Crimson Desert’s Rivers, Attention to Detail Praised by Red Dead Redemption 2’s Water Artist

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Okay, so there’s been a lot of mixed reactions to Crimson Desert lately, with some players being pretty vocal about their issues. But honestly, it’s cool to see some praise too! David O’Reilly, who did the water effects for Red Dead Redemption 2 (they were incredible), just put out a video where he specifically called out the water in Crimson Desert as being “amazing.” He seemed really impressed with the level of detail, and it’s awesome that someone with his expertise recognizes the work they put into it, even with all the other feedback going around.

In his video (linked below), he praised the water in the game, noting its impressive realism. He explained that the game uses a live particle simulation to create the water effects, and even said it surpasses the rivers in Red Dead Redemption 2 – something he’d been waiting to see in a game for a long time.

As one of the people who originally created these waterways, I’m thrilled with what I’m seeing. We’ve definitely made some good strides. The local team clearly understands these rivers, and this new technology is helping them manage them incredibly well. It’s truly impressive.

High praise from O’Reilly is significant because realistically depicting water is notoriously difficult in game development. Many games have struggled with it, and very few have truly impressive water effects. Along with Red Dead Redemption 2, Sea of Thieves is another game that has earned critical and player acclaim for its water.

Creating a lake or pond is often manageable for game developers, but rivers are much more difficult. Rivers require designers to consider the water’s current, where it begins, and where it empties out – all adding extra complexity.

O’Reilly doesn’t think Crimson Desert is perfect. He mentioned finding a significant issue with the game, though he hasn’t shared many specifics yet. He wasn’t sure if it was a mistake in the game or a performance problem, but he plans to share more details in a future video.

Since launching on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 19th, Crimson Desert has quickly become a hit, selling 3 million copies in its first five days. While the game is popular with players, reviews from critics are more mixed. It currently has a Metacritic score of 78 out of 100, based on 93 reviews that range from very positive to critical of several aspects of the game.

Players have had a varied reaction to the game. Many are having fun and enjoying its features, but others have criticized certain design choices made during development. A common complaint is the restriction on dragon riding – players can only ride for 15 minutes before needing to wait 50 minutes before using it again.

One player expressed disappointment that the dragon, heavily featured in trailers, ended up being used infrequently in the game. They noted that the marketing suggested it would be a permanent, late-game mount, not just a temporary helper.

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2026-03-24 17:11