The First Berserker: Khazan – A Must-Play for Fans of FromSoftware’s Gritty Fantasy

In the shadow of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, few games dare to step into the arena of grim, punishing fantasy. But Nexon’s upcoming title, The First Berserker: Khazan, doesn’t just step into that space—it storms through it like a juggernaut drenched in blood and vengeance.

If you’ve been craving a spiritual successor to FromSoftware’s relentless vision—one soaked in lore, brutality, and tension—you may have just found your next obsession.

Khazan isn’t a clone. It’s a distillation of rage, redemption, and cinematic ambition, set in a world that breathes with both myth and misery. It doesn’t pretend to hold your hand. It doesn’t offer safe spaces. What it does is challenge, provoke, and immerse—from the first scream of war to the final blow of your axe.

So what is The First Berserker: Khazan? Why are fans of FromSoft already taking notice? And how does it carve its own bloody path through the increasingly crowded landscape of dark fantasy action RPGs?

Let’s dive into the chaos.

Born in Chains: Who Is Khazan?

To understand the tone of the game, you have to understand the man: Khazan is not a chosen hero. He is a disgraced warrior, betrayed by his kingdom, imprisoned, and forgotten. Once revered as a symbol of imperial strength, Khazan was branded a traitor after being framed by corrupt nobles and cursed with a plague that drove him to madness.

You don’t start this game as a savior. You start it as a broken relic.

But this isn't a game about finding peace—it’s about tearing your way back into a world that tried to erase you. It’s about vengeance.

And Nexon isn't subtle about it. Every trailer, every scene, and every line of dialogue bleeds with rage, regret, and retribution.

A World That Hates You

Like any great Soulslike experience, the world of Khazan is both breathtaking and hostile. This isn't just set dressing—it's storytelling through design.

Towering citadels crumble in the distance. Skies hang heavy with soot and dread. Ancient catacombs echo with whispers of betrayal. It’s the kind of setting where even the grass seems like it’s holding its breath.

The art direction leans hard into late medieval ruin, with hints of East Asian martial tradition wrapped in a Western military aesthetic. That blend gives it a cultural density that FromSoftware fans will immediately appreciate: every wall, every relic, every corpse tells a story.

There are no friendly towns. No resting inns. No comic relief. Just a broken man in a broken world, and a blade that hasn’t tasted peace in decades.

Combat That Punishes—and Rewards

Combat in The First Berserker: Khazan is not “inspired” by FromSoft—it’s in conversation with it.

It’s heavy. It’s methodical. It demands timing, stamina management, and risk calculation. You can’t button mash your way through. Every swing matters. Every dodge matters. Every block could be your last.

But Khazan isn’t just a knight with a longsword. He’s a berserker.

You’ll wield massive axes, blades, and polearms with crushing weight. Your strikes hit like freight trains, but they leave you open. The trick is learning when to commit, when to parry, and when to unleash your fury mode—a mechanic that temporarily channels Khazan’s inner torment into a brutal flurry of attacks.

Enemies don’t just stand around waiting to die. They flank. They retreat. They bait you into overextending. Some scream curses at you mid-fight. Others seem to relish your suffering.

This is a dance of death, and the music never stops.

Storytelling Through Steel and Scar

If there’s one thing that unites FromSoftware fans, it’s a love for fragmented lore—stories told in whispers, item descriptions, and environmental echoes.

Khazan follows a similar structure, but with a heavier focus on cinematic cutscenes. And what’s surprising is: it works.

Rather than breaking the immersion, the high-fidelity cinematics add a sense of dread and gravitas. Khazan’s voice actor (rumored to be a veteran of Korean cinema) delivers each line with raw gravel and despair. His screams during boss fights don’t feel scripted. They feel personal.

And the supporting cast? They're not allies. They're ghosts of the past. Reminders of what you lost. And what you’re willing to destroy to get it back.

Dungeon Fighter Online Roots

Here’s where it gets interesting: The First Berserker: Khazan is set in the same universe as Dungeon Fighter Online (DFO)—a long-running Korean beat-em-up MMORPG. But don’t let that fool you.

This is no loot-happy, grind-to-win spin-off.

Instead, Khazan takes the mythos of DFO—its gods, demons, and betrayals—and rebuilds it from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5. This is a dark, standalone prequel, and it offers a fresh lens through which to experience one of Korea’s most expansive fantasy franchises.

Fans of DFO will recognize names, locations, and factions. Newcomers won’t need any homework.

Unreal Engine 5: A Canvas of Blood

Technically, this game is stunning. Built in Unreal Engine 5, Khazan flexes real-time lighting, physics-based combat impacts, and atmospheric fog that looks as heavy as it feels.

Character models are detailed to the point of discomfort—every scar, every broken nail, every speck of ash on armor. Enemy animations are grotesque and fluid. And environmental destruction isn’t just cosmetic—walls crack, weapons spark, and fires spread if you let a torch linger.

Bosses? They’re monstrous.

Think Blasphemous meets Demon’s Souls, but on a scale that makes each encounter feel mythological. These aren’t just tests of skill—they’re gauntlets of endurance.

Why FromSoftware Fans Should Care

Let’s get this out of the way: no game will be Dark Souls. That’s not the goal.

But what Khazan offers is something FromSoftware fans desperately want: a dark, oppressive, morally ambiguous fantasy experience that respects your intelligence and challenges your skill.

There’s no power fantasy here. No safe choices. Just survival, and maybe, redemption.

And while it leans more into cinematic storytelling than Soulsborne purists might expect, it earns that indulgence. The pacing never drags. The stakes always escalate. And the brutality never lets up.

Final Thoughts: Khazan Is Not Here to Make Friends

The First Berserker: Khazan doesn’t want to be your favorite game. It wants to be the game that haunts you.

It wants you to remember how it felt to be hunted. To fight for scraps of your own story. To fall in love with a world that doesn't care whether you survive.

If you're a fan of Dark Souls, Elden Ring, or even older, grimmer epics like Shadow of the Colossus or Legacy of Kain—this is your next pilgrimage.

And if you’re new to this kind of experience?

Prepare to bleed.

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Want more on Soulslike and brutal action RPGs? Read our deep dives on Elden Ring and Final Fantasy XVI.