Kacho
Member
I agree with this. The parry timing feels a little too finnicky at times. Sekiro had better feel/flow to it that I immediately clicked with.
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The First Berserker: Khazan - Reviews Thread
- Thread starter adamsapple
- Start date
Fbh
Member
Tried the demo the other day and really liked the combat, I'll probably get it down the line.
Does the final version have an option to disable the godawful UE4 glare at the top of the screen that devs seem to love for some reason? (you know like when you enter a cave and the entire top of the screen has a blue glare)
DBZ Kakarot had a mod to remove it, but I think I'll have to get Khazan on Ps5 because my laptop is too outdated at this point.
Does the final version have an option to disable the godawful UE4 glare at the top of the screen that devs seem to love for some reason? (you know like when you enter a cave and the entire top of the screen has a blue glare)
DBZ Kakarot had a mod to remove it, but I think I'll have to get Khazan on Ps5 because my laptop is too outdated at this point.
Bartski
Gold Member
There are 3 types of parry but you can ignore them and make a whole build around dodging. It makes more sense mastering 2 of them tho, both Counter for punishing this game's version of Sekito "kanji attack" and Brink guard aka the perfect block. I never used Reflection effectively in combat, which is like the "heavy parry", not even once in the entire game.
I have no issue with parry windows but the control scheme here is another insanely fucked idea I just don't understand, why isn't it all tap L1 with modifiers on say, R1 and R2? Beats me.
I have no issue with parry windows but the control scheme here is another insanely fucked idea I just don't understand, why isn't it all tap L1 with modifiers on say, R1 and R2? Beats me.
Bartski
Gold Member
the thing that is often confusing about Lies of P is that Sekiro had input queuing where a quick tap on L1 on enemy attack = parry, while in Lies of P you have to press L1 on attack but then HOLD IT pressed for the duration of enemy hitbox. It feels very different and takes getting used to
The artful mincer
Member
I would say this has far more interesting level design than Nioh but then Niohs is Fucking terrible.
To me I would rank in terms of level design
FromSoftware games >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lies of P >>>>>>>>>> Kazan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Nioh 1 and 2
The artful mincer
Member
It has better combat but worse art and level design. I rate Lies of P combat very highly
TheDarkPhantom
Member
And that's that:
I will make a longer post in the next few days but for now I'll say Khazan has earned a spot alongside the likes of Nioh 2, Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen as one of the best non-FROM Souls-likes (again, I've pretty much played them all). It borrows *heavily* from Nioh and there were multiple areas that tried to channel FROM but it does enough to carve it's own lane within this glorious sub-genre and I would love to see more.
I will make a longer post in the next few days but for now I'll say Khazan has earned a spot alongside the likes of Nioh 2, Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen as one of the best non-FROM Souls-likes (again, I've pretty much played them all). It borrows *heavily* from Nioh and there were multiple areas that tried to channel FROM but it does enough to carve it's own lane within this glorious sub-genre and I would love to see more.
coachmcguirk91
Member
Sekiro is much more of a rhythm game than Khazan. I could never jive with it all that well due to that. Still the only game I stopped playing because I was hard stuck on a boss. I feel like the Khazan parry timing is incredibly generous. Thought it was perfect from the jump
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Kacho
Member
Which boss?
coachmcguirk91
Member
One of the apes. I need to do a complete new playthrough. Sekiro was my first Fromsoft experience. I got stuck and immediately moved on to DS3 and Bloodborne. My experience with parry mechanics was limited at the time. I am sure I'll fair better now after playing Khazan and 100+ hours in Rise of the Ronin
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Kacho
Member
Definitely give it another shot. If you can beat Genichiro you can handle anything the game throws at you.
Hayabusabruh
Member
Strange. It feel it's fine. One thing to keep in mind is that your timing for parrying and even attacks, change based off of your weight. Go heavy in your gear and notice how much earlier you have to input parry. Vice versa for lighter gear.
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Kacho
Member
It's totally fine. I just prefer the Skeiro parry system over this because it's more forgiving.
I can't handle the quicker boss combos in Khazan using the LB button. If I could swap it to RB then I would likely do much better because I'm quicker with my right finger.
Lokaum D+
Member
TheDarkPhantom
Member
I've been thinking about how I want to approach my "review" of Khazan. It's a game that borrows heavily from others in the genre but does *just* enough to set itself apart and plant it's flag on Souls Mountain. So before I get into what I think this game does best I do need to point out just how much it borrows from the rest.
