The First Berserker: Khazan Comes From a Franchise That’s Bigger Than You Think

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Among the notable video game launches in March, one noteworthy title is “The First Berserker: Khazan,” a grueling Soulslike fantasy game that has garnered an overall score of 80 on Metacritic. Generally, the storyline and setting of “The First Berserker: Khazan” are self-contained. Upon closer examination of its Steam page or official website, it’s revealed that this game is part of a larger franchise: Nexon’s Dungeon & Fighter series, which is also known as DNF.

In contrast to well-known fantasy franchises such as Final Fantasy, Warcraft, or Dark Souls in North America, the DNF Universe isn’t as widely recognized. However, globally, DNF has become a highly popular franchise that has drawn millions of players due to its unique beat ’em up gameplay. Given that The First Berserker: Khazan appears poised to be the most popular DNF game in the Western market, I thought it would be beneficial to provide a summary of the DNF series’ history and discuss where it’s headed for those not familiar with it.

The DNF series started in 2005 with “Dungeon Fighter Online.” Fundamentally, “Dungeon Fighter Online” resembles a beat-’em-up game like “Streets of Rage,” but its anime-style fantasy atmosphere is more akin to games such as “Golden Axe” or “Dragon’s Crown.” It discovered an engaging method to capitalize on the straightforward pleasure of seeing big numbers appear as you defeat waves of enemies in video games, and it struck a chord with many. “Dungeon Fighter Online” gained popularity in Korea before spreading to Japan, China, and eventually North America over the subsequent ten years.

For two decades, DNF has been a significant part of Nexon’s rise as a video game publisher, alongside MapleStory. Since then, Nexon has consistently backed it through regular updates for the PC version and new releases. The initial demonstration of this support was Dungeon Fighter Live: Fall of Hendron Myre on Xbox 360, but that title has been unavailable for a decade. DNF has also spawned several mobile games, with the primary one currently being Dungeon & Fighter Mobile.

Once more, it’s in Asia where these games tend to be the most favored. In 2022, the series experienced its largest Western release with the launch of DNF Duel, a fighting game developed by Arc System Works that shares stunning visuals akin to Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear Strive. The game was successful, yet it didn’t significantly boost the series’ recognition beyond the fighting game enthusiasts.

Despite the possibility that this franchise may be unfamiliar to you due to titles like “The First Berserker: Khazan“, it’s important not to underestimate its scale. In a recent investor presentation in February, Nexon revealed that the franchise boasts an impressive 850 million players across various versions and has generated more than $22 billion in gross revenue. To put it simply, this is a truly massive achievement for a franchise you might not have come across before.

Khazan” is designed to serve as an entry point for the DNF franchise.

If you reside in North America, it’s likely you’re not familiar with DNF, but Nexon aims to attract players from this region by offering games such as “The First Berserker: Khazan“, which takes place 800 years prior to “Dungeon Fighter Online“. If your interest is piqued by this Soulslike game and you choose to explore “Dungeon Fighter Online” or “Dungeon & Fighter Mobile“, Nexon will have achieved its goal. It’s clear that they are pleased with the positive reception of “The First Berserker: Khazan” among Western audiences.

Apart from “The First Berserker: Khazan,” there are other upcoming DNF games as well. For instance, “Project Overkill” is planned to be a 3D version of the original DNF beat ’em up gameplay, while “Dungeon & Fighter: Arad,” similar to “Genshin Impact,” was announced at The Game Awards in 2024. If you’re not into 2D online beat ’em up MMOs, Nexon has several fresh DNF games coming up that aim to catch your interest.

As per Nexon’s announcement, both “Project Overkill” and “Dungeon & Fighter: Arad” are scheduled for release by the year 2027. However, “The First Berserker: Khazan” is now available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S starting this week.

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2025-03-26 02:40