Before Nexon would have one of its greatest breakthroughs in Western markets via this year’sThe First Descendant, the company would achieve considerable success with theDungeon & Fighterfranchise worldwide, including its myriad spin-offs likeDNF Duel.Nexonsubsidiary Neople, the studio behind theDungeon & Fightergames, has continued to expand theDNFuniverse in a variety of different genre titles, one of which is the upcoming action RPGThe First Berserker: Khazan. And while the general consensus around the title was that it was yet another Soulslike, there’s enough at play in its mechanics to help it stand out from the growing crowd in the subgenre.
Game Rant recently sat down with the game’s executive director (and Neople CEO) and creative director. While the developers behindKhazanacknowledged that the game has Soulslike elements, they were quick to point out that its lineage within theDungeon & Fighteruniverse gives it just enough unique mechanics to where it straddles the line between being a Soulslike and a more traditional action RPG.
The First Berserker: Khazan Places its Story Front and Center
One thing thatThe First Berserker: Khazanplaces a premium on is its story, which gives players some insight into theDungeon & Fighteruniverse character Khazan and his quest for revenge. While mostSoulslike stories and loreare delivered through environmental storytelling and item descriptions,The First Berserker: Khazantakes a more direct approach. This emphasis on connecting the gameplay elements to the title’s story was something thatKhazan’s developers wanted to emphasize to help the game stand out while also connecting it to the largerDNFlore. As creative director Lee Jun-Ho explained,
“The story is really about uncovering the conspiracy behind his exile while also incorporating the drama of his quest for revenge. Khazan sacrificed everything in service of the Empire, and the Empire in turn sacrificed Khazan. The story of the revenge is shown through the art, the game’s mechanics, the battle, the action; all of these elements try to support the story.”
Several of the major story beats present inThe First Berserker: Khazanare direct callbacks to things that players familiar with theDNFgames will recognize from that universe. By placing the story front and center,Khazanleans more toward being atraditional action RPGrather than a pure Soulslike, hoping to reach a broader audience in the process.Khazan’s executive director and Neople CEO Yoon Myeong-jin notes,
“Dungeon & Fighter has been active for a really long time, but we’re still trying to reach Western markets and introduce them to the game. We believe that Khazan is a great starting place.”
Character Progression and Builds Are Major Elements in The First Berserker: Khazan
One area whereThe First Berserker: Khazanproudly wears itsDark Soulsinfluenceis in the depth and variety of its character builds. Like in FromSoftware’s action RPG games and the myriad of titles they’ve inspired,Khazangives players an impressive number of armaments to choose from, and the player’s choice in how they outfit their character has a direct impact on how Khazan performs in battle. As far as what players can expect, creative director Lee Jun-Ho notes:
“In terms of variety, each weapon has its own characteristics. You have two-handed weapons like great swords, which have high weight and are slow but also powerful. Spears are fast, making a flurry of attacks possible, and so on.”
Ultimately, one of Neople’s goals was to provide a strong balance between both build variety and build depth, in the hopes that the game would appeal to fans of the genre. As Jun-Ho puts it, “We believe that there’s no set answer to “What is the right style to play the game?” We attempt to incorporate both variety and depth into the builds so that players can enjoy the game in a way they love”.
