Could The First Berserker: Khazan Be a Code Vein Competitor?

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Collage for the First Berserker: Khazan news piece. On the left is a screenshot from the game's trailer of Khazan covered in blood as he grits his teeth. On the right is a screenshot from the launch trailer of Code Vein of the character Louis walking through the derelict city as he wears his mask, covering the bottom half of his face.

The First Berserker: Khazan got an official trailer at Gamescom 2024 a couple of days ago, so while I’m a little late to the party, I couldn’t help wanting to discuss it.

The battles in-game look immersive, with great sound design, fluid movement, and gorgeous boss arenas. Plus, Ben Starr is voicing Khazan, who you may recognise the name of. Starring in Final Fantasy XVI, he is the voice behind the main protagonist, Clive Rosfield.

If you want to run around and a sword-slinging Berserker, make sure to add it to your wishlist via the official Steam page.

Soulslike… But Make It Anime

There’s a clear anime-inspired approach with the visuals, which makes sense given that the game is set in the world of Dungeon Fighter, another of Nexon’s titles.

At the risk of sounding obvious, the combination of soulslike gameplay and the anime-style character designs makes me think back to the glory days of Code Vein.

Khazan Versus Code Vein?

I’m in no way saying the two are the same, even as a Code Vein fan, I can tell that The First Berserker: Khazan has a lot more polish. The dark colour palette with splashes of red is very Code Vein-esque too, but I digress.

But, the former is the most popular of the genre that features anime character designs, making it difficult to avoid comparing them. There’s been a few here and there, but Code Vein still takes the cake 5 years later.

Do I think that The First Berserker: Khazan may be a contender to knock Code Vein out of the top spot? Potentially! It’s part of the Dungeon Fighter universe, so players of that game will want to check it out, and then there are the dedicated soulslike fans.

It’s too early to say if it’ll have the same hold as Code Vein, as even with the anime aesthetic, hardcore Souls players regard it highly, though I’m sure some will disagree.

While Lara Croft has never been in a soulslike, she’s about to be in a new animated series! Read our Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft news that discusses the return of her old companion, Zip.