On a scale of Bloodborne dodge to Sekiro parry, Soulslike RPG The First Berserker: Khazan seems dead in the middle: "Players can choose the defensive approach that best suits their skill level and playstyle"

As promising soulslike action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan gears up for its release, its creative director says that players will be able to lean into whatever defensive option they fancy, regardless of whether they're a Sekiro-hardened parry master or someone who prefers to dodge anything and everything.

Asked if combat is intended to focus more on parrying or dodging, creative director Junho Lee tells GamesRadar+ that the action RPG is "designed to let players utilize both blocking and dodging, offering different approaches based on their playstyle," with skills and items available to "further develop and refine these styles." Mastering the Perfect Block mechanic (which reduces the amount of stamina that blocking consumes and also inflicts stamina damage on foes) ultimately "provides a stable way to handle combat, especially against continuous enemy attacks," but it's not always the best option. "Some enemy moves, such as grabs or high-stamina-damage attacks, cannot be blocked, making blocking – or even Perfect Block – ineffective in certain situations," Lee says.

Meanwhile, dodging costs a fixed amount of stamina, and is overall "riskier than blocking" since you'll either avoid all damage or take a full blow depending on how good you are at it. Despite the risk, this option is "highly rewarding for players who learn enemy attack patterns," Lee says, and Perfect Dodges also provide "bonus effects to follow-up attacks and provides complete immunity against stamina-draining attacks, elemental attacks, or grabs."

Lee continues: "In Khazan, players can choose the defensive approach that best suits their skill level and playstyle. They can also adapt based on the situation, using a mix of blocking and dodging, sprinting to reposition, or using deflection-based skills like Reflection to counter enemy attacks."

Appropriately then, given the balance players can employ when it comes to their defensive options, Lee tells us that The First Berserker: Khazan "demands a balance between offensive and defensive play, operating in a cyclical flow." While defensive play is "more crucial" when you're less familiar with the game and its foes, it's been designed to be "both meaningful and enjoyable, allowing the players to fully capitalize on the opportunities they create with combos and skills." The creative director adds: "As players become more skilled and take on greater challenges, the game ensures that they are rewarded accordingly and find new ways to have fun."

Anyone who's played The First Berserker: Khazan's Steam demo will know that it's no walk in the park, but the devs have tried not to make it so hard that it's frustrating. Lee explained to us: "Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting. If stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit." Perhaps this is partially what drove the decision to give players more freedom in how they choose to play?

Compare it to FromSoftware all you want, but the devs on this extremely promising hardcore action RPG say they're making "more than just a Soulslike."