In the game Crimson Desert, the real challenge lies in mastering its control system to unleash its exhilarating combat potential
Let's dive into the bloody, badass, action-packed world of Crimson Desert. I jumped in, full of false swagger, having played a combat demo in 2024. Boy, was I wrong! The game fucking kicked my ass the moment I charged into battle. Pearl Abyss, the devs behind this brute, have been giving the press plenty of chances to test it before its mysterious 2025 release. People have called it a game for fighting game fanatics, a darker Breath of the Wild, or The Witcher 3 meets a grab button.
Now, don't be fooled by the RPG label these devs are pushing. An "open world action game" is what it really is – think modern Zelda games or Far Cry. There are quests, and loot is scattered around, but designing a character from scratch isn't part of the deal. The world is primarily an action playground.
Summer Game Fest demoed something beyond combat: Kliff, the notorious mercenary, joins a brewing northern battle. He takes a stroll, chats people up, loads cannons, and blows up nearby watchtowers for target practice. Pearl Abyss took this opportunity to show off Crimson Desert's real-time destruction; the towers crumbled nicely, all thanks to its custom engine (no pre-baked animations here, fool).
After tasting the awesome power of heavy artillery, the demo skipped to a massive battle. I was ripped apart, run over, stomped, and punished in every way possible, but I was still itching to show off Crimson Desert's over-the-top moveset. Kliff's fighting style is an instant blast, thanks to moves like shooting magic to catapult himself in the air, then chain into ground pounds or slow-mo arrow barrages. Or unleash Ninja Gaiden-style combos at ground level by infusing magic into Kliff's sword.
With limited time, I focused on grabs, which felt like ultra-complex controls transferred from a fighting game. A stationary grab would slam enemies, but adding a directional input would toss them as a projectile. I also tried spinning enemies around like a sticky, meaty beyblade, but kept messing it up.
My favorite move – air launch, arrow, ground pound – was also where I faltered the most (all the cool shit in this game requires tricky, overlapping button presses). Jumping, then pressing L3 and R3 one at a time felt like a chore, with Kliff always lagging behind my wild inputs. Maybe the setup was to blame (playing the PC version on a big TV with a controller), but lag isn't the culprit. More likely, complex button combos mean there's always a delay after my inputs to make sure I don't fuck up a basic jump for a magical evil clown stomp.
One particularly agonizing moment came during a boss fight in a throne room. The only way to damage the guy was to attack his stamina meter, granting a short window to smash him with a magic-levitated pillar. Turns out quick-time events designed by David Cage's ghost were here to haunt me.
I'm usually the first in line to embrace weird game mechanics, but Crimson Desert's whirlwind of bindings feels half baked. The game's grossly excessive particle effects also need a tamer hand. Any magical-infused action coats the screen with particles that disguise actions, making follow-up attacks nearly impossible. Pretty forests and fluttery foliage don't offset the fact that Crimson Desert is like a surprisingly detailed, high-speed chase in a haunted carnival – all frantic bumper cars and strobe lights.
Honestly, I'm nitpicking because Crimson Desert could be a banger. It's bloody, it's badass, and it's unlike anything we've seen in half a decade.
Morgan ParkMorgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. But hey, try not to, because he's not into that shit.
- Morgan Park, the writer from PC Gamer, shared his experience with the game Crimson Desert, stating that despite its complex control schemes and over-the-top moveset, it has the potential to be a banger.
- In the game, while testing the PS4 version, Morgan found it challenging to execute some of the faster, combination moves due to the intricate, overlapping button presses.
- During his playtime, he encountered a boss fight in a throne room, where quick-time events appeared to be designed by David Cage's ghost, making the experience agonizing.
- Morgan expressed his excitement for Crimson Desert, noting it as a game with impressive technology, stunning visuals, and unique gameplay elements that are unlike anything seen in half a decade.
