Crimson Desert combines fantasy action with wrestling and is stunning.
We defeated three of the Crimson Desert bosses, allowing us to appreciate the complexity and depth of the combat in this action game.
I’m about to try out Crimson Desert, an open-world action game developed by Pearl Abyss. Before starting my experience, I'm shown a five-minute video detailing the game’s controls. To better understand what I'm getting into, I ask if it resembles more of a character-focused action game or a Soulslike. The response suggests I view it more as a Street Fighter. This comparison seems strange, given that visually it resembles a typical fantasy game with swords and shields. Once I take the controller, the recommendation makes sense. Crimson Desert doesn’t focus on learning the rhythm of a boss’s attacks and waiting for the right moment. In this game, I am the director, and I have a symphony of attacks at my disposal.
During the demonstration, Pearl Abyss sets high expectations. If you're someone who thinks you can categorize a game by its appearance, Crimson Desert might surprise you. Although visually it may remind you of Dragon's Dogma 2, the team emphasizes that it is not an RPG. It's more of a traditional open-world action and adventure game, with a defined hero, a strong narrative focus, and ultra-fast-paced combat. Despite its familiar look, Crimson Desert presents itself as a unique experience.
The team doesn’t delve into details about large-scale gameplay, but instead focuses on highlighting combat through three boss encounters, one of which includes the newly revealed enemies, Hexe Marie. But before facing a boss, I need a combat tutorial, and there’s a lot to learn.
The demo version gives me access to a variety of skills long before I have them in the full game. At first, everything seems simple: there’s a heavy attack, a light attack, and a block option. I can dodge enemies, although I need to pay attention to my stamina. Later on, things get complicated. I have a bow and elemental ammunition, such as ice and explosives. I can even slow down time while shooting, similar to what happens in Horizon Zero Dawn. I also have the ability to use mana to launch myself into the air and attack from above. Additionally, I can perform kicks and spectacular moves in the style of Randy Orton. By combining different buttons, I can activate specific abilities that are more effective against certain types of enemies. All of this can be overwhelming at first, but I'm surprised at how all these ideas come together as I battle my first boss, a similarly sized human enemy who is especially vulnerable to wrestling moves.
The battle allows for a great deal of creativity by chaining together different skills to diversify my attack strategy. While the gameplay isn’t as fluid as Devil May Cry, it’s more deliberate, akin to a fighting game. Everything centers around executing commands at the right moment and maintaining the rhythm whenever possible.
In another confrontation, I face the Staglord, a larger enemy that I can’t handle as easily as the previous one. His tactic is to charge at me, throwing me against the walls. As he charges towards me, I think to try to jump over his charge. I launch myself into the air, alternating joystick presses to gain height and avoid his attack. This gives me an opportunity to shoot him with an explosive arrow. Moments like this make the combat in Crimson Desert feel special.
Things heat up when I face Hexe Marie, a human-crow queen who can summon a swarm of monsters that leave behind explosives when defeated. This battle is visually spectacular, with purple particle effects exploding on screen as I cut through minions and try to make my way toward Marie. Every now and then, a quick time event occurs, adding a smoother, more cinematic feel to the combat. It’s exciting, though at times it can be overwhelming. There’s a lot of visual action on screen during a boss battle, which can make it difficult to read the situation while I’m trying to handle complex controls that offer the depth of an MMO on a game pad.
Although it’s a completely different type of action game, Crimson Desert evokes memories of Stellar Blade, which had a similar maximalist focus in its combat, saturated with systems and eye-catching visuals. This resulted in an exciting blockbuster that resonated with fans. Crimson Desert nearly takes that idea to the next level, offering even more options to experience. The release date is scheduled for late 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
