The First Berserker: Khazan - Interview

GamingBolt interviewed Neople - the developers of The First Berserker: Khazan:

The First Berserker: Khazan Interview – Combat, Difficulty, Art Style, and More

Neople speaks with GamingBolt about its upcoming Soulslike action RPG.

Of all the Soulslikes coming up on the horizon, few of them have captured attention like Neople and Nexon’s action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan, a grimdark take on the Dungeon and Fighter universe, and a game that has looked consistently promising with its pre-release showings. From the promise of crunching and challenging combat to its striking, stylized art tyle, to the strong impression it has made with pre-release previews, The First Berserker: Khazan has plenty going for it that makes it one of 2025’s more prominent releases. Recently, we had the chance to speak with its developers about its combat, approach to difficulty, level design, and more. You can read the full interview below.

The First Berserker: Khazan’s stylized art style is one of its most instantly eye-catching elements. How did you land on this look for the game?

As a longtime console game enthusiast, particularly in action RPGs, I have long envisioned a game with a style like Khazan’s. Since childhood, I’ve been a fan of this genre, and that passion deeply influenced my approach to developing this game. Our goal of evolving the Dungeon and Fighter (DNF) Universe and expanding it globally with a console launch inspired us to create a fresh new art style for the IP. While many hardcore action RPGs and Soulsborne games lean toward surreal, complex art with high-end design and graphics, we aim to bring an animated and anime-inspired style to Khazan. This choice stays true to the DNF aesthetic while also refreshing the look for Western audiences who may be less familiar with the universe. We aim to achieve a cinematic quality for Khazan that is often found in mature-audience animation, focusing on two primary elements: bold, gritty, and intense battle scenes, paired with high-quality cartoon rendering to immerse players in a dark, atmospheric setting. We also believed that this animation style would better express the ultimate combat feeling we pursue and the action scenes that Khazan unfolds. Through this approach, we hope to engage a global audience by delivering intense battles with detailed, cel-based animation.

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