Crimson Desert Review-in-progress

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Crimson Desert is like ordering a pizza with absolutely everything on it – it’s incredibly ambitious. Sometimes, all those elements come together perfectly, creating an amazing experience. Other times, it’s overwhelming and doesn’t work at all. In my years of playing games, I’ve rarely felt such extreme swings in emotion – going from thrilling excitement to frustrating annoyance to complete amazement in just moments. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it overall. There are aspects I genuinely love, and others I really dislike. It excels in some areas, but surprisingly struggles with basic gameplay elements. Simply put, Crimson Desert is a very complex and overwhelming game.

I haven’t finished the main story of Crimson Desert yet, so this is more of a first impressions piece than a full review. While what I’ve experienced so far suggests the ending probably won’t drastically change my overall opinion, I’ll hold off on a final verdict until I’ve completed it.

Crimson Desert starts with Kliff, the leader of a mercenary group called the Greymanes, being defeated by a dangerous rival gang, the Black Bears (who wear bear skins, but aren’t actual bears!). After a mysterious event involving magic, Kliff wakes up and sets out to reunite the Greymanes and uncover the truth behind what happened. For a large part of the game, you’ll travel the world, finding former members and completing various quests. These include entering competitions, rescuing a friend from trouble, fighting bandits, and solving other problems. Despite the Greymanes constantly talking about revenge, it takes a while before any actual retribution happens – at least, as far as I’ve played so far.

Crimson Desert is packed with gameplay elements that feel familiar – it’s almost like a game of ‘spot the inspiration’! You’ll find floating islands reminiscent of Tears of the Kingdom, climbing and stealth from Assassin’s Creed, a loyal companion like the dog in Fable, a vast open world comparable to Red Dead Redemption 2, and even the ability to… well, let’s just say you can interact with a lot of farm animals, similar to Oregon Trail. But while these features fit the game’s setting, they often feel held back. Explanations can be unclear, rewards take too long to achieve, and the limited number of controller buttons sometimes feels restrictive. There are also unexpected glitches – my dog, for example, once stole from a villager and got a bounty put on my head! It was funny, but not exactly what I intended.

Crimson Desert feels clunky because even simple tasks take a surprisingly long time. Almost everything you do – talking to people, gathering materials, or collecting items – requires you to specifically select what you want to interact with using a cursor. For example, chopping down a tree should be straightforward: swing your axe, the tree falls, and you get wood. But in Crimson Desert, it’s much more involved. You have to target the tree trunk with your axe, then chop at it several times. Once the tree falls, you need to target the fallen trunk again and break it into smaller sections. These sections can roll away, forcing you to chase them down. Then, you have to target each individual log and chop it up before you finally get a small amount of timber. The effort required doesn’t match the reward, and it would be much better if you simply received the resources after chopping the tree down.

Crimson Desert has several frustrating design choices that really detract from the experience. For example, you can’t customize the controller buttons, fast travel points are too far apart, and you can’t directly travel to important locations like cities. The game also has a limited rest system that doesn’t let you freely advance time, and these are just a few of the issues.

You’re lucky you’re starting with 50 inventory slots – early reviewers only had 20! Pearl Abyss packed a lot into Crimson Desert, but it feels a bit unstable, like it’s built on shaky ground and doesn’t quite live up to its potential. And if you dislike games that hold your hand too much, you’ll find Crimson Desert delightfully confusing – it can be as obscure as a Latin Shakespearean lecture, complete with a random kick to the shin.

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about Crimson Desert, and it’s hard to put them into words. Despite my criticisms, I actually enjoy the game! It’s a stunningly beautiful experience with incredible graphics and distant views. I was genuinely impressed by details like the rain realistically falling on the character’s cloak and the feeling of cold while traveling through snowy mountains. Several times, I just stopped to admire the scenery and appreciate how far game graphics have come.

I had the most fun in Crimson Desert when I wasn’t even focused on the main story. Just wandering around the world – discovering bandits, fighting them with cool moves, or tracking down outlaws to collect a bounty – was incredibly enjoyable. The combat system is surprisingly complex, letting you learn and combine all sorts of fun and unexpected attacks, like a powerful flying kick. It’s also satisfying to build up your camp, send troops to clear out bandit forts, and customize your character’s appearance. Even simple things like managing your finances or occasionally stealing from wagons can be rewarding. After spending so much time with the PC version, I’m really looking forward to relaxing on my couch and playing it on PlayStation 5 – especially after seeing how well it runs – and just losing myself in the game world.

This game doesn’t quite come together as a cohesive whole; it feels like a mix of different influences, borrowing elements from games like The Legend of Zelda, Assassin’s Creed, and others. However, it’s still an impressive experience that people will likely be discussing for a while. It definitely needs some improvements, and I expect future updates will fix the issues players will encounter. But, like Red Dead Redemption or Skyrim, Crimson Desert is best enjoyed when you take your time and explore at your own pace. I’m hoping to have a clearer opinion once I’ve finished playing.

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2026-03-19 01:27