Ever since its initial reveal in 2020, Crimson Desert has always felt to me like one of those games that looked too good to be true. You know the ones, the No Man’s Sky’sthat promise infinite worldsor Bioshock Infinite’s initial reveal trailers that simply didn’t reflect the final game.
9 Open World Games With Diverse Biomes
Explore vast worlds with environments, both strange and familiar.
That’s the vibe that I got from Crimson Desert, mainly down to the sheer scale and scope that has been promised from Pearl Abyss. Plus,looking at the output of sister game Black Desert,it was really hard to imagine that this open-world single-player offering could pivot in such a way with seamless success.
But, having actually sat down to get hands-on with this ambitious and sprawling open-world, I need to cut myself a slice of humble pie, as this game provides an open-world experience that is unique within the saturated field, not to mention offers technical depth and graphical fidelity beyond what most can muster.
Granted, the game does flatter to deceive in some areas based on the hour-long portion I enjoyed, but all in all, what we have seen of Crimson Desert shows a lot of promise.
A War-Torn Oasis
If there’s one thing that stands out about Crimson Desert and could be worth the price of admission alone for those sitting on the fence,it’s the strength of the visuals on offer, and the open world that Pearl Abyss has created.
What immediately strikes you as you travel from one camp to the next or work your way through a loaded battlefield is just how immense and alive this world is.
The land is sprawling with areas to explore as far as the eye can see. In fact, it was so impressive that I, someone who has played more than my fair share of open worlds, turned to the dev and asked, ‘Is everything you see part of the map?’. Which seems like a stupid question, but it perhaps showcases just how much depth has gone into making this world look and feel immersive.
What’s immediately obvious is that the game looks borderline flawless, with textures, water physics, and beautiful vistas that will make you stop and stare before riding into battle once more. However, it’s not just the map itself that will leave you in awe.
You see, the world feels more reactive and alive than most. Whether it’s the reactive physics that changes how a tower crumbles based on the point of impact of a catapult shot, or the sheer number of enemies that can be on-screen at one time without making the game stutter, there’s a lot to sit back and marvel at when it comes to Crimson Desert.
What I couldn’t discern due to the rather guided demo at SGF was whether this world is truly full of landmarks and points of interest to make exploration worthwhile. But if Pearl Abyss canensure that action and intrigue are present at every turn, then this world design is going to be very hard to fault come the time of full release.
Complex To A Fault
Alongside the visuals and insane technical depth, the game also has mechanical depth beyond what most games would ever dare attempt. But, unlike the aforementioned presentation-focused aspects, the depth of these mechanics isn’t always something that blows you away. In fact, I could see it being a jumping-off point for a lot of players.
Personally, I liked a lot of what the game had to offer mechanically, but events like SGF are always events that inform me in a rather visceral and alarming manner that I am above the curve when it comes to gaming acumen. Not a flex, just a reminder that the journalistic stereotype exists for a reason.
For that reason, I was able to dive into the game’s complex combo-based combat system without missing a beat, and I was able to leap into the air, glide, and propel myself using nearby tree trunks Just Cause-style. All of which felt fun and rewarding, but even I would be the first to admit that without a guide for this demo, I would have likely missed the boat on a lot of these more complex systems.
I worry that the game is too ambitious for its own good, and it will alienate any fans curious enough to jump into this medieval affair. Either the game trusts the player and they flounder, or the game spends an inordinate amount of time tutorializing systems and onboarding players. There’s no compromise to be had here, but that might be a risk the developer is willing to take.
As the saying goes, if you make something for everyone, you’re really making it for nobody, and you can’t level that at Crimson Desert. It’s very unapologetically its own thing, making the player work hard just to perform basic tasks like picking up and throwing logs, or jumping and slamming on the ground.
The world is constantly at war, it feels like every inch of land is being fought over tooth and nail, and you have the option to lend your battle-hardy expertise at every turn.
Much like other games I love, such as Session: Skate Sim, I found that every little win felt earned, but equally, once I mastered a certain aspect of the game, it became muscle memory, allowing me to pull it out of my bag of tricks on a whim.
I can still see many casual open-world fans simply not getting what Crimson Desert is trying to do, getting frustrated and bouncing back to some map marker abundant, on-rails Sony outing, but provided this game gives you something to cling onto, dropping players in the deep end and forcing them to swim could be an interesting tactic.
Musou Mayhem
While I’ve never been a massive fan of games like Dynasty Warriors or Hyrule Warriors, I’ve always had a soft spot for games that use the Musou framework, as someone on the outside looking in. I fought the one-thousand Heartless at Hollow Bastion, so the feeling of against-the-odds triumph that comes with these fights isn’t lost on me.
That said, when I saw how Crimson Desert managed to take this Musou framework and bake it right into the bread of an open-world setting, I felt like a converted man. The world is constantly at war, it feels like every inch of land is being fought over tooth and nail, and you have the option to lend your battle-hardy expertise at every turn.
Combat is incredibly cathartic, being accessible enough that mastering one or two combos or techniques will get you by in a skirmish, but only mastering everything in your arsenal will help you change the tides of war.
Granted, even in the guided demo where I was bouncing around avoiding most encounters to get as much done as possible, it did feel like this constant war-torn battlefield setup could be something that elongates playthroughs, and not nescessarily for the better, as a lot of fights feel more akin to irritating JRPG random encounters you want to run from immediately rather than addictive and engaging bouts.
It’s a balance that the game will have to fine-tune to ensure it caters to all playstyles, but no matter how you frame it, you can’t deny that it’s unique and very impressive.
Closing Comments
Crimson Desert in its current form is something that is incredibly ambitious and utterly breathtaking, but also something that feels so alien, so complex, and so busy on screen that it’s hard to truly establish if it’s a nailed-on Game of the Year or something that will alienate the very audience it’s trying to appeal to. Technically, you’re able to’t fault the game, as it’s one of the few games in this modern age that seems determined to outdo the rest and achieve that ‘next-gen’ label. But, it often feels too complex for its own good, and as if it’s trying to be so immersive in every facet of the title that it almost takes you out of the experience. That said, I walked away from this one and have been thinking about it daily ever since, so maybe that’s an indicator that, warts and all, this one will be a game that gets eyeballs, for better or worse.
