The First Berserker: Khazan is the latest entry in the Dungeon and Fighter (or DNF) world, a somewhat popular series of online games that includes the online side-scrolling beat-'em-up Dungeon Fighter Online and spin-offs such as DNF Duel by ArcSys. Khazan follows the titular character, voiced by the always pleasant Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XIV's Clive). Khazan was a great general who saved an empire from a terrible dragon, but he then was accused of treason and sent to die. However, an encounter with the Blade Phantom grants him unyielding power and the ability to fight without dying — all at the cost of being a rampaging monster. Khazan must find a way to clear the accusations and free himself from the curse.

At first blush, Khazan carries a lot of the expected Dark Souls gameplay elements. You've got checkpoint bonfires and limited healing, and you must recover dropped souls (Lacrima), which you use to power up your character and more. If you've ever hopped into a Souls game, then you have a pretty good idea of the basic gameplay. That isn't to say it's a clone — just that it's very much in the same vein. It makes it very easy to jump in and play, and it makes it easier to understand its unique attributes.

My first impression of Khazan is that it's looking to be a very polished take on the genre. The cel-shaded art style is instantly distinctive and pleasant to look at, and the game's animations and movements have a wonderful sense of weight. Whether it's a giant beast's massive hammer or Khazan unleashing a berserk barrage of blows onto his foes, everything feels nice and meaty in a way that a lot of Souls-style games don't manage to accomplish. The demo had three different weapon types — Dual Wield, Great Sword and Spear — and each felt like they had the proper weight.

Combat trends a bit more toward Sekiro than Dark Souls. You have a limited stamina meter that drains when you do basically anything. Once the stamina is drained, you're at terrible risk of being stunned and quickly dispatched. However, if you parry attacks, you'll lose almost no stamina at all. At the same time, this reduces the enemy's stamina. This means the ideal way to fight enemies is to stay close and use parry to knock them off balance. You eventually unlock special Spirit skills that don't drain stamina and replenish as you attack, giving you more incentive to attack.

The result is that you feel like a berserker. You can play Khazan like a standard Souls game and dodge out and go back in, but the highest rewards seem to be for being aggressive and constantly going all-in on foes. This is especially true for the bosses, which seemed to actively punish me for playing it safe. They seemed incredibly difficult on first attempts, but once I got the feel for staying in, parrying attacks, and not being afraid to remain close while my stamina recovers, they become a lot more fun and engaging to face. I felt satisfied when I overcame a foe, and that's always a good sign.

The First Berserker: Khazan has a lot of potential. It isn't shattering the Souls mold, but it's focusing on being distinctive, fun and incredibly polished. Between the silky-smooth gameplay and cool cel-shaded visuals, the closed beta test left a very positive impression. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Khazan as it heads toward release sometime in 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X.