By The First Berserker: The creators of Khazan have devised a complimentary update that is so incredibly challenging, even one of the team’s most experienced designers is struggling with it.
As a Soulslike, relentless and tough boss encounters are to be expected in The First Berserker. This title received remarkable feedback upon its launch earlier this year, but that wasn’t the conclusion for this dark fantasy adventure. Director Junho Lee recently authored a blog post detailing all the new features arriving in the free update, set for release on May 15.
The upcoming update for The First Berserker permits you to modify your appearance during your initial playthrough, but the significant alteration comes from the addition of two new boss rush modes that unlock after you complete the game once. The Great General’s Crucible mode organizes bosses thematically into playlists, providing you with designated loadouts. The other option is the Berserker’s Bloodshed mode, offering rewards after consecutive battles leading to a final foe.
Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? However, it appears that the new modes are daunting enough to push certain team members to their limits.
“Khazan focuses on missions,” Lee elaborated. “You can always revisit and challenge previously defeated bosses and still gain rewards. Seeking a tougher test? Remove your equipment or restrict your abilities to increase the difficulty as desired. For this new content, we aimed to develop a unique challenge—something distinct from the standard approach. We brainstormed intensively. Harder. Fiercer. More exacting. A challenge that not just anyone could tackle.”
Khazan’s principal character designer—who amusingly “plays games [for] over 4 hours a day, has secured platinum trophies in most action titles, and declines to deem a game ‘finished’ without one”—even remarked that they “probably wouldn’t engage” with the new update.