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[coachmcguirk91]

Beat the demo and picked it up.

The level design is atrocious as is regular enemy design so far. Plus the environments are butt fucking ugly. Has the same issues of Nioh games.

But I'm desperate to play something fun and challenging. The bosses so far have been easy by souls game standards.

Will continue on. Curious what everyone is using for their main weapon choice? I'm between dual or the spear. Leaning towards spear.

Level design does improve as the game goes along. The first 3 levels are by far the weakest, from what I have played. Enemy designs are fine to me. The variety of enemies is one of the games strongest positives. Incredibly good. Probably upwards of 50 common enemy types

And the game is legitimately the hardest souls game I have come across other than Sekiro, which I dont even really consider a souls game. Viper, the lizard, is the first difficult boss that most people struggle with

I'm Duel Wielding on this playthrough. GL

 

[Buggy Loop]

Which game was that?

Avowed

Fighting cowboy loved it.

 

[Bartski]

Did you notice during the Yeti fight that you could attack him when he does the ice blast, but you'll start losing life is say you're caught the in the hit detection of the blast? I could easily take damage when attack enemies. It feels like it makes sense. Maybe a preview video might show it off better.

Obviously if you run out of stamina or they deplete your bar you're stunned. I thought it was forgiving during the yeti boss when I had to heal.

I'd say it's great if you want a good Souls clone for the next couple weeks.

in the beta you were getting stunlocked all the time due to stamina falling into negative values, which felt just horrible to play and they seem to have tweaked by the time the demo was out, like it seems a lot of enemy attacks cut your stamina down to zero rather than below zero for the stun to occurr if that makes sense. Anyway I'll see for myself linkely next week, have fun!

 

[Gaiff]

Beat the demo and picked it up.

The level design is atrocious as is regular enemy design so far. Plus the environments are butt fucking ugly. Has the same issues of Nioh games.

But I'm desperate to play something fun and challenging. The bosses so far have been easy by souls game standards.

Will continue on. Curious what everyone is using for their main weapon choice? I'm between dual or the spear. Leaning towards spear.

Ninja Gaiden II. Quite challenging on anything above normal. Still a decent challenge on normal too.

 

[Gonzito]

I bought the game for 41 euros. I cant play it right away because I am with ACS but I am looking forward to play it down the line, it looks great and I love Nioh

 

[thatJohann]

Is the easy mode actually really easy? I suck at hard games.

Is there a god mode setting that lets me play without dying?

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Is the easy mode actually really easy? I suck at hard games.

Is there a god mode setting that lets me play without dying?

By reports, no. Don't think the game is for you if you are looking for that experience. The game did just make easy mode easier in new patch notes. They even nerfed a couple bosses for the overall game

 

[Arsic]

Ninja Gaiden II. Quite challenging on anything above normal. Still a decent challenge on normal too.

I eat breathe sleep jack off to NG. Beat them all and the new NG2 black.

NG4 is my most anticipated title this year aside from death stranding 2.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Is the easy mode actually really easy? I suck at hard games.

Is there a god mode setting that lets me play without dying?

Johan, if you're looking into an easy-ish souls-like with nice exploration, give Lords of the fallen a go
This apparently ain't "it".

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Oh yeah, and I just so happen to have today off

 

[Arsic]

This game takes the cake as the worst souls like yet. I should've just went with my demo gut feeling and not buy into retards online .

At least lords of the fallen is no longer the shittiest.

The list is too long. The main reason I'm out is the donkey shit stun lock/not registering my inputs. I can mash standing still with full stamina the heal pot 18 times and it still will not fucking go off. It is so retarded they thought this was fine. Let me fucking react. Everything in this game is in mud molasses ass.

 

[Seyken]

This game takes the cake as the worst souls like yet. I should've just went with my demo gut feeling and not buy into retards online .

At least lords of the fallen is no longer the shittiest.

