Crimson Desert Review (PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Some open-world games have really struck it big when it comes to never running out of things to do. That every time you enter the world, and pick a random direction to explore, you’ll stumble onto items, secrets, quests, and side stories you’d never unraveled before. It’s the masterpiece that Skyrim created with its vast open-world that filled its expanse with lots of dynamic and evolving activities to get up to. Conversations between NPCs were natural and funny, so much so that you can’t help leaning in to eavesdrop. And you never know. You just might pick up on a secret or new quest that ends up rewarding you with the weapon you need to take care of the boss that’s been giving you a nightmare. 

All boundary-breaking ideas we’ve seen fleshed out in more masterful open-world games. Red Dead Redemption 2 remains one of the most immersive open-worlds, where the story steals the show with its deeply emotional narrative arcs. Breath of the Wild feels like an escape into a fantasy open-world far different from our own, where your inner child takes over, wanting to go to all of the exciting places calling out to you. You can climb just about any surface, glide down mountain peaks, and craft fun bridges and surfboards. Add to that the visceral action RPG combat of Dragon’s Dogma, and you’ve got yourself Crimson Desert. Plus many more fun ideas for the ultimate freedom of discovery and exploration.

Let’s go over these gleeful moments and the sprinkle of frustrations, some of which are already being patched up, in our Crimson Desert review for today.

In a Nutshell

Roughly categorizing the gameplay you’ll invest your time in, there’s your fair share of story-driven main quests. So, in-game animated cutscenes and dialog, which you can fast-forward through. You’ll often run into hostile factions, which you might avoid when you’re running out of health or don’t have enough loot to take them on. But they typically are waves of enemies you’ll juggle among your versatile weapons and movesets.

And occasionally, more challenging bosses that may take everything you’ve got to beat. Lastly, exploration takes up a great deal of your time. When you hear people say Crimson Desert’s open world is over twice as big as Skyrim’s, they’re not exaggerating one bit. And happy to report that the massive scale is packed with lots of breathtaking content to keep your senses tingling.

Sprawling Pywel

Break that further down, and you have yourself a pretty stacked bag of treats and goodies. No surprise that it goes for the full-price AAA title of $69.99. And boy, do you get your money’s worth. Even if you stick to the main path, you’ll have no choice but to deviate from it when you run into enemies and bosses stronger than your current level. It’ll force you into exploring wherever catches your eye, and stumbling onto lots of ways to level up. The obvious choice is to kill as many enemies as you can, which will be in plenty from the myriad rival factions spread all across the world. The factions are responsive to the world also, and will capture points of interest when you neglect keeping them in check. So, you might as well clear out their camps before they grow stronger. 

Completing main missions is also another of the more obvious choices. And these are so varied, you can hardly keep track of how they connect, potentially because of the haphazardly-told story. From escorting important folks across the country to fetching stuff and bounty hunting, you’ll enjoy a sweet variety of mission types that keep the momentum going. You even find random ones, like tracking down thieves and rescuing hostages from burning buildings, that give Crimson Desert a lived-in status. And afterward, you’ll receive rewards for your troubles, whether in-game currency, crafting items, or provisions for your newly built house or camp.

Up to No Good

Otherwise, you’ll find yourself messing around and almost always landing on something that rewards your curiosity. The puzzles you’ll find are most impressive, with some taking a beat to think through. And solving them rewards you with fast-travel points, much appreciated to traverse an open world as massive as Pywel. You have training challenges that help you master your swords, spears, guns, and bows. Though Crimson Desert still very much maintains a hands-off approach to your exploration. It wants you to figure things out on your own, however long it takes you, knowing that in the end, you’d be grateful to have enjoyed complete freedom over your time spent here.

The day-to-day life of Crimson Desert feels authentic. When you can go fishing and actually need to go to the river and cast your fishing rod to catch fish. Or hunt or trade, even at the stock market that offers you low, medium, and high-risk options for investing your hard-earned money. Minigames, of course, are here, too, from archery to card games and arm wrestling. The regions you visit have varied quests, as they do mindless activities, to keep you exploring. And it’s nearly about picking how much effort you want to put in, and how much gear you have to withstand potential conflict. The sieges you can lay on literal towers will need preparation, for example, so you don’t end up using up all your resources.

Lived-in World

Not to mention that all of the stuff you can do is seamlessly integrated into your exploration of Crimson Desert’s open-world. Whether it’s stumbling across a town or tavern, and within it, finding an exciting activity bearing sweet rewards. It keeps the world alive, along with its people and animals behaving as naturally as possible. They become hostile to your illegal deeds, watch your arm wrestling fights with enthusiasm, and even help you gather resources. Funny how they can steal from you, too. It’s a reactive and adaptive world that feels real, where NPCs go about their daily work routines and interact with the world (and you). And you, in turn, interact with them (or the world). You can pick up objects and throw them, which comes in handy during building and fighting.

But also for the fun of it, when you light fires that spread across grasslands. Or move objects into streams to disrupt the flow of water. It’s the little things that make your heart sing, and consequently lead to your spending tens of hours exploring to the horizon’s end. Even after 100 hours, you’ll still have so much you haven’t discovered. I get the 100+ games that you just run out of interest in exploring once you reach the end of the main quest. Unless you’re a completionist, most open-world games give you little reason to return. Crimson Desert, however, is in its own league of freedom and discovery that feels like it could go on forever, and you wouldn’t ever complain. 

High-Fantasy Lands

Well, because in addition to actually having worthwhile things to do, the world looks stunning. The dynamic weather, the varied environments from the medieval to the snow-covered mountains, and regions with sci-fi influence. It’s all marvelous to want to take it all in, all five regions with their distinct technology, nature, and politics. 

The “Why”

Everything has been a delight thus far, except for the story, which I won’t focus too much on because it’s a barebones one. It starts familiar, with your character and his faction ambushed, and leaving him for dead. He’s rescued by a supernatural phenomenon and charged with reclaiming their land. And you then begin your main quest, regrouping your scattered mates in preparation for battling your rivals. It could have been a more compelling story than it currently is, particularly because the writing doesn’t stir any emotion within you. It doesn’t grip your attention to learn more, with most of the story and lore tucked away in verbose writing you can pull up from the menu, if you have the patience for it.

Even the cutscenes aren’t the most engrossing. One-dimensional characters and bland writing do not make a compelling story. Fortunately, all other gameplay elements are a delight. The immense freedom and discovery of Pywel fill your time with joy and wonder, so that any frustration Crimson Desert may have with its story seems hardly worth brooding over. 

Verdict

Much can be said about Crimson Desert beyond our review. It’s such a massive game that will take you weeks, if not months, to fully appreciate its open-world. An ambitious combination of the best open worlds, their creativity, and mastery of exploration packaged into one. Here’s a world where you can tame and mount horses, but evolve to taming mechs and dragons. Where you can pet dogs and recruit them to be your companions. Just as much as you’ll recruit warriors dispersed across Pywel. 

It’s a massive world where anything you see, you can interact with, and anywhere you see, you can go. You just have to explore to find the resources and tools you need to survive enemy encounters and complete quests. It’s a masterpiece of distraction from your main quest that reaps fruit with constant surprises and secrets unraveled. A true understanding of an open world sandbox that fully lets you be.