unlikely alliance with a mysterious entity referred to as Blade Phantom, who grants Khazan otherworldly powers in his quest for revenge.
What follows from right here is a reasonably boilerplate story that is comparatively mild on story regardless of its ties to a broader world. The First Berserker is ready within the Dungeon & Fighter universe–known for the MMO Dungeon Fighter On-line and, most not too long ago, the preventing sport DNF Duel–so these accustomed to the eclectic sequence may respect Khazan’s origins. These unfamiliar will not really feel misplaced with out this extra data, however The First Berserker additionally offers you little cause to care about its narrative or darkish fantasy world. Paper-thin characters anchor a forgettable story that usually tries to elicit emotion from characters you realize subsequent to nothing about. No less than Ben Starr provides some gravitas in his function because the gruff protagonist.
In the end, the story is little greater than a automobile for getting you from one location to a different, and in that sense, it really works. As I discussed earlier, The First Berserker is structurally just like Nioh as you embark on missions inside self-contained environments. There are non-compulsory facet missions, too, though these bite-sized quests merely revisit areas with revised enemy sorts and duplicated boss fights. The rewards are value it, and a few are essential to unlock important upgrades like a blacksmith, however these facet excursions aren’t essentially the most fascinating from second to second. The primary missions are considerably stronger, whether or not you are precariously preventing on the docks of a fishing village overrun by snarling Dragonkin or descending into the bowels of a labor camp in the midst of a barren desert, there’s loads of aesthetic selection.
You are rewarded for venturing off the crushed path with new gear, collectibles, and different improve supplies, however The First Berserker’s stage design is comparatively linear for essentially the most half. There are a couple of exceptions to the rule, and these ranges are its most compelling. However whereas this linearity is not a nasty factor in a vacuum, within the broader context of the style, it is arduous to not really feel a tad upset that these locales do not fairly seize the identical sense of discovery and feeling of a labyrinthine, interconnected area that the perfect souls-likes are recognized for.
With exploration stored to a minimal, every stage feels designed round varied fight encounters, which is the place The First Berserker shines. Fights are dictated by alternating mild and heavy assaults, with a dodge and block providing you with two completely different approaches to protection. Every motion is ruled by a stamina meter you could be continually conscious of, lest it runs dry and leaves you in a weak state. The identical can be true of the enemies you may face, although, resulting in a knife-edged dance as you try to interrupt your foe’s stance and set them up for a excessive damage-dealing Brutal Assault, with out succumbing to the identical destiny your self.
Efficiently putting an enemy with mild or heavy assaults chips away at each their well being and stamina, however executing an ideal block–known as a Brink Guard–does the identical. It is right here the place The First Berserker most intently resembles Sekiro, with aggressive enemies bombarding you one assault after one other, difficult you to completely block every one in succession. It is doable to dodge these strikes, however the timing window is tight, and failure means you are assured to get hit. Nailing the timing of a Brink Guard is just not solely extra forgiving, however you may nonetheless block the assault if you happen to’re early–at the price of a big chunk of stamina–and contribute to breaking the enemy’s stance, making protection an integral a part of your offense. Weaker enemies could be staggered and dispatched with no need for blocking, however extra formidable foes demand that you simply study their assault patterns to efficiently defend till you possibly can inflict some injury of your individual.
Executing a Brink Guard feels improbable, because the sound of clashing metal rings out and sparks fly, however particularly if you’re in a position to do it consecutively in a brief period of time. Some enemy assaults, like grabs and Burst Assaults, cannot be blocked, so that you at all times must be in your toes to shortly dodge out of hurt’s means or use strategies like a Counterattack to keep away from injury. All of this makes protection an lively and rewarding a part of most encounters, complementing an offensive facet that feels weighty and impactful, with a tasty crunch behind every hit–no matter which of the three distinct weapon sorts you like.
Khazan can equip a twin wield combo of an axe and sword, a greatsword, or a spear. Solely three choices might initially appear stingy, however every weapon kind feels distinctive and has its personal ability tree, permitting you to step by step unlock varied passive and lively abilities that elevate The First Berserker’s punchy fight. You are free to experiment, too, since any ability factors you spend could be refunded without spending a dime and redistributed into one other weapon’s ability tree. I settled on the spear attributable to its pace, vary, and Moonlight Stance, which creates extra afterimage assaults after you have landed a couple of mild strikes, virtually making it look like there’s multiple of you. Afterward, I unlocked a few weapon abilities that I found could possibly be chained collectively between common assaults, to the purpose the place I used to be performing these prolonged and extremely satisfying combos to blow enemies away. With the ability to unlock and incorporate varied weapon abilities is the place Nioh’s affect turns into obvious, and solely heightens on the subject of gear and its related advantages.
You will loot completely different rarities of drugs from each chests and useless enemies, and every piece–whether it is a helmet, gloves, weapon, and so on–has three random attributes alongside a worth for both protection or assault injury. These random attributes may enhance your max stamina or buff the injury of Brutal Assaults, whereas full gear units additionally add 5 – 6 extra attributes which are set in stone. There’s a component of luck concerned in snagging a particular gear set, however crafting is finally an choice, letting you select a set with attributes that complement your particular playstyle. It is a part of The First Berserker’s multifaceted strategy to character development, the place quite a few parts come collectively to outline the expertise.
XP earned from killing enemies could be spent on the same old assortment of stat upgrades, comparable to vitality, endurance, and power, however there are additionally a number of methods to enhance different elements of Khazan’s aptitude. There’s an abundance of Phantoms to search out and unlock, with every one offering a lift to attributes like stamina and well being restoration simply by being geared up. Discovering every of the collectibles in a stage earns Vengeance Factors that may be spent on three various kinds of injury enhance, whereas destroying all the glowing pink crystals hidden inside every stage permits you to enhance each XP acquire and well being restoration. You’ll be able to even summon an NPC companion to battle alongside you throughout boss fights, who you possibly can then improve by summoning and defeating antagonistic variations of the identical NPC. Primarily, you possibly can tailor the sport’s problem to your liking, and that is with out even mentioning the sport’s simple mode.
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On the conventional problem, not less than, The First Berserker is hard. Every boss battle, particularly, appears like a ability examine on your present prowess, offering a stern check to beat on the conclusion of each stage. These fights by no means really feel unfair, however you are anticipated to die and study by way of your failures, returning stronger and wiser with every new try. These battles are exceptionally tense and interesting, and there is a multitude of splendidly numerous bosses and common enemy sorts, too, from twin dagger-wielding outlaws and horned demons to enraged yetis and incorporeal knights. The sport’s artwork type, which options cel-shaded characters and backdrops that sit someplace between realism and illustration, creates a stylistic juxtaposition that brings these creatures to life with anime-esque readability.
Regardless of a forgettable story and a few constricted stage design, The First Berserker: Khazan’s glorious fight is greater than sufficient to cowl for these missteps. It is difficult, partaking, and persistently satisfying, complemented by a cavalcade of dynamic enemies and a flexible development system that extends past the everyday XP-based strategy. It could possibly really feel spinoff at occasions, but The First Berserker’s confluence of concepts and influences makes for an exhilarating souls-like that stands out in what has grow to be an more and more crowded style.