The list is too long. The main reason I'm out is the donkey shit stun lock/not registering my inputs. I can mash standing still with full stamina the heal pot 18 times and it still will not fucking go off. It is so retarded they thought this was fine. Let me fucking react. Everything in this game is in mud molasses ass.

Holy crap, an actual shit take. The game is smooth as hell, and plays faster than pretty much any other soulslike, maybe even Nioh. The environment art is more on the generic side, but the game is overall quickly becoming one of my favorite games in this genre ever. When you start getting more skills and the combat starts clicking, it's addictive as fuck and you feel like a mega badass.

The healing being a little slow to trigger is by design, to really make you think about when to go for it.

 

[Arsic]

Holy crap, an actual shit take. The game is smooth as hell, and plays faster than pretty much any other soulslike, maybe even Nioh. The environment art is more on the generic side, but the game is overall quickly becoming one of my favorite games in this genre ever. When you start getting more skills and the combat starts clicking, it's addictive as fuck and you feel like a mega badass.

The healing being a little slow to trigger is by design, to really make you think about when to go for it.

So when I'm spamming the heal button it's by design to not register it?

It's by design to stunlock you to oblivion so when you're slamming dodge to get out of being stuck against a wall now to keep me there to enjoy being beat senseless?

Speedy combat doesn't mean fluid. Bloodborne is speedy AND fluid. This game is not that. And hell I'm evening using spear so I can moonlight around and zip to enemies and it's not fluid. Like 3 enemies in front of me I lock on and am trying to change to the one now in front of me and it's still not selecting the closest one I'm trying to right stick over to.

But yes please tell me it's by design.

 

[Seyken]

So when I'm spamming the heal button it's by design to not register it?

It's by design to stunlock you to oblivion so when you're slamming dodge to get out of being stuck against a wall now to keep me there to enjoy being beat senseless?

Speedy combat doesn't mean fluid. Bloodborne is speedy AND fluid. This game is not that. And hell I'm evening using spear so I can moonlight around and zip to enemies and it's not fluid. Like 3 enemies in front of me I lock on and am trying to change to the one now in front of me and it's still not selecting the closest one I'm trying to right stick over to.

But yes please tell me it's by design.

If you just ended an action, it really doesn't take a lot of time to be able to use your heal.

I have seen maybe one instance where I managed to corner myself and dodging wasn't possible because there were too many enemies closing off all possible exits. In that case I just parried my way out I think. Having problems with the lock on is something I've never had yet in my 20 hours of gameplay so far.

And I agree that speedy doesn't mean fluid, but the first adjective I used was smooth. The game just flows well and becomes better and better as you unlock skills and start understanding that staying aggressive while managing stamina is key. You just follow the natural back and forth rhythm in the beginning of the game. Soon enough you get skills (these don't cost stamina, which is huge) that allow you to nullify damage from enemy attacks and that basically allows you to "steal" the enemies' attack turn and start doing crazy combos.

If by the time you've beaten Maluca the game hasn't clicked and you think it's really trash, then yeah, the game truly isn't for you.

 

[Danteyke223]

Watched Asmongold play it and yeaaaaaaah he sucks at the game as usual

So when I'm spamming the heal button it's by design to not register it?

It's by design to stunlock you to oblivion so when you're slamming dodge to get out of being stuck against a wall now to keep me there to enjoy being beat senseless?

Speedy combat doesn't mean fluid. Bloodborne is speedy AND fluid. This game is not that. And hell I'm evening using spear so I can moonlight around and zip to enemies and it's not fluid. Like 3 enemies in front of me I lock on and am trying to change to the one now in front of me and it's still not selecting the closest one I'm trying to right stick over to.

But yes please tell me it's by design.

I think that sounds like the dodge animation hasnt finished. I noticed as a Spear player you are locked into attack animations at times

 

[PonyStation4]

Watched Asmongold play it and yeaaaaaaah he sucks at the game as usual

First Berserker
Metal Gear Rising
Ninja Gaiden

All games he just ignores tutorials and game mechanics, while showcasing his poor reaction speed. I can see why he's pivoting to a political channel, because he's bad at every game he plays.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Let me speak clearly: the game is dope as fuck. I knew I'd love it from the demo but it's exceeding my expectations.

