Crimson Desert review: Too good to be true? Not entirely

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

It’s been a long time since a game created as much excitement before its release as Crimson Desert has.

Pearl Abyss has been sharing a constant flow of new features for their game on social media, revealing one impressive mechanic after another. This has led many players to react with disbelief, wondering if everything they’re seeing is actually real.

Okay, so I’ve been playing Crimson Desert, and honestly, while the core gameplay feels pretty solid – it does what it promises – it’s not quite the groundbreaking experience everyone’s been hyping it up to be. It’s good, but not amazing.

Crimson Desert is an action-packed adventure game taking place in the world of Pywel. You play as Kliff, a warrior known as the Greymane, and journey across the land searching for his lost companions. Along the way, he’ll face dangerous groups and legendary creatures as he seeks revenge.

Right now, many players think Crimson Desert is trying to include features from almost every game imaginable.

Like many medieval action games, you can fight with swords, bows, or magic. But this game goes further with a detailed skill tree, letting you customize your character with new moves and powerful combinations.

The game has a unique way of teaching Kliff new moves – he has to witness them firsthand before he can use them. But once you pull off your first RKO on an enemy, it makes learning them completely worthwhile.

Crimson Desert draws heavily from many other games. While it might be harsh to call it a copy, it often feels less like inspiration and more like a complete makeover of existing titles.

As a fan, I think Pearl Abyss really nailed it with this game! It feels like they took the best parts of The Witcher 3 and Tears of the Kingdom, then added in little touches from other games they loved. It’s a fantastic mix!

You have the huge open world, combat and exploration of The Witcher 3.

You have the Sky Islands, physics, and what is essentially Ultrahand from Tears of the Kingdom.

You’ve got a kind of lite parkour reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed, character switching of GTA 5.

Beyond all that, the game also includes activities like mining, cooking, and even hammering tent pegs – a task you only do once! And let’s not forget you can also fly around on a dragon.

This feels like a collection of the most popular and successful game ideas from the last ten years. While it doesn’t feel particularly original, it’s done so well that it’s hard to criticize – it simply works. It deserves recognition for its skillful execution.

Crimson Desert, like Tears of the Kingdom, largely lacks a compelling story. It seems the developers prioritized other elements over narrative.

Crimson Desert has a story, but it doesn’t feel very important or well-integrated into the game. It’s almost as if the developers built the game first and then added a story as an afterthought.

The game does get a little better as you play, but it never becomes truly engaging, and it’s easily the least satisfying part of the experience.

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I’ve been revisiting Final Fantasy 7 lately, and while it still holds up incredibly well, it’s striking how little the game actually tells you about what’s going on, even after all these years.

It’s a mixed bag. While many games today guide players through everything, having to actually think for yourself is a welcome change.

Conversely, it can also be exceptionally annoying, in the way that so many old titles can be.

Crimson Desert expertly balances challenging gameplay with a liberating sense of freedom, creating an experience that’s both rewarding and, at times, frustratingly difficult.

You’re frequently expected to work independently, with little guidance, and are left to solve problems on your own.

There are moments when this game is truly brilliant, and I’ve really enjoyed the mental challenge. However, it’s also been frustrating at times, and I suspect that’s going to be a common reaction – some people will love it, and others won’t.

This very freedom is also what makes exploring the world of Crimson Desert so rewarding.

Pywel is a vast and fascinating continent. While it boasts beautiful grasslands, deserts, and forests, it also hides many secrets, like caves and ancient ruins, just waiting to be discovered.

The game world is full of small tasks and activities, like finding wanted posters, completing short quests, and defeating groups of enemies.

Many early players have reported spending a significant amount of time – even dozens of hours – just exploring the first area of the game. If I hadn’t been focused on completing the story for this review, I think I would have gotten similarly lost in it.

A lot of this content feels a bit superficial, similar to the excessive side quests found in recent Assassin’s Creed games. It’s available if you’re interested, but after the initial excitement of discovering things wears off, it mostly feels like unnecessary padding – content added just to make the game longer.

Overall, Crimson Desert is an interesting game to think about.

This game prioritizes gameplay over story, which means some players could easily spend thousands of hours enjoying it, while others might play through it once and lose interest. It will be fascinating to see how different players react to this focus.

Because the game focuses much more on how it plays than on its story, it won’t appeal to all players.

Many incredibly ambitious games fall apart due to their sheer size, so it wouldn’t have been shocking if Crimson Desert had suffered the same fate.

It’s truly remarkable how Pearl Abyss successfully combined all the complex elements of this project. Instead of falling apart under the pressure, it’s actually incredibly stable and well-built.

Crimson Desert sometimes attempts to include too many features. The sheer number of things you can do can feel overwhelming or even pointless, and the story and characters definitely need more development.

Dwelling too much on these details doesn’t do Crimson Desert justice, because ultimately it’s a technically impressive game. Focusing on flaws overshadows its strengths.

As a gamer, I have to say Crimson Desert is just incredible. It feels like a total power fantasy, and honestly, it takes the best parts of so many recent games I’ve loved. At first, you can see the influences, but it all comes together so seamlessly that you quickly forget where it borrowed from. You’re just left completely blown away by how amazing it is – it’s a real masterpiece of game design, honestly!

Crimson Desert is a massive, breathtaking game – exciting and flawed, but certainly not boring. It’s an experience that truly overwhelms you with its scope and beauty.

Crimson Desert releases on 19 March for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Hey, I’m Alex Raisbeck, and I write about games for TopMob. I cover pretty much everything – the big-budget titles everyone knows, and those cool, smaller indie games too. I’ve also had my work featured on sites like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN, so I’ve been around the gaming block a few times!

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2026-03-19 02:32