Berserker Celebrates a Contentious FromSoftware Legacy Tradition

With its exhilarating combat mechanics and breathtaking boss battles, The First Berserker: Khazan is capturing the hearts of Soulslike aficionados and enthusiasts of FromSoftware’s hallmark titles. What makes Khazan stand out is its ability to delicately balance tribute and originality, infusing fresh ideas into the Soulslike genre while still paying homage to the iconic design principles set by Demon’s Souls over a decade ago. It’s no surprise that the game honors one of FromSoftware’s most divisive elements: the notorious poison swamp.

FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games are infamous for their poison swamps, often sparking a love-hate relationship among players who encounter these challenging areas. These settings are synonymous with the Soulslike experience, and The First Berserker: Khazan doesn’t shy away from this tradition. In the game, Skoffa Cave stands as one of the earliest significant trials, presenting a challenging area that players might either find exhilarating or utterly frustrating.

As players embark on the game’s fifth major mission, “Strange Stench,” they brave Skoffa Cave on their way to Palemion. Before even setting foot in the Poisoned Depths, Skoffa Cave itself tests players with a barrage of hazards far more daunting than the swamp itself. In some ways, the poison swamp feels like a minor reprieve when compared to the treacherous path leading to it.

Navigating the upper levels of Skoffa Cave feels like an ordeal, with spiders, bats, and undead adversaries all eager to impede progress. These enemies pose a significant threat, with the undead capable of inflicting the deterring Plague status, and the arachnids delivering venomous blows. Grinding through these hazards transforms Skoffa Cave into the game’s inaugural environment-based hurdle, one that infuses the game with greater rewards for those who persevere.

Surviving the swamp leads players to a showdown with one of the standout beastly bosses, the colossal spider, Aratra. Conquering Aratra grants players access to the Blacksmith in The Crevice, a pivotal moment that empowers them to refine their gear and alter their builds, fundamentally changing their game strategy. Yet, beyond rewards, Khazan’s trials impart invaluable lessons.

Once players have conquered Skoffa Cave, they emerge with a deeper appreciation for the necessity of guarding against The First Berserker: Khazan’s debilitating status effects—a crucial insight underscored by previous battles, like with Volbaino. Much like the quintessential Soulslikes, Khazan imparts crucial knowledge through adversity, teaching the hard-learned lesson of countering crippling status effects—a skill that will be indispensable as the game intensifies beyond the notorious poison swamps.