JoeGames

Playing Crimson Desert is a lot like going to a restaurant that just lost its Michelin star. The photos of the food look incredible, and the venue itself is picturesque, but the restaurant has a reputation for poor service. It’s a 13-course meal for 150 bucks so you figure it’s worth a try. The first course is underwhelming, and the seventh is forgotten entirely. But three of the courses are some of the best you’ve ever eaten and it’s easy to see how they had the star in the first place.

Much like that inconsistent 13-course meal, Crimson Desert is an occasionally clunky experience with a handful of bugs and an incredibly steep learning curve. It is frequently frustrating, overwhelming, and confusing to play. However, the world itself and the amount of free exploration available to the player are astounding. Coupling those with fun combat, excellent progression, and beautiful visuals, results in an incredible, albeit flawed game that rewards players for being patient and curious.

*Tip: Make sure to check behind every waterfall (like this one). You can stab through them with R1+Triangle to try and find a cave.

Crimson Desert begins with our hero Kliff mourning an attack on his clan, the Greymanes, at the hands of the Blackbears. Kliff’s crew is a ragtag group of good guys attempting to stop the bad guy Blackbears from oppressing the region of Pailune they call home. Just as Kliff and his pals sit down for dinner their camp is raided and decimated by The Blackbears again. Left for dead, Kliff is rescued by a nomad named Sebastian who nurses him back to health and sends him off on his quest to find the other Greymanes and get revenge.

What follows is a bizarre first quest which has cliff running around the city for Hernand performing tasks for seemingly no reason. The game takes you to a myriad of places with no explanation until it is finally revealed that everything was orchestrated by wizards in the sky world called the Abyss because Kliff is a chosen one of sorts. It’s absurd but somewhat entertaining.

*Tip: Prioritize finding fast travel points as you explore (the circle Kliff is standing on). They will make later exploration much smoother.

As you can probably tell Crimson Desert‘s story is not a strong point. It’s disjointed, full of cliches, and never has a clear theme other than good beating evil. The game frequently sends players on wild goose chases for the next objective with little explanation. Luckily, out of chaos comes order, and as you follow the mediocre story you slowly uncover the magic of Crimson Desert. This is a sandbox RPG about freedom and exploration which rewards players for doing what they want and seeking out things that are interesting to them. The world is staggering in scope and detail, filled to the brim with side quests, boss fights, and hidden secrets to uncover.

Initially, the world’s scale is exciting but daunting. The map is one of the largest ever created for a video game and double the size of Skyrim. Flying down from The Abyss allows you to see the whole world rendered at once strikingly. Luckily, the continent of Pywel is a treat to explore due to its visual brilliance, and a fun combat system with excellent skill progression. Each area is a feast for the eyes from the snow-capped mountains of Pailune to the stark emptiness of the titular Crimson Desert. Finding a hidden cave, flying over a picturesque vista, or seeing a new area of the map is consistently entertaining.

*Tip: There are 8 legendary mounts in the game. The Icicle Edge Alpine Ibex has extra stamina and unique attacks. Find the mount and defeat its rider then take its unique item to a witch in order to tame the mount.

The number of creatures to find, enemies to fight, and quests to do is mind-boggling. These are a handful of the side activities available in Crimson Desert:

The sheer breadth of the world and how populated it is with content never gets old. There are hundreds of side quests which are entirely optional but always offer some type of meaningful reward. There isn’t a wrong way to explore Pywel and getting lost or sidetracked is wholeheartedly encouraged.

The Dragon is unlocked during chapter 9 but isn’t able to be called until the end of chapter 11. It is on a cooldown timer (50 minutes) so be sure not to call it unless you really want to use it.

Combat is also a major plus as Kliff transitions from a very strong guy into a one-man army capable of dismantling legions of enemies by himself. This process is smooth, supplemented by a generous upgrade system which rewards exploration with new gear or skill points to upgrade abilities. There is also a great degree of choice in how players arm themselves to navigate Pywel. Kliff can choose from five different weapons, and the other two unlockable characters have distinct skills and items to experiment with.

Controls are initially complicated because of the variety of combos and skills available. It takes some time to get used to but rewards players with a lot of choice in what moves they want to rely on the most. Most attacks are powerful and there isn’t really any way to go wrong putting points into moves you enjoy using (I’m partial to grappling and the R1+X spin attack.) Essentially, the game’s emphasis on freedom is palpable through build-crafting as well as exploration.

*Tip: Fly anytime you can. It’s faster than a mount and more efficient for stamina after the second patch. To get up high use three vertical force palms (Jump -> R3) and unlock the aerial roll perk to move faster horizontally.

After defining a playstyle and nailing down the controls, combat becomes a satisfying, intense affair. Nowadays, many games like Black Myth: Wukong or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice have impressed with “dancelike” combat systems. Crimson Desert is more akin to a mosh pit as you alternate between cashing through groups of enemies Dynasty Warriors style and fighting hectic, powerful bosses that would be at home in most From Software games.

