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The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers

News
By Scott McCrae published 26 March 2025

The game's proper release date is set for March 27

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
(Image credit: Nexon)
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The First Berserker: Khazan has done pretty well when it comes to reviews; the game currently sits at 80 on Metacritic, with the PC version bumping that score up to an 83. It isn't technically out yet, but Nexon's new release is following the annoying industry trend of "pay more to play it early," which made the actual release date March 24 (the full release arrives this Thursday, March 27). However, despite not having a full release, the hardcore soulslike game is proving pretty popular.

At the time of writing, the game has just under 1,500 reviews on its Steam store pag, nabbing a 'Very Positive' rating with 94% of the game's user reviews recommending the game. The top review gave specific praise to the game's inclusion of an easy mode, something that has been much debated in the soulslike community. Conversely, others are praising the difficulty of the game. The game's performance has been praised too, which, after recent PC versions like Monster Hunter Wilds being a bit of a mess, is refreshing to see.

However, there is the odd negative review, with one player saying, "Do you like variety in weapons or enemies? Well, look elsewhere. 5 hours in and it's the same 4 enemies, the bosses... just bigger versions of those enemies." Although that specific player has played 10 hours extra since then, maybe that review will change later down the line. The developers of the game have been responding to negative reviews (including tech support for those with performance issues).

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I'm sure the developers of The First Berserker: Khazan are quite pleased about the easy difficulty praise, as the lead dev recently said, "Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting."

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Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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