The First Berserker: Khazanis one of those games that throws you into a real challenge from the very first fight.
But recently, the team behind the title started tweaking the difficulty, even adding adifficulty selector, something that’s still pretty rare in thesoulslikegenre.
Now they’ve come forward to explain the reasoning behind these changes.
The First Berserker: Khazan Player Psychology & Naming Matter More Than You’d Expect
Creative directorJunho Leeshared some surprisingly insightful details about how players reacted to the game’s difficulty settings and how that feedback directly influenced the studio’s design choices.
According to Junho Lee, the game originally had a baseline “normal” difficulty, with a more accessible option labeled “easy.” Simple enough: if things got too hard, players could just drop it down a notch and keep enjoying the game.
But what really caught the team off guard was how many players, instead of lowering the difficulty,chose to quit entirely. Why? As Lee puts it:
“When we asked why they didn’t switch to easy, a lot of them said they’d rather quit with dignity than lower the difficulty. Some even told us that if the ‘normal’ mode had actually been labeled ‘hard,’ then they would’ve been fine switching from that to what’s now called ‘normal,’ instead of going all the way down to ‘easy.’”
That one small detail changed everything. It wasn’t just about having options,it was abouthowthose options were presented.
A Reworked Difficulty System For All Kinds of Players
After analyzing player behavior, the devs decided tocompletely overhaul the difficulty system. What used to be “easy” is now called“normal,”while the previous “normal” has been renamed“challenging.”From now on, the default difficulty is the new “normal,” and players looking for a tougher experience can opt for “challenging.”
They also introduced a brand-new option:“beginner” mode, designed specifically for those diving into a soulslike for the first time.
“I hope more players can jump into Khazan without feeling pressured, and that once they gain confidence, they’ll feel encouraged to try normal or even challenging mode,” Lee said.
This new structure isn’t just aboutlowering the entry barrier. It’s about building a naturalprogression path, where players can gradually improve, gain confidence, and take on greater challenges at their own pace.
For The Boldest Players: Hardcore Mode
While the general difficulty has been scaled back with recent balancing tweaks, the team didn’t forget about the hardcore crowd, the ones who always want to push things to the limit. For them, there’s nowHardcore mode, meant to deliver the brutal experience the studio originally envisioned.
The First Berserker: Khazanis not the kind of game that gives anything away for free. It’s an intense action-RPG that might intimidate at first, but rewards every step with growth, mastery, and real satisfaction.
With these new changes, it’s clear the studio wants toopen the doors without compromising the soul of the game,offering an experience that remains challenging but is now far morewelcoming. A bold move, and a reminder that in even the most unforgiving genres,listening to your players matters.
