The land of Pywel, the stage on which Crimson Desert takes place, might just be among the best destinations on my itinerary for 2026. But what prompted this eagerness for a title that’s still quite a considerable time away from its final release?
Well, I’m not very patient when it comes to waiting on great games. That might not be great personally but it does push me to dig as deep as we can to find things to be excited about while we wait, and try to get you as excited as well. The more the merrier, right?
Doing the same for Crimson Desert led me to the game’s YouTube channel, and I remembered that the developers had given us a pretty detailed glimpse into what the adventure is going to feel like to play. And I can tell you that things are looking pretty darn good!
Allow me to elaborate.
Intersectional Immersion
Let’s start with the combat mechanics, which shows off brutal, frenetic battles against multiple enemies who aren’t afraid to get up close and personal with Kliff despite his prodigious skills with the blade. But the very battle itself is a part of the story, allowing Crimson Desert to create tension even as you’re awestruck at what’s unfolding in front of you.
I suspect that the fight is from a story mission that comes a little later down the line in the narrative, but it also could be quite a nice opening tutorial section. But let me tell you more about why I think that’s a very good thing. If the battle is placed in the later part of the game’s story, it’s likely that each of Kliff’s companions could get introduced to us earlier, and perhaps even have questlines that allow you to see the bond they have with Kliff in action.
That’s going to be a great way to make you care about them, and can lend the fight that we witness a sort of tension that would otherwise be lacking if we weren’t invested in the people fighting at our side. If I’m right, I can see many story missions placing me in situations where I’m desperately trying to get to a fellow Greymane if they’re in danger.
I also think that many of the abilities Kliff shows off in his fight against the Black Bears, the heal-on-kill mechanic being a good example, might need us to unlock them first which is all the more reason to believe that this particular fight does take place later in the story. It still could be a part of the tutorial, showing us a glimpse of what’s coming before taking it all away thanks to Kliff being skewered quite effectively, and then being kicked into a river by an enemy with whom he apparently has history and quite a grudge.
As a tutorial section, it could help build curiosity about the characters in question and perhaps even setting up some of the story if they don’t make it to Kliff’s camp. Either way, it’s a great way to raise the stakes in the heat of battle.
And of course, the battles themselves look like they’re going to be a lot of fun! Kliff moves with the speed of a warrior who has lived by the blade all his life, and brings quite a few skilful manoeuvres to the table. The animations look absolutely sick, and the flow of combat never feels like it’s tilting in favor of either side.
It took me back to Rocksteady’s Arkham franchise, with a lot of target switching and quick responses to enemy actions that allow you to stay on top of the fight. Your moves, and those of your enemies flow quite well into each other, making the entire experience feel like a dance in which the beat’s never really rhythmic, forcing you to adapt to it lest you
While all of that is very good news for a game in which battles are a regular occurrence as you go about your day, combat’s only one part of a great gameplay loop in an action-adventure title. It’s time to see how the game’s adventuring has me wishing I could turn the clock forward by a few months just so I can finally be let loose in Pywel.
A Beautiful World With Much To Discover
I’m not going to dwell too long on the fact that Pywel is a gorgeous world, with vast draw distances and a lot going on courtesy of the engine. But beauty might only be skin-deep, and it’s what you get to do in that world which makes the excellent visuals relevant.
Fortunately, it looks like Crimson Desert is going to have us covered on that front too. The world’s bustling with activity and looks alive. People chat idly as you ride by them, and I’m hoping for an option to have objective markers disabled on my map, allowing for a more organic exploratory experience.
Aside from a feeling of being a part of a living, breathing world, I’m also excited about my part in it. Guiding Kliff as he attempts to rally the remaining Greymanes and uncover more of the world’s mysteries is going to be an interesting journey if the quality of missions that was on display in the gameplay sustains throughout the story. Objectives lean naturally into one another, following logical sequences that do well to justify the actions they are telling you to take.
And getting to those objectives could be quite a lot of fun. Gaining the ability to fly (kind of) is a great way to get around but I’m also glad that we do get to trot along on our horse if we’re in the mood for a more conventional form of transport. Outside of the main story, there’s a lot for Kliff to do, and deadly encounters against bosses are a big part of that.
The boss designs I’ve seen so far are outstanding, and each of them brings a skill set that’s varied enough for each one to stand out on its own. I can’t wait to discover one while I’m out in the field, thrust into an encounter that’s going to have me using everything in my arsenal to ensure I live to fight another day.
The combat and exploration in Crimson Desert has me feeling quite optimistic that it’s a game that might be able to meet, and perhaps exceed, my high expectations. But there are so many other titles with great combat and a solid open world. I’m halfway through a New Game Plus run in Ghost of Yotei, which has all of the things I’m excited about in Crimson Desert’s offering.
So what makes Crimson Desert so special?
A Fantasy That Doesn’t Feel Like One
Like Atsu’s own adventure in Ezo, it’s how the action and adventure components of Crimson Desert come together that makes me very enthusiastic to try it out. The medieval fantasy it tries to sell is backed up by gameplay elements that are perfectly suited to it, allowing the game to come to life in a way that’s immediately captivating.
It’s supported by great visuals but if MindsEye was any indication, great visuals are only a redundant coat of polish on a lifeless world. That isn’t the case in Pywel and having such a pretty stage for the adventure to play out on is definitely a plus. But the game’s graphics serve both exploration and combat so well, it’s almost easy to forget to stop and admire the sights.
That’s quite an achievement, and it’s thanks to how the game has you invested in the adventure that makes it so. It’s a world and story that pulls you in, while exploration and combat keep you in it. In a world where it’s increasingly difficult to hold the attention of players, Crimson Desert seems to do it so effortlessly from a video that I can easily imagine what it would feel like to actually play it.
I really wish the game hadn’t been delayed to next year but perhaps that’s an opportunity for it to avoid a crowded year of brilliant titles that might have stolen a little of its spotlight away. But I do believe that the game is solid enough to go toe to toe with the best open worlds of this year.
Alas, that’s not to be and I must now return to counting the days until I get to join Kliff and bring the best of my abilities to Pywel, and the cause of the Greymanes. But you can be sure that I’m going to be hitting the ground running when Crimson Desert makes its way to my console. I just know that this one’s going to be great, and I can’t see myself being wrong on this one thanks to the gameplay that hits all of the right notes.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
