Crimson Desert GBAtemp review
Computer
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): March 19, 2026
- Release Date (EU): March 19, 2026
- Publisher: Pearl Abyss
- Developer: Pearl Abyss
- Genres: Action-adventure, open world
- Also For: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Game Features:
After falling for a trap laid by rival faction Black Bears, the Graymanes suffered a crushing defeat that left most of them killed or scattered across the continent of Pywel. Among the surviving Graymanes is Kliff, who was himself brought back from the brink of death and is determined to reunite with his remaining comrades and rebuild the faction. Kliff’s commitment will take him across Pywel to forge alliances and face old and new perils.
Welcome to Pywel
Developer Pearl Abyss is mostly known for the open-world action MMORPG Black Desert Online, and Crimson Desert marks its first foray into single-player games. Its new game adapts its learnings from MMO design for a solo experience.
For one, Pearl Abyss is not exaggerating when it calls Pywel a continent. The open-world structure highlights this with its vastness and freedom of exploration. It surprised me more than once with what you can do as Kilff. Stowaway in a passing caravan, pick up (but more like steal) animals and sell them, hand gifts to NPCs, forget the Graymanes and settle for a fisherman lifestyle: the game allows the player to partake in such activities and more. It’s the first game to give me a sense of wonder for exploring its universe after Breath of the Wild.
Like the latter game, Crimson Desert is more focused on adventure and exploration than on the narrative. There is an overarching plot that weaves Kliff’s Pywel expedition together, but it is not as prominent as in narrative-driven games. This might be a consequence of the open-world design, but it works as a serviceable scaffold for this title.
Within the massive scope of the game, the narrative feels somewhat underdeveloped. The Graymanes’ story is okay for the most part, taking some twists and delving into darker themes that draw player intrigue. The voice acting also complements the presentation. However, Kliff’s character often feels one-dimensional and idealistic, while other seemingly interesting characters aren’t as fleshed out as they could have been. The underwhelming character development especially comes to the fore as Kliff is not the only playable character, as Oongka and Damiane join his journey.
The storyline itself is linear, with no branching elements, and with a quest design that feels more like going from A to B on a checklist. A more nuanced, subtle approach would have made for a more engaging narrative experience, but this overlooked aspect of the game’s design only highlights the fact that Crimson Desert isn’t a particularly narrative-driven game.
Despite the underwhelming main quest design, you are provided plenty of side quests. Often, these will be added to your journal by simply overhearing NPC chatter, further driving opportunities to explore the vast continent of Pywel. The focus is clearly on adventure and exploration, rather than a strong narrative.
The medieval fantasy setting reminded me of The Witcher, and the environment feels equally, if not more, immersive. You’ll come across friendly travelling merchants, not-so-friendly bandits camping in remote areas, unsuspecting wild fauna that you can hunt and more as you venture to rebuild the Graymane faction. Pywel has a lot to offer in terms of varied and interactive environments, from established and bustling cities to arid, desolate plains; each setting is detailed and lively in its own way and doesn’t miss an opportunity to invite exploration, whether on foot, horseback or aerial means. It's a joy to simply walk across towns or trek through rugged mountains to experience the universe. The presentation makes Crimson Desert feel like a true next-gen game in scope.
Somewhat in line with that scope, it is a relatively demanding game on PC. It is the first one to make my handheld feel inadequate, and console versions might be better optimised if you don’t have a PC that won’t do the game justice. However,I have only played the PC version and cannot really speak to the console performance.
Pearl Abyss made some unconventional decisions with the controls, which require some getting used to. For example, you have to hold A to run, and to interact with NPCs and the environment, you first have to aim with LB. This can be awkward and unintuitive, but the developer has addressed some of this with new updates since launch. However, you still cannot remap controls, which is surprising on PC. The developer seems to plan to add this in a future update.
A bit of everything
Aside from the awkward controls that you can get used to, Crimson Desert’s gameplay has a bit of everything to offer: open-world exploration, combat, stealth, base building; heck, Pearl Abyss even included mini games such as arm wrestling, card games and archery. This is why the opening chapters, amounting to the first couple of hours, essentially serve as one long tutorial, helping you get a grip of the controls and what the game has to offer.
When it comes down to it, the main focus is on exploration and combat. Generally, there are two types of encounters: either against hordes of minions or against bosses. Encounters are fast-paced, requiring you to juggle between Kliff’s offensive and defensive manoeuvres skillfully. Boss fights can get challenging, often contrasting with the less challenging minions that Kliff slices through like butter. That said, encounters feel more satisfying now that post-launch updates have addressed balance issues.
Kliff can make use of close or ranged weapons, as well as magical abilities. You can also unlock new combat abilities via the skill tree. You’ll also have to manage Kliff’s equipment to give stats boosts and even upgrade them with Abyss Gear for some extra bonus. While the combat mechanic can feel a bit overwhelming at first, its depth plays to its strength. Even if encounters are fast-paced, they force you to stay on alert and optimise Kliff’s moveset. This results in satisfying, adrenaline-fuelled sessions.
Exploration, combat and mini games are well spaced out, allowing you to dabble in the various gameplay elements. It’s definitely a slow-burn experience. Even missions are slow-paced, with the opening chapters slowly building up the Graymanes’ reunion and setting up what’s next for the main cast. It’s not bad per se, especially as missions don’t overstay their welcome. I found it to be a nice contrast to other fast-paced games (or entertainment media in general).
The gameplay is wildly ambitious and works well within the universe; for that alone, Pearl Abyss deserves commendation. The experience Crimson Desert offers slowly builds as you explore the vastness of Pywell, and it’s not a game you’d want to rush through. The game feels like it was designed to let the players take in its open world and what that world has to offer without being in a hurry to do so.
Crimson Desert: ambitious to a fault?
Pearl Abyss took big swings with its first solo game, and it’s a decidedly ambitious one. It includes a bit of everything, and this mish-mash of gameplay feels cohesive, albeit a bit overwhelming on the surface. Granted, the balance was off at launch, but if you’ve stuck to it, the developers have addressed some of the issues to make for a more enjoyable experience. I’ve played the game post-launch, and my impression might be more favourable following the updated version I’ve played.
However, there are some more fixes that I hope get addressed. In addition to a native control remapping feature, I’d like to see an update that loads the game where I left it. When loading a saved game, Kliff is not exactly where you left off, which can get disorienting. The narrative isn’t the strongest part, but maybe expansions could flesh out the story more.
Despite its shortcomings, I found myself enjoying exploring Pywel. The level of freedom the game offers, the highly interactive universe and the amount of things you can do keep me engaged and create a sense of wonder. Crimson Desert might not be to everyone’s liking at a glance, as it’s a slow-burning experience that you’d want to give it time to develop a taste for. Pearl Abyss might be onto something here, and I hope that they expand upon Pywel some more.
Official Launch Trailer | Crimson Desert
Verdict
- Ambitious gameplay scope
- Impressive level of freedom of exploration
- Satisfying combat mechanic
- Lively, highly interactive universe
- Plot feels underdeveloped
- Some unintuitive controls
- Templated quest design
