Few games in recent memory have surprised me as much as Crimson Desert, both in size and ambition. From the very first moments of its adventure, it becomes clear that developer Pearl Abyss is aiming for something enormous in scope. It’s an open-world action-adventure game packed with deep combat systems, incredible visuals, and a world that is begging to be explored.
The game centres on mercenary leader Kliff and his band of warriors, the Greymanes. The adventure unfolds across the massive continent of Pywel as you attempt to rebuild your fallen group and confront powerful enemies along the way. The story invites you into a world brimming with hours of action and adventure. Pair that with an incredibly detailed fantasy sandbox and a hardcore combat system, and Crimson Desert is easily one of the most ambitious action RPGs of the year.
It’s a game that dares to do more than most, and in many ways, it succeeds. But, unfortunately, not everything lands as intended. To really understand where Crimson Desert soars and where it struggles, let’s dive into my full review and unpack the experience.
Crimson Desert details
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and macOS
Reviewed on: PC
Developer: Pearl Abyss
Publisher: Pearl Abyss
Genre: Open-world action adventure / RPG
Available game modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)
Journey through a war-torn Pywel
At its core, Crimson Desert is a tale of loyalty, survival, and rebuilding. You play as Kliff, leader of the Greymanes, a hardened band of mercenaries. After a brutal ambush by their rivals, the Black Bears, the group is shattered, and many of Kliff’s comrades are killed. What follows is his mission to reunite the survivors and face the powerful enemies behind their downfall.
Multiple narrative threads
Layered into Kliff’s journey is a supernatural twist: a dimensional rift grants him mysterious powers and access to otherworldly technology. That thread is just one strand in a sprawling narrative that also introduces two playable characters, Damiane and Oongka. I enjoyed time with both, they bring fresh perspectives and their own side quests that deepen Pywel’s world, but the centre of the story remains firmly with Kliff.
From main story to marathon
The main arc alone took me just over 40 hours to complete, yet it barely scratches the surface of what Pywel has to offer. If you thrive on side quests, legendary boss hunts, or simply exploring every corner of the map, the world can easily stretch into 200+ hours of gameplay if you try to see and do everything.
Beyond the battles and quests, Pywel is alive with activities like fishing, cooking, resource gathering, and puzzle solving. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, the game throws in surprises from dragon rides to dozens of colossal boss encounters. Together, these layers create a world that feels rich, unpredictable, and endlessly explorable.
Combat, chaos, and getting lost in Pywel
The gameplay in Crimson Desert is where the game has plenty to offer, even if it occasionally trips over its own ambition. Combat is fast, fluid, and very dynamic, supported by a deep skill tree. In my playthrough, I stuck with a hack-and-slash build with a sword and shield, but there are plenty of possibilities. Kliff has access to a huge arsenal of weapons and abilities, and you can seamlessly mix swordplay, grapples, aerial attacks, and special abilities into stylish combos.
Visceral nature of combat is satisfying
One thing I really liked is how physical the combat feels. Enemies react to hits, environmental objects can be used during battles, and boss fights often require you to adapt your strategy on the fly. Some encounters feel almost like cinematic action sequences, especially when battling enormous creatures or enemy commanders.
Too many gameplay systems layered on
However, I’ll be honest, there’s a lot going on here, and at times it’s to the game’s detriment. You get a massive number of abilities and mechanics thrown at you early on, and the game doesn’t explain them at all. For some, this might be a positive, as you get to experiment, but at times, the controls felt a bit clunky and a little overwhelming. There were moments where I had to pause and remind myself which button combination triggered which move. The depth of the combat system is impressive, but it can take time to fully understand everything the game is capable of. Once you do get a handle on everything, the combat is a lot of fun, it just features a very steep learning curve at first.
Crimson Desert offers an incredible open-world
Exploration is another major highlight. The open world is so packed with activities that it’s incredibly easy to get sidetracked. I would set out with a clear goal, maybe tracking down a quest objective, and suddenly find myself distracted by a hidden dungeon, a new village, or a strange event happening in the distance.
If you love open-world games, this constant sense of discovery is fantastic and some of the best I’ve experienced in a game ever. That said, some might find the sheer scale of the world a little overwhelming. There is an enormous amount to do here, and not everyone will feel the need to see absolutely everything. If you are up for hours of exploring this is where Crimson Desert absolutely shines the brightest.
A stunning fantasy world powered by BlackSpace Engine
Visually, Crimson Desert is nothing short of spectacular. Pearl Abyss built the game using its in-house BlackSpace Engine, and the results are genuinely impressive. The environments are incredibly detailed, with dynamic weather, realistic lighting, and massive draw distances that make Pywel feel truly vast.
Whether I was riding through rolling countryside, exploring ancient ruins, or climbing a castle wall, the level of detail is consistently impressive. Water physics, volumetric fog, and atmospheric lighting all help bring the world to life in ways that feel incredibly immersive.
There were occasional performance hiccups during particularly chaotic moments, especially during large battles or when multiple physics systems were interacting at once. Overall, the experience remained smooth enough that it rarely disrupted gameplay.
Final thoughts on Crimson Desert
After spending dozens and dozens of hours exploring Pywel, I came away from Crimson Desert impressed by its ambition. This is the kind of game that tries to do everything: grand storytelling, deep combat systems, a gigantic open world, and countless side quests to keep you busy for hundreds of hours.
Not every element is perfect. The story falls flat by its conclusion, controls can feel slightly overwhelming at times, and the sheer size of the game may intimidate some. But, despite these issues, I found myself constantly pulled back into the world. There was always another quest to complete, another boss to fight, or another corner of the map begging to be explored.
| Pros | Cons |
| Massive open world filled with activities and secrets | Combat controls can feel confusing at first |
| The combat system offers deep move sets | The sheer scale of the world may overwhelm some players |
| Stunning visuals powered by the BlackSpace Engine | Occasional performance hiccups |
Overall assessment of Crimson Desert
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal / Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5 (80%)
For fans of open-world RPGs, Crimson Desert delivers a truly memorable adventure. It’s a massive, beautiful, occasionally chaotic experience, but one that feels rewarding if you are willing to dive into everything it has to offer.
