Pearl Abbys, a South Korean development and publishing company announced at the beginning of 2021 Crimson Desert, initially conceived only as an action adventure, which would grow over the years into a huge action RPG game with MMO elements. 19.3.2026. it finally came out, and what it is and how it is, read below...
Already the early trailers raised a lot of hype and the game was awaited with great appetite. The game simply couldn't handle it, and at the expense of poor optimization, which I wouldn't say as a minus, and being kicked out of the game, there were some low-rated reviews from those who received review keys earlier. The audience also sided with the reviewers, and the situation on Metacritic was not fantastic. Despite everything, sales were excellent, and the game sold 3 million copies in just a few days.
However, most of the review codes were sent just before the release of the game, and it could not be played before the embargo was lifted. When we started playing, the Koreans probably didn't even sleep and released 2-3 big updates in a short period of time that changed everything - for the better!
Kliff Stijena
Crimson Desert is set on a continent called Pywel, where we play as the main character, Kliff, a warrior from the Greymane clan, who must save the world from the Black Bears led by Myrudin. There are two more characters we can play with, Damian who likes guns and magic, and Oongko, a dwarf who knows best with - an axe, but also wields a hand cannon. Although they are there, most of the time we cannot use them. Each character has its own popular "skill tree", where they develop in three directions - health, stamina and
spirit. It takes time and time to unlock most of them. The controls on PS5 are a bit, let's say, silly, so for some combos you have to press R1+R2 and the like.
Although I haven't managed to finish it yet, it is said that only the 12 main missions require over 150 hours of gameplay, and there is also the prologue and epilogue. On the other hand, there are numerous factions in the game, which give an incredible few hundred quests. I've only really started with that secondary part and some of the missions seem better than the ones in the main story, which is not monotonous and also fun to go through.
Kliff and his, judging by the accent, Irish comrades have their own camp, which can be expanded and upgraded.
At the center of everything is the medieval castle Hernand, around which the main story revolves, but also the main faction. Pywel is divided into five main regions, and as in most other games, different climatic conditions. What can I say, how big the world is - so huge, huge, big! And you can almost everywhere you can see. But that's not all, as there is also Abbys, the sky city - a puzzle. There are also conundrums on land, and very difficult ones, and help is nowhere to be found, unless you reach out to; »and for everything else, there is YouTube«.
Is there a bigger and more beautiful one?
Pywel, the world we play in, is a masterpiece of the gaming industry. Only a game or two can offer such a wonderful, graphically brilliant open world - not everyone agrees, but Ghost of Yotei is certainly the first. And maybe Crimson Desert is actually at the very top. Powered by the BlackSpace engine from the Pearl Abyss workshops, it's almost second to none. And it's proof that developers really know how to make their own, high-quality engine. I mentioned above that there are 5 regions that are different and I haven't had a chance to get to know them all yet, but don't worry, they won't disappoint you. Weather conditions and era are of course present and simply delight and make you stop, look around and take a screenshot. Every flower, waterfall, bridge or white stone villa with several chimneys looks enchanting in the evening. Everything is surrounded by mountains that you can climb and see where to go, and you can also see as far as the eye can see... Since we got the PS5 code, I can write to you about that platform, in the Pro edition. Three graphics modes are available: Performance, which targets 60fps+ 1080p, Balanced with 40fps+ 1440p, and Quality, which spins 30fps+ 4K. The differences are noticeable, but the performance is different. I personally prefer Quality on my PS5 Pro console, even though it runs at 30fps, the beauty it offers with all the "features", including the new PSSR2, is incredible. Balanced mode is also good, especially after the last update, which most likely includes 4K on the Pro version. Performance was originally intended for the basic PS5 console. Before the third update, the loading for the PS5 disc was very long, but with the update they reduced it by about 50% and now it is quite acceptable.
[foogallery id="18150"]Breast to breast with fine goulash
Combat in this game can be either button mash with R1 or quite complicated. I was talking about character development trees - there you can learn quite a few new skills along with collected artifacts. Thus, with R1+square you can jump over the enemy where he remains vulnerable to an attack from behind, then L1+R1 to blind the enemy, there is also a sidestep with double O to dodge to the side and shoot an arrow at the enemy, until throwing him in the air with your bare hands...
Kliff also has a very useful power from Abbys, the Axiom Force, with which he can pull and pull objects and enemies with a magical rope. And the third, offensive/defensive technique comes from the Spirit branch, where Kliff can create his own illusion or barrier that protects him from incoming projectiles. Depending on the branch they come from, attacks use stamina or spirit. There is, of course, parry, which is also the most effective counterattack skill in this game. Some find links to soul-like games, but they simply don't exist, because parry existed even before souls games.
Boss fights are interesting, but sometimes demanding. Classically, you need to take care of and restore your health in them. In this game, it is primarily made from dishes, stews - after all, they are made of meat, and broths that we cook in the bonfires of this game, in kettles for stews/paprikas. For that, of course, we need food, but also recipes, and we can simply improvise and cook something from what we have. This will most likely not be of much use.
We get food by gathering herbs and hunting - there is game from the hunting calendar. Most of these foods themselves have health, stamina and spirit effects, but these effects are much weaker than when the food is cooked. For that we need recipes, which we find around the world and as rewards for successfully completed quests.
To end the paragraph, the fight is great, "meaty" and it's nice to fight if you know as many combos as possible.
Sounds amazing
Kliff also has a magic lamp, something similar to the one in Lords of the Fallen, which reveals mysteries and indicates where there is loot or an altar, from which we can pick up artifacts for upgrades. When a bronze helmet is placed on the head, which resembles a cauldron for roasting brandy, then one enters a new dimension, where traces of crimes and other important links are revealed. Again as in LotF. Crimson Desert is not an idea stealer, it just coincided in one element, Pearl Abyss has a completely different idea and its own approach - which is more than good. In the beginning, early reviewers struggled with the small item container, and it affected the ratings, but with the update it has been expanded in the form of a loot chest. And smart chests, into which things of greater value are automatically transferred.
The world is huge and we have established that, and accordingly something is needed - like a horse. You have your own horse almost from the start and very interestingly, you level it up as well. There are also merchants with various equipment for your own pet, so you can buy horseshoes, a saddle and even sugar cubes for him to sweeten up a little after dangerous adventures - and all this in several levels of quality. For example, you can tame a dog, which then follows you and helps you in battles. I haven't met the wolf yet, so I don't know if I can win him over as Atsu... As far as I understand so far, there are no love entanglements in this game. Also, although theoretically there are three characters, none of their cooperation as in the excellent Avowed.
Dot on I
Expectations were high for Crimson Desert, and despite a weak start on Metacritic, the Korean game lived up to them! Beautiful, if graphically phenomenal, Pywell is full of life, vegetation and enemies. Everything is accompanied by an excellent soundtrack and general sound effects. The fight was done with the signature of Pearl Abyss and there are no complaints in that aspect either. Longevity should not be wasted; it will take you hundreds of hours if you want to complete the game completely. For now, this is an RPG for only one player, but you never know if the developers might eventually implement a PvE or PvP concept. I believe that many would be happy, but there would also be those who like it the way it is - and it's excellent! Great recommendation!
Rating: 5/5
Positive: huge and varied world, graphics, soundtrack, combat, pay-to-win
Negative: long loading at the beginning, not enough room for loot
A copy of the PlayStation 5 version of the game was provided for review by development studio and publisher Pearl Abbys
