Crimson Desert is an overwhelming RPG experience — but it’s undeniably ambitious
Crimson Desert can best be described in one word: overwhelming. That isn’t just because of its massive world map — there are myriad gameplay mechanics and systems layered on top of one another, many of which are barely explained. For some players, this will be the perfect, all-encompassing experience. For others, it may simply feel like too much.
Developed by Pearl Abyss, the studio behind Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert delivers a huge single-player adventure that carries the same ambitious scope as its MMO predecessor. If you’ve loved games like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Witcher 3, you’ll feel right at home. Its varied gameplay gives you endless ways to create your own fun, so you can easily spend dozens of hours exploring side content without ever touching the main story.
After sinking nearly 30 hours into the game, I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. This is the kind of title you can “no-life” for months and keep discovering new things. But as I noted earlier, that same ambition can be staggering. Crimson Desert is undeniably bold, yet it won’t be for everyone.
Crimson Desert: The Basics
- What is it? Crimson Desert is a single-player open-world action-adventure sandbox that features visceral combat, vertical exploration, and life-sim systems.
- Who is it for? It’s for players who love huge, ambitious open-world games packed with layered mechanics and are cool with a steep learning curve.
- What’s the price? Crimson Desert costs $69 from retailers, including Amazon and Steam.
- What other games has the developer made? Pearl Abyss is the studio behind the long-running MMORPG Black Desert Online, plus a few mobile titles I’ve never heard of.
- What games is it similar to? Crimson Desert has The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s freedom of exploration, Dragon’s Dogma’s mount combat and climbing, Red Dead Redemption 2’s lived-in world, and The Witcher 3’s abundance of side quests.
A medieval tale
Crimson Desert’s main narrative follows Kliff, a warrior in the mercenary band known as the Greymanes, in the fictional continent of Pywel. What begins as a mission to reclaim lost territory soon escalates into a fight to save the world from supernatural forces leaking from the Abyss.
You can also switch to two other protagonists: the noblewoman Damiane and the orc brute Oongka. While the core story stays focused on Kliff, the other characters open up new paths of exploration and unique side quests.
The plot itself is fairly standard medieval fantasy, but it introduces ancient advanced technology early on. Kliff is a likable enough lead, though he lacks the strong personality of his more colorful companions.
As with any great open-world game, the side quests often have their own compelling mini-stories that flesh out the world and its inhabitants, many of whom benefit from solid voice acting and performances. Still, the real star here is the gameplay — and there’s an enormous amount of it.
Sharper than steel
Combat is robust and versatile, giving you countless ways to approach a fight. I’m a simple man, so I mostly stuck with a sword and shield since that provides a nice balance between defense and offense. But if you want something fancier, you have access to other weapons, such as spears, axes, bows, muskets, dual blades, and much more. There are plenty of ways to dice up your enemies.
You can also channel your inner WWE superstar with brutal melee moves — tackles, chokeslams, suplexes, and bare-fisted beatdowns. I didn’t rely on them often (why bring fists to a sword fight?), but when I did, they were a blast. Fantasy elements add even more depth: you can imbue weapons with elemental powers to burn, freeze, or stun foes, while magical grabs let you slam enemies into the ground or fling them away.
Defense is just as important as offense. Well-timed shield parries can stagger foes and leave them open to counterattacks. You can also dodge attacks, but doing that and using heavy strikes will chew through your stamina fast. Combat is as complex or as simple as you want it to be, and it’s pretty satisfying overall.
Journey across the world
With a world this enormous, you’re always exploring new places. If you can see a landmark — no matter how distant — you can reach it. Verticality is encouraged: climb mountains, buildings, and sheer cliffs as long as your stamina holds. Diverse locations (forests, ruined cities, snowy peaks, and the titular Crimson Desert) hide countless secrets, making thorough scouting worthwhile.
You get a nice variety of tools to navigate the land. For instance, a grappling hook lets you swing through treacherous terrain, while gliding lets you channel your inner Batman. The point-and-jump mechanic is useful for precise platforming, but I only used it when I absolutely needed to, since it’s a bit clunky. Triple jumping and dashing are much more fun ways to get around.
