I’ve had the chance to play Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert a few times now, with my preview of the boss battles being the most extensive hands-on time I’ve had with the title—at least until my experience at gamescom 2025. After spending time with the latest demo build, I can say the Korean developer is crafting something that demands respect, patience, and perhaps even a notepad to keep track of all the combat combinations. Don’t get me wrong: there are still plenty of rough edges, but the core experience is well worth exploring.
The demo wastes no time establishing its grand scope, beginning with a quick tutorial to give you the lay of the land before literally dropping you into the world. Players start their journey on a floating island, skydiving into the war-torn continent of Pywel below. This opening encapsulates what Crimson Desert aims to achieve—epic scale mixed with visceral action that makes every moment feel cinematic. The transition from aerial descent to ground-level warfare creates an immediate sense of immersion that few games attempt, let alone execute successfully. And yes, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
Once back on solid ground, I finally got a sense of what the experience would be like to play: quests, a massive world, and all. Playing as Kliff, captain of the elite Greymanes mercenary company, the experience centres on defending a besieged castle from overwhelming enemy forces—and you can lay waste to groups of enemies in ways rarely seen in an RPG like this. This isn’t your typical skirmish.
Dozens of NPCs clash simultaneously across sprawling battlefields while artillery fire rains down around you. Pearl Abyss has clearly prioritized spectacle, crafting conflicts that feel continental in scale rather than personal disputes between small groups. Black Desert Online is already one of the most visually impressive MMOs on the market, but Crimson Desert is on another level, delivering one of the most chaotic and visually stunning missions I’ve seen in an RPG in a long time.
“…Crimson Desert feels like a game that rewards players willing to invest the time to learn its systems.”
We need to take a moment to discuss the controls and combat. This is, honestly, both Crimson Desert’s greatest strength and its most intimidating barrier to entry. Every button on the controller serves multiple purposes, creating what feels like a fighting game character’s entire moveset condensed into a single protagonist.
Light attacks, heavy strikes, elemental abilities, time manipulation, ranged combat, and environmental interactions all compete for the player’s attention through an intricate web of button combinations. It is not to say you can not experience the game by simply trying your hand at the controls and experimenting, but with so many ways to modify your attacks and various actions, you are missing out on some of the more interesting elements of the game if you avoid the more complex controls.
I’ll be honest: even after an hour of gameplay and completing the full tutorial, I found Crimson Desert a bit overwhelming. Many of the more interesting attacks were difficult to execute effectively when I needed them most. The tutorial does its best to explain the fundamentals, but mastering Kliff’s abilities requires dedication that may deter casual players. That said, Crimson Desert feels like a game that rewards players willing to invest the time to learn its systems. Environmental takedowns allow players to leap off walls and deliver devastating kicks, while perfectly timed combinations can trigger moves so powerful that nearby enemies simply surrender in awe.
Pearl Abyss has made significant adjustments since the last time I went hands-on with the game. The 2025 demo I played at gamescom featured more manageable difficulty scaling and shifted focus from pure boss encounters to large-scale battlefield scenarios. This change allows players to better appreciate the game’s Dynasty Warriors-inspired combat flow, where cutting through enemy formations feels genuinely impactful. It also provided a smoother ramp-up with the game’s many systems, easing players into its more brutal aspects. I’ve heard comparisons to Dark Souls, and while I understand where that’s coming from, I’d push back on it slightly. Make no mistake—the game, even in this most recent demo, isn’t easy and definitely takes some getting used to.
While the controls may be on the overly complex side, one area where the team’s attention to detail truly shines is in the presentation. Make no mistake—Crimson Desert is an absolutely stunning game. Character models showcase intricate armour that catches sunlight naturally, while varied terrain provides breathtaking backdrops for the carnage. Pearl Abyss has leveraged its BlackSpace Engine to create a world that looks and feels lived-in, where every battle scar and weather effect contributes to the overall atmosphere. The level of detail in every aspect of the game is impressive, and I was honestly shocked by how good everything looked. It feels like a living, breathing world that begs to be explored.
Yet with such a massive world, some aspects of exploration can feel tedious. The open-world structure includes respawning enemy patrols that can make traversal feel more like avoidance gameplay than genuine exploration. During the demo, losing a horse to enemy fire turned the rest of the journey into a tedious slog through hostile territory, with little recourse beyond running and hiding. This design choice risks making the game’s scale feel artificial rather than meaningful.
It’s hard to dive too deeply into the story at this stage, but what I’ve seen so far feels very much in the vein of most fantasy RPGs from the past few years, with little to make it stand out. The main story beats I experienced felt disappointingly familiar, relying heavily on well-worn fantasy tropes without offering much innovation. Kliff fits the archetype of the grizzled, dark-haired protagonist with supernatural abilities, while the broader conflict follows predictable patterns of good versus evil. Pearl Abyss appears to be leaning a bit too heavily on the familiar, taking cues from properties like Game of Thrones and The Witcher, rather than establishing a distinct narrative identity.
That said, this could change in the full game. An hour with a title of this scale barely scratches the surface of its story. I’m hopeful that there’s more depth and originality to be found once players can fully immerse themselves in the experience—but that remains to be seen.
At the very least, the boss battles feel well-honed. Both the previous demo and the one major fight I experienced during this session felt unique and very challenging. The featured encounter—against the imposing Cassius Morten—was relentlessly aggressive, leaving little room to appreciate the full depth of the combat system. These fights demand mastery of the entire move set while offering minimal breathing room.
“Crimson Desert feels like something special, and if the team can push past its current roadblocks, it could very well become a franchise starter that players eagerly await with each new instalment. But that remains to be seen.”
This was both exciting and frustrating, as the controls made executing some essential mechanics—such as picking up debris from the environment to strike the boss—overly complicated. The multi-step process left plenty of room for error. While I like the concept, Crimson Desert would benefit from streamlining these interactions to make them more intuitive. That said, the battle was still fun, and victory felt well earned.
Even with my gripes, Crimson Desert feels like a massive achievement—one that, once refined, could become a must-play for fantasy fans. The power fantasy of single-handedly turning the tide of massive battles resonates strongly, especially when the combat system clicks into place. Pearl Abyss has created something that rewards player investment with genuinely spectacular results, even if the learning curve may intimidate newcomers. Crimson Desert feels like something special, and if the team can push past its current roadblocks, it could very well become a franchise starter that players eagerly await with each new instalment. But that remains to be seen.
Crimson Desert is set to arrive in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, giving Pearl Abyss additional development time to refine their vision. The gamescom 2025 showing demonstrates a game with enormous potential, held back only by the complexity that could alienate casual players. The game success will ultimately depend on whether Pearl Abyss can streamline the experience without sacrificing the depth that makes it unique. For players willing to embrace the challenge, Crimson Desert promises to deliver medieval warfare on an unprecedented scale.