These fights can be frustrating as bosses are invariably much more difficult than the meager challenge posted by grunts. Luckily, Since Crimson Desert is so open it’s always easy to leave and do a side quest or upgrade gear and come back later if a boss feels too challenging. The majority of the normal boss fights are enjoyable due to their spectacle and the welcome challenge they bring when properly leveled. Boss encounters also typically offer excellent rewards and unique weapons that make them exciting to take down.

*Tip: The Golden Star (pictured above) is a “gimmick” boss that is a fun fight. Use the thunder spears around the arena or archery skills to damage it.

The real frustration comes through against some of the “gimmick” bosses. These bosses can’t be fought normally and have some sort of gimmick to figure out. Most of them require using a certain attack on a certain body part in order to inflict a critical hit. For the most part these gimmicks feel like a chore, whose difficulty is accentuated by some clunky controls and buggy interactions that make the fights occasionally overstay their welcome.

I still have nightmares about the Queen Stoneback Crab, an optional side boss who is the size of a small hill. The fight is simple but due to her size and the weak point being on her back it took me about 15 minutes to complete. She consistently bucked me off her back and forced me to climb up and restart the process each time. This annoyance wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it does highlight Crimson Desert‘s most glaring issue: clunkiness.

*Tip: The Queen Stoneback Crab should be easier after the second patch. She is worth fighting because of the number of materials you can mine around her. Fly onto her back and stab the weak spots to finish her quickly. Use L3 to cling to her back.

While combat and traversal feel smooth just about every interaction does not feel as good as it ought to. Rudimentary things like talking to NPCs, climbing through windows, or organizing inventory space consistently turn into small frustrations. Most of these things are quick fixes, yet it’s a clear issue that takes up a lot of time which could be better spent exploring. Especially early into the game before discovering multiple fast travel points it can make moving through the world feel arduous until you get the controls down.

Irritation really rears its ugly head when interacting with some of the puzzles found throughout the world. For the most part, these are fun, satisfying puzzles to complete, challenging but not unfair. Sometimes, however, the game asks you to do something requiring finesse that it is almost incapable of performing. These are mostly puzzles where you have to use your Axiom force ability to drag something into the correct position. One main quest section requiring the repair of some stone Buddha statues was one of the most aggravating gaming experiences I have ever had and made the clunkiness feel overwhelming. It’s fine to challenge players with difficult or bosses but it is a shame that the game doesn’t deliver a tight enough UI to perform these operations.

There are three of the Buddha statues and you need to be very precise on where you place the hands. Placing the hands a little further forward so you have to really punch them into place is the most effective way to solve them. Don’t line them up perfectly.

This annoyance is worsened by a variety of small bugs. These can typically be salvaged by reloading the game or returning to the area at a later time but a couple of times they caused a hard crash, and one completely closed off a side quest path with access to an extra boss. In general, Pearl Abyss deserves praise for the technical performance of this game since it is a marvel to support a world this large that runs well 95% of the time. The 5% it struggles is not a major problem but combined with the clunkiness it can be discouraging for players. However, it needs to be noted that Pearl Abyss has already patched the game twice since release with lots of great quality of life adjustments and bug fixes. They are clearly committed to improving this game and there might even be a Cyberpunk 2077-esque level of refinement in the future.

A lot of how Crimson Desert will be remembered will depend on what happens in the next two months with more patches and updates. Reactions to the game have been exceptionally polarizing from critics and consumers thus far. Some people think it’s one of the greatest open-world sandbox games of all time while others deride it as a clunky mess with too many ideas and a weak story. Frankly, it is both things and people who like it will really enjoy it.

*Tip: Explore as much of the world as you wish and take it at your own pace. Crimson Desert has a lot to offer, and no two people will have the same experience.

This is a game that demands a lot of attention and effort with a staggering number of systems the player needs to understand in order to enjoy the game. In low moments it feels frustrating and unfair with a lack of polish that most other open-world RPGs don’t struggle with. At the same time the spectacle and grandeur on display throughout, paired with a satisfying combat system boasting deep customizability, result in a truly epic game.

This is not a game for everyone and will disappoint people looking for the strong narrative found in other open world RPGs like Red Dead Redemption 2, or The Witcher 3. Furthermore, its emphasis on patience and learning the game over time will be discouraging for those who want games to give constant gratification. For players who want to explore a vast, sandbox world that will never cease to impress with its level of freedom and sense of exploration, Crimson Desert will be a masterpiece. Just be patient and try not to get frustrated when it needs some time to warm-up.

Category	Score
Exploration	19/20
Combat	12/15
Performance	11/15
Progression	9/10
Visual Artistry	10/10
Sound	9/10
QOL	6/10
Story	5/10

Check here for the scoring methodology