I decided to mostly stick with the sword/axe combo, plenty of games have dual wield but the combination of these two weapons is unique, looks badass and feel great. Plus I love it's skill tree, this attack is so damn satisfying:



There is something to be said about having only 3 weapon types (unless more unlock later, I haven't read any reviews), keeps things focused and streamlined while encouraging experimentation since skill points can be refunded free of charge.

Everything feels real slick and polished. I always appreciate the finer details in games, look at the visual flair in opening this locked door for example:



This is all enhanced by solid haptic feedback. Nothing mind-blowing but it's very good and as with all games increases the immersion/enjoyment ten-fold.

Actually digging the narrative and the hub area/some of the characters have Darksiders vibes. While the loot system bears similarities to Nioh I'd say it's better in that there isn't an endless dump of useless loot to constantly manage and take you out of the game. It also helps that very early on you gain access to an NPC that can buy your unwanted stuff.

Playing on Pro with framerate unlocked has been a near flawless experience and the game looks absolutely gorgeous on my OLED, don't be fooled by the washed-out look in the vids, that is NOT how it looks on an OLED display (or how it runs). Love the art style, love the combat, love the music, love the vibe. So far it's delivering all the goods, will add more thoughts the deeper I get

Edit: lmao at this boss fight having a 2nd phase, I made it through phase one by the skin of my teeth and no healing potions left. Also, some of these cutscenes are

 

[coachmcguirk91]

The animations of enemies is so on point. I never feel like I have been cheated when I die. You quickly learn from your mistakes and improve. Amazing feeling. I just fought this massive beast boss and it has to be the most visually stunning fight of any souls game I have played

This is the game I hoped Rise of the Ronin would be, and I really enjoyed ROTR. It's the perfect blend of Sekiro and Nioh. Everything just feels so smooth. Unreal how this is the studios first attempt at an action RPG

 

[CosmicComet]

One of my most hyped games this year.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

The art of berserking:



Word to the wise: using the NPC summons (unique twist to this system btw) locks you out of the plat trophy, wish I checked sooner, there is a trophy for never summoning an NPC

 

[Giallo Corsa]

The art of berserking:



Word to the wise: using the NPC summons (unique twist to this system btw) locks you out of the plat trophy, wish I checked sooner, there is a trophy for never summoning an NPC

Personally - just to get more out of the game- I was thinking to start it on easy (no summons) and then maybe replay it on normal with summons ?

Don't know, with the exception of Sekiro and Bloodborne, I usually never replay souls-likes, maybe what I mentioned will give me the incentive to do so since from what it seems, this appears to be more action-y compared to other souls likes...

 

[Doctor Hades]

Why does the release version of this game on PC show a six-digit build number in the bottom-left corner of the screen all the damn time (in the menus and during gameplay and cutscenes etc)?

I noticed this with the demo but accepted that because, well, it was only a demo. However, having a static number in bright white showing throughout a user's entire playing experience is just asking for burn in if you're like me and own an OLED monitor.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

God damn that execution:

Personally - just to get more out of the game- I was thinking to start it on easy (no summons) and then maybe replay it on normal with summons ?

As someone who has the plat trophies for Sekiro, Bloodborne, Lies of P, Nioh 2 etc the main reason I summon isn't really to make it easier but rather because it's damn cool fighting alongside a badass warrior (the game actually has an Easy Mode btw, yuck lol). The summon system here is unique in that you actually choose who the NPC summon will be and you level up those NPCs individually, it's very cool.

 

[Rickyiez]

Ongbal as the usual being godlike had already released this,


Like bruh chill the game was not out for the masses yet when he published it

 

[Rush2112]

Can someone intelligent please explain to me why this game is being ignored while the media won't stop talking about AC: Shadows?

