Crimson Desert feels like Devil May Cry in a living, breathing open world

by

Back in 2019, Crimson Desert was first unveiled, and boy, has it grown since then! Over five years have passed, and during this time, the talented team at Pearl Abyss has been meticulously crafting an experience that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on and maybe even adding to your gaming wishlist.

Back in 2019, I first heard about this game as a prequel to the massive multiplayer role-playing game, Black Desert Online. Since then, it’s morphed into an independent open-world action-adventure that seamlessly combines realism and fantasy, offering combat that’s both satisfying and immersive, along with graphics that leave me speechless.

Crimson Desert: The story thus far

I had an opportunity to check out Crimson Desert at Summer Game Fest, where I found myself plunged right into an early-stage questline. The narrative revolves around Kliff, the head of a mercenary group known as the Greymanes. In the story, they’re ambushed by their sworn adversaries, a rival mercenary troupe called the Drunken Black Bears. As a result, the Greymanes are separated across the continent of Pywel. Kliff’s mission is to gather his troops back together, but due to his renowned reputation in Pywel, he frequently finds himself diverted from this task by calls for aid from other armies engaged in their own conflicts.

Following news about his ally Oongka among the Greymane group, Kliff sets off to locate him in Calphade. However, misfortune strikes as Calphade is under siege by the Drunken Black Bears, accompanied by a renegade ex-soldier from Calphade’s forces who has chosen to betray his former allies in open rebellion.

Cassius Morten, a previous officer under Marquis Stefan Lanford of Calphade, is instigating the rebellion. The area is in grave danger due to the fierce clashes between the two armies — and it’s now Kliff’s responsibility to intervene and halt this conflict before Calphade completely disintegrates.

Crimson Desert went from MMO prequel to must-play power fantasy

Here’s where my demonstration began, finding myself smack dab in the midst of a fierce skirmish between Calphade and the tipsy black bears known as Drunken Black Bears. Initially, I was assigned the responsibility to assist in fixing Calphade’s cannons and artillery, which turned out to be quite beneficial for the ensuing battle.

To accomplish this, I employed a form of levitation – moving mortars, cannons, and assorted items back to their designated spots. The method for executing this task is somewhat unconventional, but it provides valuable preparation for the upcoming boss battle: Players should press one of the triggers initially to lock onto an object, followed by holding down two buttons on the directional pad at once (on PlayStation 5, X and square) to hoist it.

In the game, there are similar mechanisms, and Pearl Abyss designed some actions to be executed by holding down a button for console players. This action creates a ‘menu’-like interface from which they can execute various tasks such as lifting objects, among others. Initially, it was somewhat confusing, but as I continued playing, it grew progressively easier to understand and use.

After fixing the cannons, I had the ability to signal for missile attacks against enemy fortifications at any moment during the battle. Meanwhile, the Black Bears’ troops were charging towards me relentlessly, leading to intense skirmishes reminiscent of chaotic medieval battles. It was a lot to handle, but since Kliff possesses magical powers, it soon transformed into an almost “Musou”-style experience where I obliterated waves of enemies with various elemental attacks.

As a gamer, I’ve found myself with an arsenal of abilities that are almost overwhelming – a charged sword attack, a triple jump, levitation, plus numerous other moves fueled by my magical prowess. There are several elemental types for players to select, each imbuing their actions with unique qualities. During the demo, I had a glimpse into fire, lightning, and ice elements, ultimately opting for the icy one to wield in my gameplay experience.

With ice, I can push adversaries away and lock them in position, enabling me to control the mayhem near me and eliminate foes at my leisure. Thunder summons a potent shockwave, while fire does as expected (ignites objects). Each magic attack triggers a camera zoom-out and significantly alters the lighting, enhancing the impact of your actions and making battles more captivating and thrilling.

In terms of additional fight techniques, players are able to seize foes and spin them to strike nearby adversaries, or even hurl them towards the opposition, causing them to stumble backward similar to bowling pins being knocked down. Kick flips can also be performed on enemies, while the character’s vast array of movements offers countless bizarre combinations, evoking the sensation of a traditional action game such as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, but without the combo meter.

In equestrian battles, you don’t need to dismount your steed to defeat adversaries, which is quite convenient (for instance, in Final Fantasy XVI). To put it simply, the combat system is thrilling and intricate with layers that are yet to be fully explored even after an hour of gameplay.

Crimson Desert combines chaotic battles with spell-slinging spectacle

The game Crimson Desert is powered by Pearl Abyss’ custom-made BlackSpace Engine, and during my Summer Game Fest demonstration, they emphasized its capabilities. In Crimson Desight, everything unfolds in real-time, meaning that when you demolish an enemy tower, the pieces scatter precisely where you struck it. Additionally, when you employ a fire attack, the surrounding environment’s lighting adjusts as you call forth flames to cause destruction.

The element of weather plays a significant role in this game; when it rains, the landscape transforms, from the grass to the ground and everything else in between. As you advance, days pass by. You can also fast-forward through time if necessary for completing questlines during nighttime or waiting out unfavorable weather conditions. Furthermore, I’ve learned that the world is vast enough that it could take real hours to cover the entire map on horseback.

In summary, Crimson Dessert provided an unexpectedly enjoyable experience for me. I was genuinely taken aback by the stunning visuals and how quickly the world drew me in. However, what truly stood out was the combat, which left me eager to continue playing despite my time being limited. Pearl Abyss has clearly expanded its capabilities with Crimson Desert, demonstrating that it offers much more than just tactical MMORPGs and mobile games.

The game titled “Crimson Desert” is expected to launch towards the end of 2025 across multiple platforms including Windows, PlayStation 5, Mac computers using macOS, and the Xbox Series X and S consoles.

Read More

2025-06-18 19:48