Undoubtedly Nioh was the main inspiration here and it manifests in myriad ways. The mission structure, the loot system (I think Khazan is superior), maps reused for side missions with new lighting/weather effects/alternate paths, the main collectible being a cute little creature, fighting other player's revenants etc. There is a lot of channeling of FROM's greatest too whether it's Sen's Fortress, Anor Londo, Latria and more. Do any of these levels match the majesty, mystery and mastery of the FROM Gods? No, not even close.
I don't want to get too sidetracked here but it needs to be said plainly and without room for any doubt: NONE of these Souls-likes can touch the level architecture, world-building, enemy/boss design, art direction or general sense of wonder and awe that FomSoftware does so expertly. Combat is debatable and though I don't think anything *surpasses* most of what FROM has done I do believe Khazan (and a handful of others) equal it keeping in mind they are all quite different so it really does come down to personal preference (except Sekiro, I don't think anything will ever equal it, nevermind surpass it lol).
It is in battle where Khazan truly sings. There is a palpable sense of weight and impact, a kinetic energy flowing through every animation. I said it in a previous post but it bears repeating, they really nailed that Sekiro-esque *clang clang clang* when doing perfect guards, it is immensely satisfying. The special counter likewise feels empowering and badass to pull off, whether it's in the first hour of play or the 100th. Blood dynamically spraying on the environment, visible wounds on your enemies and visceral God of War style finishing moves round out the sublime combat, Khazan does everything right...almost.
See, I thought at one point some sort of magic ability would open up to further diversify the combat engagement. It is a stark omission when seeing just how cool it could have been when fighting certain enemies/bosses (Trokka is especially awesome). I understand there was narrative imperative here to make Khazan the pure melee, well, Berserker with Ozma the "evil wizard" but if we *do* get a sequel they really should add a magic system into it. Otherwise it's near perfect, the 3 weapons all feeling unique with skill trees that are actually worth a damn, each new unlock feeling like you're getting something worthwhile.
Most of the interesting level design comes towards the latter half of the game though much of it just apes what FROM has done before it (though not nearly as well). To be clear, unlike many I actually don't care how much "inspiration" a game takes as long as it's *good* and Khazan definitely is. Overall I'd say El Ravaca is a real standout, a sprawling, multi-layered mystery that *does* set itself apart from other games in the genre, I absolutely loved it.
I enjoyed the story for what it was, simple and to the point, a classic good vs evil tale of revenge. The anime aesthetic creates and interesting contrast with the blood and violence though there is a bit too much reliance on the brownish colour palette. The music is good with a couple of standout tracks. Most of the armor looks fantastic though the game *needs* transmog, especially once you start using a jarhead and have to turn helm display off because it looks goofy as fuck, this presents another problem of Khazan's flowing, blond locks clipping into the armor. The game has some genuinely great cutscenes too
Wish there were more enemy types and less repetition but I appreciate the beautifully illustrated codex with incentives to defeat enemies in certain ways. There is a lot to love in Khazan and I'm happy to see South Korea really stepping up these past couple of years with Stellar Blade, Lies of P and now Khazan. China is likewise starting to light a fire, Wukong was exceptional, Tides of Annihilation and Wuchang look promising, Phantom Blade 0 looks fantastic. I want more competition like this, I don't want Japan resting on it's laurels or FROM (as it specifically pertains to the Souls genre) to take the throne they occupy for granted.
There is a lot of snobbery when it comes to non-FROM Souls-likes with some outright refusing to play them (seriously, you guys need to get your heads out of your asses). I'm a hardcore FROM fan but I ALWAYS give credit where it's due and simply want more great games, I don't care where they come from. Ultimately I'm waiting for the day where I CAN say "damn, this really is on FROM's level" because why wouldn't I want more games that are that fucking good lol. Khazan isn't quite there, none of them are, but the gap is closing, let's see what the future holds.
Undoubtedly Nioh was the main inspiration here and it manifests in myriad ways. The mission structure, the loot system (I think Khazan is superior), maps reused for side missions with new lighting/weather effects/alternate paths, the main collectible being a cute little creature, fighting other player's revenants etc. There is a lot of channeling of FROM's greatest too whether it's Sen's Fortress, Anor Londo, Latria and more. Do any of these levels match the majesty, mystery and mastery of the FROM Gods? No, not even close.
