Struggling with Crimson Desert's excessively intricate controls may test your patience, but for those persevering, an intriguing action game unfolds, featuring breathtaking aesthetics, immersive combat mechanics, and a wealth of depth.
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Crimson Desert leaves gamers jaw-dropping with its stunning visuals, offering native 4K, smooth performance, and a grand battlefield overflowing with intricate details. Although the complicated control scheme and lack of onboarding dampened the demo play, the ambitious action-RPG showcases immense potential before its release later this year.
For years, Crimson Desert has sparked hype akin to the early Black Myth: Wukong excitement, with the Korean studio Pearl Abyss creating this open-world medieval fantasy title. The jaw-dropping trailer left viewers awestruck with an overwhelming number of impressively detailed character models, immense draw distances, exceptional lighting, and spectacular particle effects and environmental destruction. The sheer scale and technical refinement on display made Crimson Desert feel like a next-gen marvel in motion.
The demo session lasting 30 minutes provided a solid glimpse into the upcoming action-adventure. Although the game needs more refinement when it comes to overall gameplay, the visuals undeniably stand out as a benchmark. Everything from character modeling to destruction appears remarkably sharp, setting a new bar for open-world fantasy visuals that rivals anything shown this console generation.
A complicated trial run
Upon initial controls, players notice an intricate system, with analog sticks managing character movement and camera movements, while the d-pad takes charge of actions such as calling horses, selecting health/buff items, and elemental selection for the palm attacks. Face buttons are assigned unusually, as players jump with the square button, and run with the X button, which also has a stamina meter. For dodges, players use the circle button, while actions like mounting a horse and kicks in combat are handled by the triangle. Shoulder buttons are for attacking and blocking, while triggers are employed for Kliff's context-sensitive palm attack and aiming for a bow.
Talking to NPCs entails holding the shoulder button for blocking along with pressing the triangle to engage in conversations or initiate missions. Even the part of the game where players have to mount a flag is a wild array of button prompts, including focusing on clicking in both analog sticks, pressing a button to lift it, moving it around with another button, and placing it using yet another. This also aids during a boss fight, making combat control a challenging endeavor.
An exhilarating collision of combat styles
It's unfortunate that the demo for Crimson Desert didn’t walk players through all mechanics using a tutorial. Instead, players had to learn on their own, relying on the representatives from Pearl Abyss at the Summer Game Fest HQ floor.
Crimson Desert boasts numerous influences, with traces of Dynasty Warriors Origins, Dragon's Dogma, Just Cause, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and even Call of Duty. This includes guiding arrows to divert cannons to enemy posts or saving a prisoner of war.
Sword combat is extremely intricate, but at times, it seems confusing during gameplay. Grunts can be handled pretty easily with swipes and blocks, which can turn into parries if timed correctly. Similar to Dynasty Warriors, grunts fly far when attacked. Kliff can utilize wrestling moves like hip throws and grapples that look like DDTs.
However, complications arise when Kliff faces multiple enemies, including mounted ones, which can deliver a game over if not careful. Elemental palm attacks can be incorporated into combos as well.
Despite the control issues with the general gameplay, Crimson Desert sets a new benchmark for open-world fantasy visuals that rivals anything displayed this console generation. To achieve a smoother gaming experience, the developers may need to fine-tune the control scheme and introduce a more guided introduction to mechanics.
During the demo session, gamers encountered a complex control setup in Crimson Desert, where analog sticks managed character movement and camera, the d-pad handled actions, and buttons were assigned unconventionally, making the learning curve steep.
Crimson Desert combines elements from various games, such as Dynasty Warriors, Dragon's Dogma, and Just Cause, creating an exhilarating collision of combat styles. However, the intricate combat mechanics, particularly during fights with multiple enemies, could benefit from a more intuitive control scheme or a comprehensive tutorial to improve the gaming experience.
