Importance Score: 20 / 100 🔵
The First Berserker: Khazan distinguishes itself as a challenging action role-playing game, tailored for enthusiasts of the Soulslike genre. Instances of trivializing boss encounters with overpowered character builds are scarce, and demanding skill assessments arise promptly, with the Chapter 3 boss Viper gaining notoriety as a significant obstacle for newcomers. However, the game also incorporates elements reminiscent of classic action titles, offering enjoyment even to players fatigued by the established Soulslike formula popularized by FromSoftware. Notably, The First Berserker: Khazan includes an accessible difficulty setting, designed to aid players and ensure an engaging experience for a broader audience.
Easy Mode: A Rare Feature in Soulslike Games
While commonplace in numerous other gaming genres, easy modes are seldom found within the Soulslike category. The First Berserker: Khazan sets itself apart by providing a mechanism to lessen the game’s inherent difficulty, while thoughtfully maintaining the core gameplay challenge. Although the frequency of player death is reduced on this easier setting, mortality remains a significant aspect of the experience. The developer, Neople, recently adjusted this mode, alongside refining certain boss battles, in response to player feedback indicating persistent high death rates.
Gameplay Adjustments in Easy Mode
The easy mode introduces alterations to aspects such as player and enemy health pools, and crucially, the rate of stamina regeneration. Khazan’s battle mechanics are heavily reliant on disrupting enemy balance by depleting their stamina. Effective management of the player’s own stamina is vital for survival. However, in easy mode, stamina replenishes at an accelerated rate, rapidly refilling completely when utilizing well-timed perfect guard maneuvers.
Learning and Mastery Through Easy Mode
This adjusted stamina dynamic provides increased opportunities for players to experiment with combat strategies, refine their skills, and learn from errors. Khazan’s boss encounters feature deliberately delayed animations, designed to disrupt player timing, making pattern recognition crucial for success. The easy mode not only lowers the threshold for overcoming these battles but also serves as an effective method for players to dedicate more time to mastering combat nuances, rather than being repeatedly confronted with defeat screens.
Additional Forgiving Mechanics
Khazan incorporates another player-friendly element that may particularly appeal to those less familiar with Soulslike games. Upon death during a boss encounter, players still accrue progress towards character level advancement, provided they have reached specific milestones within the fight, such as reducing the boss’s health by half or entering a subsequent phase. Furthermore, skill points can still be earned by executing perfect guards and counter-attacks during combat, contributing to skill tree progression. These subtle enhancements offer valuable reinforcement during challenging sections of the game.
Recommending Khazan to a Wider Audience
Once players gain confidence and familiarity with Khazan’s mechanics, the easy mode can be deactivated, presenting a greater challenge while leveraging the skills acquired. This design choice makes The First Berserker: Khazan more readily recommendable to a broader range of players compared to titles like Nioh 2, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, or Lies of P. While these titles are highly regarded, they generally lack alternative difficulty settings and can present significant difficulty spikes, arguably making them less accessible than Khazan overall. Therefore, for anyone intrigued by The First Berserker: Khazan but hesitant due to its perceived difficulty, a second consideration is advisable thanks to its accommodating design.