I don't want to get too sidetracked here but it needs to be said plainly and without room for any doubt: NONE of these Souls-likes can touch the level architecture, world-building, enemy/boss design, art direction or general sense of wonder and awe that FomSoftware does so expertly. Combat is debatable and though I don't think anything *surpasses* most of what FROM has done I do believe Khazan (and a handful of others) equal it keeping in mind they are all quite different so it really does come down to personal preference (except Sekiro, I don't think anything will ever equal it, nevermind surpass it lol).
It is in battle where Khazan truly sings. There is a palpable sense of weight and impact, a kinetic energy flowing through every animation. I said it in a previous post but it bears repeating, they really nailed that Sekiro-esque *clang clang clang* when doing perfect guards, it is immensely satisfying. The special counter likewise feels empowering and badass to pull off, whether it's in the first hour of play or the 100th. Blood dynamically spraying on the environment, visible wounds on your enemies and visceral God of War style finishing moves round out the sublime combat, Khazan does everything right...almost.
See, I thought at one point some sort of magic ability would open up to further diversify the combat engagement. It is a stark omission when seeing just how cool it could have been when fighting certain enemies/bosses (Trokka is especially awesome). I understand there was narrative imperative here to make Khazan the pure melee, well, Berserker with Ozma the "evil wizard" but if we *do* get a sequel they really should add a magic system into it. Otherwise it's near perfect, the 3 weapons all feeling unique with skill trees that are actually worth a damn, each new unlock feeling like you're getting something worthwhile.
Most of the interesting level design comes towards the latter half of the game though much of it just apes what FROM has done before it (though not nearly as well). To be clear, unlike many I actually don't care how much "inspiration" a game takes as long as it's *good* and Khazan definitely is. Overall I'd say El Ravaca is a real standout, a sprawling, multi-layered mystery that *does* set itself apart from other games in the genre, I absolutely loved it.
I enjoyed the story for what it was, simple and to the point, a classic good vs evil tale of revenge. The anime aesthetic creates and interesting contrast with the blood and violence though there is a bit too much reliance on the brownish colour palette. The music is good with a couple of standout tracks. Most of the armor looks fantastic though the game *needs* transmog, especially once you start using a jarhead and have to turn helm display off because it looks goofy as fuck, this presents another problem of Khazan's flowing, blond locks clipping into the armor. The game has some genuinely great cutscenes too
Wish there were more enemy types and less repetition but I appreciate the beautifully illustrated codex with incentives to defeat enemies in certain ways. There is a lot to love in Khazan and I'm happy to see South Korea really stepping up these past couple of years with Stellar Blade, Lies of P and now Khazan. China is likewise starting to light a fire, Wukong was exceptional, Tides of Annihilation and Wuchang look promising, Phantom Blade 0 looks fantastic. I want more competition like this, I don't want Japan resting on it's laurels or FROM (as it specifically pertains to the Souls genre) to take the throne they occupy for granted.
There is a lot of snobbery when it comes to non-FROM Souls-likes with some outright refusing to play them (seriously, you guys need to get your heads out of your asses). I'm a hardcore FROM fan but I ALWAYS give credit where it's due and simply want more great games, I don't care where they come from. Ultimately I'm waiting for the day where I CAN say "damn, this really is on FROM's level" because why wouldn't I want more games that are that fucking good lol. Khazan isn't quite there, none of them are, but the gap is closing, let's see what the future holds.
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adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
For those who are playing this game, is the easy mode manageable for a generally non-souls-like person?
The artful mincer
Member
Difficult to say.
I switched to easy after the 6th boss because it had a second phase that was pissing me off and it's definitely easier but still challenging.
On normal I was taking about 10 to 20 attempts on do each boss accept the 6th boss which took way more until I swapped to easy.
Since I've swapped to easy each new boss has taken about 2 to 3 attempts accept the 6th boss which took me an another 5 to 6 attempts.
I've had to play properly and use the mechanics to get through bosses though. It's not a patronising easy mode that you can ignore mechanics like story modes that other games. Bosses aggression and attack patterns remain the same you can just do a bit more damage and take little a little bit more damage.
I think if easy was called normal and normal was called hard that would have been more appropriate.
