Is The First Berserker: Khazan related to the anime Berserk?

The First Berserker: Khazan is the latest souls-like title that is seeing praise from reviewers and audience alike. The game features a unique art style, merging cel-shaded anime-esque graphics with realistic high-fidelity environments. However, players might be wondering if this unique aesthetic choice was inspired by any anime.

With the similarity in names being another factor, people might be wondering if The First Berserker: Khazan is related to the anime Berserk. Unfortunately, these two properties are unrelated, at least when it comes to a direct connection.

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The First Berserker: Khazan and the Berserk anime do not share any direct connection

The First Berserker is a hack-and-slash ARPG (Image via Nexon)

The Berserk anime, or any adaptations of the material, follow the manga of the same name. Created and illustrated by the prominent mangaka Late Kentaro Miura (whose untimely demise halted the narrative), the story focuses on Guts and his survival in a dark fantasy world inspired by medieval Europe.

On the other hand, The First Berserker: Khazan is a hack-and-slash souls-like game, set in the Dungeon Fighter Online (DNF) universe, which began with the release of the first title in the Dungeon Fighter Online series. Since then, there have been a few games that are part of the universe.

Fortunately, Khazan takes place 800 years before the events of DNF. This means that players don't need to brush up on DNF's lore to follow the game's campaign. The story focuses on the Great General Khazan, who is falsely branded as a traitor and then mercilessly tortured. After narrowly avoiding death, the game follows his quest for revenge and how he becomes the first berserker of the universe.

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How Berserk indirectly influences Khazan

Berserk has influenced a lot of media, including Khazan (Image via Nexon)

Although The First Berserker: Khazan has no direct connection to Berserk, the latter has indirectly influenced the former. Kentaro Miura's renowned manga has set the foundation for numerous dark fantasy media, including the Souls series helmed by FromSoftware. Studio President and Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki's games are filled with references and homages to Berserk.

The rise in prominence of both Demon Souls and the first Dark Souls skyrocketed the studio in terms of fame and established their identity in the industry. This ultimately led to the creation of the souls-like genre, games that follow the core gameplay loop of FromSoftware titles but aren't made by it. This genre saw a recent addition with The First Berserker: Khazan.

The game picks up many elements from FromSoftware's catalogue, along with some of its own references to the manga, whether in the core gameplay loop or the dark fantasy atmosphere. It carries the torch that was once passed down by Berserk.

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Check out our other guides on Khazan:

• Is The First Berserker Khazan coming to Xbox Game Pass?
• 5 things you need to know before playing The First Berserker Khazan
• How to respec in The First Berserker Khazan
• How long does it take to beat The First Berserker Khazan?