On a scale of Bloodborne dodge to Sekiro parry, Soulslike RPG The First Berserker: Khazan seems dead in the middle: “Players can choose the defensive approach that best suits their skill level and playstyle”

As promising soulslike action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan gears up for its release, its creative director says that players will be able to lean into whatever defensive option they fancy, regardless of whether they’re a Sekiro-hardened parry master or someone who prefers to dodge anything and everything.

Asked if combat is intended to focus more on parrying or dodging, creative director Junho Lee tells GamesRadar+ that the action RPG is “designed to let players utilize both blocking and dodging, offering different approaches based on their playstyle,” with skills and items available to “further develop and refine these styles.” Mastering the Perfect Block mechanic (which reduces the amount of stamina that blocking consumes and also inflicts stamina damage on foes) ultimately “provides a stable way to handle combat, especially against continuous enemy attacks,” but it’s not always the best option. “Some enemy moves, such as grabs or high-stamina-damage attacks, cannot be blocked, making blocking – or even Perfect Block – ineffective in certain situations,” Lee says.