In terms of total time, Khazan is a medium-length commitment: most adults will spend a few weeks to a couple of months finishing the story with some side content. The mission-based structure is friendly to 60–90 minute sessions, since you can usually complete a level or make serious progress on a boss in that window. However, the inability to pause mid-fight makes it a poor fit for highly interruptible environments, like playing with small kids awake or while you’re on call for work. Saving is tied to checkpoints and the hub, so you can’t always stop exactly when you’d like, though modern consoles and PCs do help with suspend features. Coming back after time away also takes some effort, because you need to reacquaint yourself with timing and remember your build. Finally, it’s purely solo, so there’s no need to coordinate schedules with friends, but also no social obligation nudging you to log in regularly.

Khazan asks for a lot of mental and physical focus once you leave the Lounge hub and step into a mission. Most of your time is spent reading enemy animations, tracking stamina, and deciding whether to dodge, block, or counter at tight windows. Because the game moves at a deliberate but unforgiving pace, it rarely lets your mind wander during combat, especially against elites and bosses. Outside of fights you get short breathers to browse shops, tweak your build, or review missions, but those segments are much shorter than the action. There’s no real room for podcasts, chatting, or second-screen browsing while you play seriously. If you’re drained from work or parenting and hoping for something you can half-watch, this isn’t that game. When you can give it your full attention, though, that focus turns into a satisfying flow as your eyes and hands sync up with Khazan’s rhythms.

Learning Khazan is a real journey, but not an impossible one. You’ll understand the basics quickly, yet early bosses still slap you around until you internalize parry timing, attack strings, and stamina rhythm. For a busy adult playing a few nights a week, expect the first 8–15 hours to feel like a steady climb with some frustrating dips. The reward for pushing through is big: as your reactions and knowledge improve, bosses that once took a dozen attempts start falling in just a few clean runs. The game supports this with flexible respecs and build options, so you can refine your approach instead of feeling locked into early mistakes. Extra modes like boss rush and higher difficulties exist specifically for players who fall in love with the combat and want long-term skill goals. If you enjoy feeling yourself tangibly “get better” at a game, Khazan delivers that in spades.

Emotionally, Khazan sits in the “white-knuckle challenge” zone. Most of the tension comes from punishing bosses, long health bars, and the knowledge that a short mistake can cost you a big chunk of progress. The lack of a true pause button makes this more intense than many single-player games, because a phone call or kid yelling suddenly becomes a real in-game threat. When you’re in the mood for it, this can feel amazing: heart pounding, palms sweaty, and a huge rush when you finally win. On days when you’re already stressed, that same intensity can tip into frustration or exhaustion instead of catharsis. Regular enemies and early missions are less extreme, but the game quickly ramps up. If you’re sensitive to pressure or prefer a relaxing unwind, this may be a “once in a while” experience rather than a nightly comfort game.