Early on, you mostly get around on horseback. Later on, you’re able to tame and ride bears and wyverns. That alone is wild enough, but you’ll also unlock fire-breathing dragons and destructive war mechs. For less outlandish (but still awesome) modes of transport, you’ll find hot-air balloons, wagons, and boats. There are some fast-travel points, but they’re often few and far between. You’ll be taking the scenic route most of the time.
The world looks absolutely stunning, with incredible draw distance that constantly tempts you to wander. You could easily spend months here and still not see it all.
Make it your way
There are no traditional experience points or classes. Instead, you unlock and upgrade skills primarily through Abyss Artifacts — mystical fragments earned from quests, bosses, exploration, and other discoveries. These boost core stats (health, stamina, and spirit) and grant new abilities for combat, traversal, and puzzles.
You can also slot special Abyss Gears into equipment and enhance weapons and armor at smithies using gathered materials. Discovering entries in the Knowledge Codex expands your lore knowledge and indirectly supports progression.
Weapons largely define your playstyle rather than raw stats, and each protagonist has their own dedicated skill tree. You can even observe NPCs and enemies in the world to learn new techniques. You can spar with guards to improve parries, or watch fishermen to pick up casting tricks. Enemies scale with your power, so you can’t overlevel and become overpowered.
Appearance customization is also robust, allowing you to dye armor and mounts, tweak hairstyles, facial hair, tattoos, and more for all three characters. I can already foresee a “Fashion Desert” sub-group similar to “Fashion Souls.”
Building a life
Between story missions, you can pour time into upgrading your Greymane camp. It starts modestly but grows into a full homestead where you build structures, place furniture, farm crops, and raise animals. Cooking becomes essential, since most healing and buff items come from meals you prepare yourself. I’m not particularly fond of crafting systems, but here, they add genuine immersion.
You can earn money by completing faction and NPC quests. For instance, you can recruit Freeswords and send them on map-based missions for loot and to raise regional influence. You can also build Reputation by liberating occupied towns from nasty bandits, which also has the benefit of restoring markets and unlocking more side quests.
If you want mini-games, you got ‘em! This includes activities like horse racing, pit fighting, arm-wrestling, gambling, fishing, and my personal favorite, bounty hunting. You can earn decent money and loot from these side activities, so it’s worth trying them out, even if they might seem superfluous.
All that glitters isn’t gold
Pearl Abyss throws you into the deep end and expects you to figure things out. This hands-off approach is a boon for players who hate yellow paint and endless tutorials, and I can appreciate the philosophy. That said, if you only have an hour or two of free time each evening, getting stuck on an obscure puzzle or boss can feel like a waste of time.
This is exactly why the studio encourages community collaboration (a holdover from Black Desert Online). My dedicated press-and-creator Discord proved pretty darn invaluable. I wouldn’t have progressed nearly as far without it. That same supportive network will likely be a major strength for the broader player base at launch. Trust me, you’re going to need the help!
A stronger narrative and a more memorable cast might have helped me overlook some of the friction. The story is serviceable, but it never gripped me the way Red Dead Redemption 2 did (a game I happily sacrificed my social life for). Your mileage may vary, however.
Crimson Desert Review: Verdict
If this review feels overwhelming, that’s intentional. I wanted you to experience a taste of what it’s like playing Crimson Desert. I’ve sunk hundreds of hours into open-world titles, yet this is easily the biggest and most expansive single-player one I’ve encountered. It’s the equivalent of drinking from a firehose that’s on at full blast.
I’m curious to see how the gaming community reacts to Crimson Desert, especially with all the hype it has received before its release. This game certainly has staying power thanks to all its gameplay mechanics and side quests, but the steep learning curve could be off-putting. While this game was a tad much for this humble reviewer, I give it all the respect in the world. If you’re willing to surrender yourself to Crimson Desert, you’ll find a rewarding experience.
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