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Alright, this might have the toughest bosses of any Souls-like and I've pretty much played them all, no joke lol

 

[MiguelItUp]

Can someone intelligent please explain to me why this game is being ignored while the media won't stop talking about AC: Shadows?

Probably just because of "big AAA series" or whatever. Ubisoft also hasn't been doing good, so they put out anything that's "decent" and I guess it gets all of the attention.

I realllllly wanna get into this, I'm just gonna wait for a price drop. It looks as good as I was hoping, if not better.

 

[San Dan Glokta]

Can someone intelligent please explain to me why this game is being ignored while the media won't stop talking about AC: Shadows?

Imo two words:

Graphics Whores

 

[Arachnid]

Similar reviews to Lies of P so far

They have my attention.

 

[Seyken]

Easily up there with Lies of P as the best soulslike. EASILY. Lies of P takes it in the art direction and soundtrack department, but this combat is next level.

 

[San Dan Glokta]

Easily up there with Lies of P as the best souls like. EASILY. Lies of P takes it in the art direction and soundtrack department, but this combat is next level.

That sounds promising. Lies of P is my favorite souls-like, more thann souls games. I enjoy them for multiplayer with friends

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Can someone intelligent please explain to me why this game is being ignored while the media won't stop talking about AC: Shadows?

Khazan seems to be getting pretty good engagement, but there are a lot of reviewers/journalists that don't like the Souls genre and think it has run its course. Kazhan sitting at an 80 meta is absurd. It has the same score as Wo-long, which was a good but not great Souls game. Kazhan from level design, combat, story, boss fights, enemy variety, kicks the absolute shit out of Wo-long.

Kazahn has a 90% user score on Steam, currently. People are really liking it

 

[Hayabusabruh]

I wanted to make sure before I posted this, but the Xbox version shuts off the controller. At least for me it does. It's not the batteries or console position. My other games don't shut it off, just khazan.

 

[Arsic]

I've had the ps5 pro version crash twice now in my 12 hours.

It's baffling this isn't using auto saves continuously… I've had 20 minutes wiped each time.

I dropped lords of the fallen for this shit. I'm not here to donate time and wipe data/drops.

Edit: Really surprised they locked transmog behind new game plus. Totally retarded decision.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Always feels hype when you counter the burst attack (boss spoiler)



The combat really is fantastic, they nailed that satisfying, Sekiro-esque *clang clang clang* when doing perfect blocks/counters and there is an overall sense of impact with all your attacks which many Souls-likes can't seem to get right. Speaking of counters though, I think it's a bit overwrought with perfect blocks, standard counter (timing on this is very inconsistent/hard to perfect) and special counters, could have been more streamlined/intuitive.

I also wish there was no stamina drain outside of combat which has now become a staple for the genre. Instead they added skills that reduce sprint stamina cost, superfluous to say the least.

Working all day, will get back to that boss tonight, still haven't cleared it. I need to reiterate that despite the combat looking character action game-esque Khazan is tough as nails, possibly the toughest Souls-like yet so if you're not into a steep challenge then the game isn't for you. There *is* an Easy mode but I haven't tried it and question how much of a difference it would make, maybe it would put the challenge on the same level as a standard Souls game lol.

 

[Northeastmonk]

rage quit this recently. Maybe later. I did the same with Lords of the Fallen. Which is much better than before. Something pissed me off about this game recently. It was fun and then I felt like I screwed myself. Maybe it was sticking with dual weapons or not building my character properly. I kept having these solid runs and then I'd completely screw myself with the wrong input.

Why is that Malenia felt easier than the 3rd main boss of this game? It must be the chase to get perfect parries instead of dodging or doing something else. It's cool, but I'll take a break for now.

 

[Lokaum D+]

i dont know why but this game remembers me darksiders

 

[San Dan Glokta]

i dont know why but this game remembers me darksiders

Its because the protagonist has a very similar silhouette to Death from Darksiders 2. The colour palate of the world is similar too.

 

[DavidGzz]

So many good games. Still need to get KCD2 but now I want this too. Still busy with Shadows and Atomfall. Need more time.

