Intro and Gameplay

Khazan came out of absolutely nowhere and blown me away with a bloody, polished, beautiful, and challenging adventure that left me enthralled, exhausted, amazed, and frustrated all at the same time. In a time where Soulslike games are coming out in droves, it can be difficult to weed out the trash from the treasures but let’s be clear, Khazan is an absolute treasure overall.

I won’t spoil the story elements as they are wonderful to unravel spread between bits of journals and notes to collect in the world but also some stunning cutscenes. I will say that this is a classic tale of revenge mixed with some supernatural and hardcore anime elements. Either way, the gameplay is sublime with an array of weapons ranging from a huge, slow-swinging greatsword to fast spear-like weapons. It’s all so smooth and silky but the massive swings of difficulty seem uneven at best. Even on the easy setting, some enemies are brutally difficult while others are so easy, they might as well not even be there. Overall though, this is a game that any Soulslike fan should play.

Graphics and Audio

Khazan is a gorgeous game both visually and aurally. The mix between anime styles and realistic environments is a sight to behold. Animation, cutscenes, effects and character models are also extremely well done. With DLSS and Frame Gen available on the PC version, it runs perfectly on even older hardware.

Music is subtly used but effective and sound effects are sharp, strong, and voice acting is stellar as well.

Feedback and Conclusion

If I could give this game an 8.8 or 8.9, I would. It would definitely be in the 9 range if it weren’t the crazy difficulty swings that most Soulslike games do struggle with to be fair. It’s a sharp, sizable, and memorable romp but also isn’t for the faint of heart.

Either way, scores aside, Khazan is a brutal yet beautiful Soulslike everyone should play and is another early title in an already fantastic year of gaming that continues to amaze.