Newuserdontflame
Member
So I have run out of summons and consumables (all fire related items) vs
and have gone straight man to man for about 30 attempts. I have gotten to about 3 hits left and got greedy but would love some tips. I am not fast enough to be perfect but am getting close. 5 heals is just 1 too few.
and have gone straight man to man for about 30 attempts. I have gotten to about 3 hits left and got greedy but would love some tips. I am not fast enough to be perfect but am getting close. 5 heals is just 1 too few.
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The artful mincer
Member
The Ashen wolf set gives you an extra healing flask.
Lucifers Beard
Member
Just finished the first mission on the demo. I'm really enjoying the combat and I think I'll be picking this one up sooner rather than later. It's definitely challenging but feels fair.
_Idea_of_Evil_
Member
I beat the game today after 50hrs. If I start NG+ I'll have the platinum.
Wow, what a finale. One of the best final bosses in the genre.
Wow, what a finale. One of the best final bosses in the genre.
Giallo Corsa
Member
I'm at the Maluca fight right now and :
The games biggest flaw is the level design, it's ugly, boring, devoid of any personality and atmosphere, I'd as far as to say that it's even worse than Nioh's, it's truly bottom of the barrel stuff...
And oh, from the cool intro cutscene etc, I get the impression that this would have worked much better as a balls to the wall character action game and not your typical souls-like.
I've already fallen out of love with this game, it's just...too arcade-y and the mission based design never worked for me.
Not a bad game, just not as good IMO as many people say it is.
There's just no..."magic" in it, it's just oh so very linear and predictable that...
Man, I really need a LOTF 2, Phantom blade 0 and the lies of P expansion, the cartoonish art style , zero exploration, zero atmosphere just isn't doing it for me, this game feels like...just going through the motions.
The games biggest flaw is the level design, it's ugly, boring, devoid of any personality and atmosphere, I'd as far as to say that it's even worse than Nioh's, it's truly bottom of the barrel stuff...
And oh, from the cool intro cutscene etc, I get the impression that this would have worked much better as a balls to the wall character action game and not your typical souls-like.
I've already fallen out of love with this game, it's just...too arcade-y and the mission based design never worked for me.
Not a bad game, just not as good IMO as many people say it is.
There's just no..."magic" in it, it's just oh so very linear and predictable that...
Man, I really need a LOTF 2, Phantom blade 0 and the lies of P expansion, the cartoonish art style , zero exploration, zero atmosphere just isn't doing it for me, this game feels like...just going through the motions.
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
yea I wanted more fleshed out level design and more variety in enemy encounters. Otherwise a really great game.
I'm nearing 70 hours and I'm on the 2nd to last mission at level 128. I read the level cap is 200 in NG. I have been boosting the armor set every now and then. The whole B and no B+ besides demo gear is super weird.
I'm nearing 70 hours and I'm on the 2nd to last mission at level 128. I read the level cap is 200 in NG. I have been boosting the armor set every now and then. The whole B and no B+ besides demo gear is super weird.
Bartski
Gold Member
Likely a remnant of cut features. For those who don't know, every single weapon type in the game has the exact same scaling (ex. for spear B proficiency, C willpower), which means there is no scaling - just different flat stat reliance. Except for the gear you find in the intro demo area, which, when minmaxing, remains much better than any same category weapon you find 40+ levels higher. It literally ruins itemization, no idea what they were thinking, it's another one of those crazy design blunders leaving it in. I think the best way to go about playing it is to ignore those items and sell them immediately
Bartski
Gold Member
100% agree, the final boss was great and took me two days to beat. The whole final chapter was where the game is at its peak
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SonicVolcano
Member
Does this game have boss weapons? And special moves like Ashes of War in Elden Ring?
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coachmcguirk91
Member
For a studios first ARPG, I thought enemy variety was way better than I expected. A 60 hr action game is going to reuse a lot of assets. I counted up the common enemy list a while back and it was 80 or so different enemies. A lot of it was the same enemies with different movesets, but I think that is still pretty good
I don't really mind the mission structure, but it is quite clear that gamers much prefer an interconnected world than something like Khazan or Nioh. It can be immersion breaking, especially replaying the same levels in side missions.
I wouldn't mind a shorter Khazan sequel, if it meant a better level design. I find each weapons combat worthy of its own playthrough. I have over 100hrs in the game, including two playthroughs with DW and GS. I'm putting the game down for a bit, but I'll do a Spear run soon enough
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Northeastmonk
Gold Member
I'm almost there, but are we talking better than Sword Saint? I already had one of those, "curse you, Bayle!" moments.
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