 

[Dorfdad]

Anyone playing the easy mode how easy or how hard is the easy mode any examples? Is it easier or harder than Elden ring?

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

lol, came back today and beat that boss on my first attempt, let's fucking go!

Anyone playing the easy mode how easy or how hard is the easy mode any examples? Is it easier or harder than Elden ring?

Courtesy of GROK AI:

"Easy Mode in The First Berserker: Khazan makes the game noticeably easier than Normal Mode by buffing the player character, Khazan, rather than altering enemy behavior. It includes perks like dealing more damage, taking less health and stamina damage, faster stamina recovery, a higher weight limit (up by 6 points), and boosted elemental resistances (up by 150 per element). These changes make combat more forgiving, increase survivability, and allow for quicker progression.

While exact numbers aren't officially provided, player feedback and reviews suggest it's roughly 20-30% easier than Normal Mode. For example, you'll defeat enemies faster and survive hits that might kill you otherwise, but the core challenge—learning enemy patterns and mastering mechanics like Brink Guard and Perfect Dodge—remains intact. Some players still find bosses tough, with one Steam user calling the third boss, Viper, "ludicrously hard" even on Easy Mode. A March 27, 2025, update further tweaked it to be more lenient, though specifics weren't quantified beyond "increased damage" and "reduced damage taken."

So, it's a significant help—especially for newcomers—cutting down the grind and frustration, but it's not a cakewalk. You're still playing a Soulslike, just with a bit more breathing room.
"

Edit: dude, the JARS! More Nioh inspiration and in a good way, this is quickly becoming one of my favourites in the genre.

Edit 2: just noticed the mission targets in the Codex, this game has a lot of cool stuff packed in it

 

[Arsic]

The game has grown on me but it took a LOT of time compared to say lies of p which I was sold right within the demo how amazing it is.

I beat Macula or whatever his name was. Every boss up until then was 1-5 tries, including viper. Macula took about 20. Well done boss.

The bosses here have yet to feel bull shit like stuff you get in a Soft title. It's fair, easy to read, but still provides challenge. My issue is a lot of bosses feel far too "samey" in approach. Parry parry parry, hit window for player, repeat. It's not as demanding as Sekiro so it feels less thrilling.

I'm also unsure if they intended this but very early in the game (level 12 or 16) blue weapons are given to you that have B+ and B scaling. I have never outgrown them. The B+scaling in your main stat will always override a new weapon with B C scaling. I've used the same weapon since the first few hours of the game. Major design flaw on their part.

I suggest new players never get rid of these as you can also augment aka level them up later to make them even more fucking OP than any current level purple weapon or set weapon you can get.

I imagine once the game drops B+ or A scaling weapons this will change but that's likely close to end game I'll see those.

Edit: Also why the fuck is Yoshichan not playing this and posting in here?

 

[Northeastmonk]

I started a new game to get use to other weapons. Sticking with dual wield made me miss out on a lot of fun combat. Tackling bigger enemies with the greatsword is so much faster this time around and the spear does great work during boss fights.

The game has grown on me but it took a LOT of time compared to say lies of p which I was sold right within the demo how amazing it is.

I beat Macula or whatever his name was. Every boss up until then was 1-5 tries, including viper. Macula took about 20. Well done boss.

The bosses here have yet to feel bull shit like stuff you get in a Soft title. It's fair, easy to read, but still provides challenge. My issue is a lot of bosses feel far too "samey" in approach. Parry parry parry, hit window for player, repeat. It's not as demanding as Sekiro so it feels less thrilling.

I'm also unsure if they intended this but very early in the game (level 12 or 16) blue weapons are given to you that have B+ and B scaling. I have never outgrown them. The B+scaling in your main stat will always override a new weapon with B C scaling. I've used the same weapon since the first few hours of the game. Major design flaw on their part.

I suggest new players never get rid of these as you can also augment aka level them up later to make them even more fucking OP than any current level purple weapon or set weapon you can get.

