Crimson Desert Promises the World, But How Much Will It Deliver?

The Legend of Zelda. The Witcher. Dragon’s Dogma. Monster Hunter. Street Fighter. And now, GTA 5? Every clip South Korean workplace Pearl Abyss shows disconnected a caller portion of its upcoming open-world, action-adventure Crimson Desert, I consciousness similar I spot a caller enactment of influence. Over the six years since its reveal, we’ve seen a phantasy onshore akin to 1 Geralt would explore, puzzle shrines successful the entity that could easy hover supra Hyrule, and a analyzable combat strategy rooted successful Capcom classics. But successful the developer’s latest lengthy video detailing the satellite of Pywel, a caller astonishment awaited us: the summation of 2 caller playable characters to articulation Scottish Jon Snow-alike main protagonist, Kliff Macduff. With full skillsets of their ain for america to present expect getting our heads around, I can’t assistance but beryllium excited, but besides cautiously wary. By trying to bash truthful much, does Crimson Desert hazard achieving nothing?

I accidental this arsenic idiosyncratic who has had the payment of seeing and playing Crimson Desert much than beauteous overmuch anyone extracurricular of Pearl Abyss’ walls, having visited the workplace a fewer months backmost for our IGN First. Despite playing a bully fewer hours of it, and having rather a batch of amusive with its dynamic systems and satisfyingly flexible action, I inactive near feeling similar I’d lone scratched the aboveground of what Crimson Desert has successful store. And I don’t mean that wholly positively – portion it’s bully to permission a preview knowing there’s plentifulness much to see, it’s not often you reason a workplace sojourn inactive unsure of a game’s large picture. If each those hours of hands-on haven’t successfully communicated what the crippled is, is thing off?

We present cognize that Crimson Desert’s unfastened satellite is doubly the size of Skyrim’s and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s. I’ve enactment implicit 200 hours into Rockstar’s Western masterpiece and consciousness similar I inactive haven’t seen everything, truthful it’s anyone’s conjecture however overmuch awaits successful this world. Crimson Desert’s Pywel is simply a gorgeous portion of geography, too, with streets filled with beingness and rivers moving with glistening water. That h2o is besides systemically linked to the gameplay options, conducting lightning magic to electrocute those who basal successful it, and is transformed into blocks of crystal erstwhile struck by freezing spells.

It’s each precise awesome connected a method level, but leaves maine wondering if this is each portion of a “we tin enactment it successful the game, truthful wherefore shouldn’t we?” mentality. From what I played, and from talking to the team, the quality to manipulate the elements won’t needfully person puzzles oregon challenges built astir them to marque it a strategy you’d legitimately find worthwhile. In Breath of the Wild oregon Tears of the Kingdom, for example, you cognize that if you’re taught however to marque elephantine crystal cubes, a puzzle shrine volition apt travel asking you to enactment that acquisition into action. Nintendo is simply a developer that has been making games similar this for decades now, though, whereas Pearl Abyss is simply a workplace successful its comparative infancy, having lone released MMORPG Black Desert Online truthful far. By trying to acceptable everything it tin deliberation a subordinate would similar to bash successful a phantasy unfastened satellite into Crimson Desert, I fearfulness it whitethorn beryllium shooting consecutive for the satellite without learning however to get into orbit first.

The powerfulness travel is there; I conscionable interest astir the remainder of the journey.“

It each loops backmost to this latest revelation that not lone volition we beryllium playing done Kliff’s story, but stepping into the shoes of 2 caller protagonists on the way. The as-yet-unnamed characters with their ain (presumably) analyzable warring systems look precise amusive to play as, don’t get maine incorrect — I’m peculiarly drawn to the speedy dodging, magic-shifting, pistol-wielding pistillate who appears astatine archetypal glimpse to amended acceptable my much rogue-ish tendencies — but it's yet different furniture added connected apical of an already ambitious cake. I similar cake, you tin astir apt archer from a speedy look astatine my look that that would beryllium the case, but erstwhile it's stacked truthful precocious that adjacent Bruce Bogtrotter would instrumentality a walk connected it, I interest it's a motion that Crimson Desert should not beryllium trying to person and devour it.

The different caller playable leader is simply a hulking, elephantine axe-wielding brute with a instrumentality weapon attached to his wrist. If you’ve been keeping up with Crimson Desert, you’ll cognize that this isn’t your emblematic phantasy world, but 1 wherever dragons, steam trains, and mechs besides roam around. It’s each precise breathtaking successful isolation, and genuinely amusive to play arsenic your elephantine metallic monsters travel face-to-face with helpless medieval soldiers holding lone a shield. The powerfulness travel is there; I conscionable interest astir the remainder of the journey.

Story and questing are incredibly important to maine erstwhile it comes to open-world games. The Witcher’s twisting tales and galore memorable broadside stories are what marque The Wild Hunt an all-timer successful my eyes. The formed of characters successful Red Dead Redemption 2 and the mode they weave seamlessly successful and retired of its satellite are what marque it my favourite crippled ever. Crimson Desert has a batch going for it — the combat is exciting, the satellite is divers and beautiful, and its systems are impressively reactive — but I can’t assistance but consciousness wary. Most of the missions I’ve played truthful far, astatine respective antithetic events, person been castle sieges, often ending successful admittedly awesome brag battles. But, they’ve each been comparatively bladed narrative-wise, speech from an absorbing detour to a huffy inventor’s lair wherever he’d built a aureate mechanical dragon, arsenic you do. I’ve seen small of what’s going to beryllium the thrust story-wise successful Crimson Desert arsenic a full to get maine hyped successful that regard, nor met immoderate characters that I consciousness volition get adjacent to my heart. And I can’t assistance but interest that there’s a crushed we’ve seen truthful small of this world’s story.

Now, with the astonishment summation of 2 other playable protagonists to get to cognize connected this escapade that is little than 2 months away, I interest that Kliff and his friends whitethorn good beryllium amusive to play arsenic stylistically, but incorporate small substance wrong them. I’d beryllium precise blessed to beryllium wrong, though. I’ve been looking guardant to Crimson Desert for a agelong clip now, and person had a genuinely amusive clip whenever I’ve managed to get hands-on with it. I conscionable wonderment however each of these well-constructed gathering blocks will, successful turn, make a greater whole. Will its gameplay systems overlap successful absorbing ways and beryllium built into ngo design? Will authorial intent travel to the fore, oregon volition I yet consciousness similar a kid being dropped into a sandbox of possibilities with direction? I’m excited, conscionable besides a small acrophobic that by trying to beryllium everything, it whitethorn extremity up achieving nothing.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.