I have no idea what DNF is, but I still enjoy this game. The First Berserker: Khazan is the first proper "Nioh-like", a derivative of Souls-like which features faster and combo-heavy combat with mission-based structure. Well to be honest, calling this game Nioh-like is a pretty mild statement. Everything besides the combat mechanic is an almost one-to-one copy the source. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the game lack identity. Plenty of games iterating on the same formula with only one or two differences make things fresh. The First Berserker: Khazan is such case. The game focuses heavily on the combat, and it works well. One-on-one faceoff in this game is probably the most satisfying fights among its peers. It is not perfect, but for people who seek a fast-paced, semi-flashy combat experience, The First Berserker: Khazan is for you.

• Combat And Combo Overalls: Let's just get right into it. The control feels fluid and responsive. The attack walks between the line of flashy execution and brutal efficiency. The feedback may be on the weaker side, but the visual effects make up for it. This game uses my all-time favorite combo type, which is light-heavy cross up. All the weapon unlockable rehearses on the same button prompts with different flavor, so you can easily (and freely) re-invest your points to other archetypes should you want to switch up. Skills are the most important part of the combat. These attacks don't consume stamina and instead use Spirit gauge. This is quite impactful because even with zero stamina, you can still be on the offense as long as the gauge isn't dry. Truly living the title of a berserker.
  
  
• Perfect Guard And Perfect Dodge: In typical souls-like/sekiro-like fashion, usually games falling under these tags will only feature either perfect guard or perfect dodge, and render the other useless. The First Berserker: Khazan doesn't do that. It contains both and even allows you to customize them to your likings through specific upgrades. It is refreshing to have these two at your disposal. During my playthrough I find out the best result comes from intertwining both maneuvers instead of over-relying on one. On the same note, active parry is so satisfying to pull off!
  
  
• Brutal Attack Window: One of the neat design that helps the game stand out. When you fully exhaust an enemy's stamina bar, an execution prompt will appear. In other games this sequence often leads to players going in and landing one critical hit; in The First Berserker: Khazan, however, it is quite a different case. Exhausted Enemies only recover when the timer runs out or when the player hits the brutal attack. Anything in between will not advance the timer, meaning you can squeeze in as much damage as you can. You can pull off another combo, or you can use skills to set up some buffs, or you can chug several grenades, the list goes one. Even if you run out of stamina doing all those things, you can still get the brutal attack since this action doesn't require stamina at all. That's not all. Believe it or not, you fully recover your whole stamina bar after the brutal attack ends, allowing you to continuously wail on your enemies.
  
  
• Pity System: Getting stuck on bosses is a common occurrence in the souls series and souls-like game. While I enjoy bashing my head against the wall until it breaks, not everyone shares the same sentiment. Therefore, I appreciate the dev adds two new features to slightly compensate the difficulty: for one, the Lacrima you have will drop right at the gate if you die to the boss; for the other, you are actually rewarded with Lacrima even if you die to the boss. The game encourages you to survive longer with this mechanic. You might stuck on this boss for a while, but at least you may accumulate enough Lacrima for a level-up. The sense of progression is not completely lost on your repeated failure.
  
  
• Boss Fights: Since the game excels at one-on-one combat, boss fights are naturally the highlights of the experience. Their attacks can be daunting to learn at first, but with a bit of patience and pattern recognition you can easily get into the rhythm. Learning when to challenge and when to back off is both essential and rewarding.

• Stamina: Interestingly before I finish the game, I hop on to Nioh 3's demo. It's fantastic. However, playing Nioh makes me realize how sluggish and stingy the stamina system works in The First Berserker: Khazan. Ki Pulse is such a brilliant design that not only hastens the pace of combat but also puts a whole new level on stamina management. TFBK doesn't do that, and as a result the early game can be demanding. Sure the game has quite a few ways to help you recover stamina faster via armor affixes and skills, but those things often happen in mid-to-late game.
  
  
• Weapons: There are only three weapons in this game. The dev certainly chooses the "quality over quantity" route in this design. The depth of mastery these weapons possess is incredible. The unique skills and new attack patterns are very interesting to learn and practice. Even though I only use the Greatsword for the whole game, I still find many new interactions that can further hone my skill. However, the amount of weapons available in the game is still disappointing. It frustrates me every time when Khazan enter Phantom mode and start using Great Hammer, Claws, Scythe, and a more polished Fists move set.