I imagine once the game drops B+ or A scaling weapons this will change but that's likely close to end game I'll see those.

Edit: Also why the fuck is Yoshichan not playing this and posting in here?

So keep level 20 and level 30 weapons or are you saying keep level 3-10 blues?

 

[coachmcguirk91]

I'm about 2/3rds the way through. I already think Khazan is my favorite game that is exclusive to this generation. It's everything I wanted in an action game. Bosses, combat, enemy variety are all some of the best I have ever come across

From what I have heard, the end game gets incredibly difficult, but it supposedly also has the best level designs of the game

 

[Arsic]

I started a new game to get use to other weapons. Sticking with dual wield made me miss out on a lot of fun combat. Tackling bigger enemies with the greatsword is so much faster this time around and the spear does great work during boss fights.


So keep level 20 and level 30 weapons or are you saying keep level 3-10 blues?

Earlier in the game it will give you automatically one of each weapon type that if you look at the stats is giving you B+Scaling and B scaling on its two main stats.

The spear I have is B+ proficiency scaling and B willpower.

This will give you infinitely more attack power than a new weapon that drops that just has more base damage but B proficiency and C will power for a spear for example.

Plus with augment you'll infuse higher level weapons into that low level weapon to level it up and raise its base attack damage.

For example C scaling will power gave me 15 more attack damage but B scaling gives you 30. It doubled it. The B+ is even more ludicrous.

Hope that makes sense. I forget where the game gave me these weapons but it gave me a great sword, axes, and spear that all have the B+ and B combo.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Hot damn, Danjin44 is really moving up in the world, never thought we'd see a fellow GAF member in videogame like this:



Love the beautifully illustrated Codex and target missions that require you to achieve certain things in combat against specific foes for rewards whether it's beating an enemy without healing or defeat them by only using specific attacks, cool stuff:

Now that I'm deeper in I'll say the first 3 bosses are the biggest roadblocks, been smooth sailing for me ever since felling moosehead fucker, good times.

FYI there is an illusory wall near this statue leading to this full armor set, been using it since I discovered it:

Onward and upward, I'm now far enough in where I can say this is on the same level of Lies of P or Nioh as the best non-FROM Souls-like, completely unexpected, hope it sells well and we get more!

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Earlier in the game it will give you automatically one of each weapon type that if you look at the stats is giving you B+Scaling and B scaling on its two main stats.

The spear I have is B+ proficiency scaling and B willpower.

This will give you infinitely more attack power than a new weapon that drops that just has more base damage but B proficiency and C will power for a spear for example.

Plus with augment you'll infuse higher level weapons into that low level weapon to level it up and raise its base attack damage.

For example C scaling will power gave me 15 more attack damage but B scaling gives you 30. It doubled it. The B+ is even more ludicrous.

Hope that makes sense. I forget where the game gave me these weapons but it gave me a great sword, axes, and spear that all have the B+ and B combo.

Do weapons of the same type all have the same moveset? Or does it switch it up sometimes like in the Souls series?

 

[Arsic]

Do weapons of the same type all have the same moveset? Or does it switch it up sometimes like in the Souls series?

I have seen weapons that are part of an armor set that have skills you can set to be inputs.

The skill tree has this for each weapon type so you can map say R1+ Square to use a special skill if you have enough spirit to use it.

So these weapons have unique skills not on the tree. I've yet to use one as mentioned above that my weapon is giving me so much more damage due to scaling stats I wouldn't swap for some special move that would cost me 200+ damage lol.

 

[Freeman76]

Do weapons of the same type all have the same moveset? Or does it switch it up sometimes like in the Souls series?

You get special moves tied to gear sets

 

[Coconutt]

Just started today and currently enjoying the game, just beat the first boss the monke which i managed to beat and like how its a skill check for parrying. Anyone know if you can parrying that big boulder throw he does? Wasn't certain if I was just mistiming the parry.

Imagine if they made a Berserk game in this exact same artstyle and gameplay it would be godly.