Do you remember the moment that Sekiro forced you to start playing by its rules? For me, I was trundling through the game like I was playing Dark Souls when I hit the Lady Butterfly boss, and suddenly there was no room for doubt: if I didn't properly learn these new combat mechanics, I wasn't going any further.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a cel-shaded soulslike set in the long-running Dungeon Fighter On-line universe. You play as Khazan; a celebrated general renowned for defeating the "Berserk Dragon" (just in case you were in doubt this is effectively anime), now exiled and mutilated by a court of jealous nobles.

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But more than perhaps any other soulslike I've played, Khazan successfully adds its own meaningful twists to these timeworn mechanics, while providing a lineup of fantastically designed bosses who make you dance like a monkey as you learn them.

Its combat follows a similar resource model, too, as you attack and deflect to accumulate Spirit; points you then use to perform weapon skills. Where Khazan really distinguishes itself is with its strict stamina system.

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Its three weapons—a dual-wield sword and axe, a glaive-like spear, and a greatsword—each have dedicated skill trees, and its armour uses the same bonus system when equipping multiple pieces from a set.

Vejo isso Muito mais como uma decisão de modo a facilitar este desenvolvimento, já qual realizar 1 mapa completo da bastante Ainda mais trabalho, porém junte isso ao fato de de que as armas sãeste drops aleatórios de inimigos e o ímpeto por explorar diminui bastante, com um Bastante impacto até mesmo na atmosfera geral do game.

Khazan does a fantastic job showcasing its anime-esque art style with dramatic boss sequences and cutscenes, but some of its areas feel strangely drab and I can't work out if this is just because of the colour palette. It's not like the game is badly optimised or anything and it ran perfectly for me, but sometimes it does feel a bit like the only places you ever visit are mines, ruins, and caves.

Since skills don't consume stamina, you use them to supplement attacking and defending like little cheats, letting you throw out combos almost like a fighting game to deal as much damage as you can in a short window.

Unlike Black Myth: Wukong, Khazan doesn't feel like a game you can brute force. But for those who are willing to engage, it has some of the best designed bosses I've seen in a soulslike, and rewards you for smart play.

Isso faz parecer qual Parcela do The First Berserker: Khazan progresso foi jogado no lixo e honestamente não entendi essa decisão por “resetar” certas coisas do mapa após sair dele.

It's more that having been spoiled by all the accoutrements of the modern soulslike—elaborate NPC quests, secrets, exploration—Khazan and its no frills linear structure can feel basic at times.

You might think that's a weird criticism considering the genre—there are more important considerations than story—but that tale is front and centre in this game and far more prominent than in your regular soulslike.