• Level Design: I think this design philosophy is pretty outdated at this point. Without jumping, the level can only do so much before the interest wears off. The whole "shimmering to the edge so you can fall on that specific pixel of a platform" should be left behind. There are so many parts of the levels in The First Berserker: Khazan make me think it would be much better if I can jump. The sense of vertical exploration could open up so many possibilities. Even Nioh 3 let the player double jump right at the beginning! It also doesn't help that the color scheme in each level look the same.
  
  
• Elemental Effects: I know it's a nitpick, but it baffles me to see the game introduce elemental damage but not its status effect. Only Khazan will suffer the elemental status. This is such a weird design choice that basically turn elemental attacks into damages but with different flavors.

中文小簡評
→第一狂戰士：卡贊應該是首款「類仁王」遊戲，無論是設計還是玩法都與之十分相似，唯獨戰鬥的部分製作團隊有做出了自己的想法。
→即使不了解DNF也能輕鬆看懂劇情、玩得下去！
→戰鬥體感非常棒，操作順手及時，打擊感雖然略差但特效與音效足以彌補前者的不足，攻擊手段在華麗的連段與簡單粗暴的打擊之間來回遊蕩，按法則是我個人非常喜歡的輕重攻擊交錯。
→遊戲讓玩家自由配置技能點，隨時隨地都能更換配置，非常親民。
→技能算是戰鬥的核心，不受體力消耗限制，只要有能量格就能施放技能，光是這點就讓這款的戰鬥節奏比同儕飛快許多，即使體力見底你依然能保持攻勢，當個堂堂正正的狂戰士。
→難得能在類魂遊戲裡看到完美格擋與完美閃避，而且是兩者皆有升級路線的情況，讓你可以擇一遊玩。就我的經驗，比起依賴其中一招，倒不如兩者並用來的實在。遊戲裡也有架招可用，上手難度頗高，但成功用出來的音效和爽快度無人能比。
→另一個亮點就是處決時間給的非常寬鬆，打到敵人體力崩潰時不要急著處決，在倒數結束前多塞個幾招連擊、上點buff、丟幾顆炸彈再上，卡贊衝上去處決的動作是不消耗體力的，二來處決完之後體力也會自動回滿，所以在那之前能多貪幾刀就多貪幾刀吧。
→講究單挑的爽快度自然少不了Boss戰，遊戲內的Boss各個看似難搞，實際上動作熟悉後就會發現反擊的機會層出，熟悉手中的武器就能輕鬆回擊。一直打不過也不需要氣餒，遊戲也有些人性化的設計：淚晶會掉王房門前、打輸也會給你些淚晶當安慰獎、門前也有NPC讓你叫等。
→體力條雖然會因後期技能特殊能力起飛或是裝備詞條增加回復速度，但無法改變前期體力消耗過快過高的情況(尤其是大劍)，很常遇到要追擊卻無法行動的窘境，仁王戰鬥之所以會成功莫過於回氣的設計讓體力回復非常靈活。
→雖然三把武器專精起來頗有深度，但就遊戲時長來說還是嫌太少，尤其是看到鬥鬼化下看到卡贊用大槌、鐮刀、爪子、甚至是更加多元的拳腳功夫，難免覺得可惜。
→關卡設計算是遊戲較差的部分，整體來說毫無記憶點，顏色過於類似，探索缺乏深度與變化，這應該是算是上個時代的產物了，如今法環和仁王3都成功加入跳躍增加關卡的多樣性，我也只能希望後續類魂遊戲也能趕快跟進了。
→敵人意外的無法觸發異常狀態，讓屬性傷害淪為不同顏色的數字判定。

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This game is insanely good, phenomenal story, beautiful visuals, and fully immersive from start to finish. How is this not getting the love it deserves??

A Hidden Masterpiece – The Most Satisfying Combat I’ve Ever Experienced

The First Berserker: Khazan is, without a doubt, one of my favorite games of all time. It’s a crime that this game isn't being talked about more, because it is an absolute triumph in the genre.

What makes it legendary:

Top-Tier Combat: The gameplay is "combat heaven"—it’s tight, responsive, and incredibly satisfying. Every hit feels impactful; it’s pure adrenaline.

Technical Perfection: The game is polished, clean, and runs like a dream. It feels "orderly" and refined in a way few modern games do.

Epic Boss Fights & OST: Some of the boss encounters are simply unbeatable in terms of design and challenge, all supported by a fantastic soundtrack and a compelling story.

Linux/Bazzite Performance: I played this on Bazzite with an i9-11900K and RTX 4070 SUPER, and it was a flawless plug-and-play experience. Zero issues, zero tinkering—just pure, perfect performance right from the start.

If you love action RPGs with high-level production values, you absolutely cannot miss this. It deserves to be a massive hit.