Crimson Desert review highlights impressive ambitious open world with uneven gameplay

Crimson Desert review finds vast open world and strong performance offset by weak story and design issues

Crimson Desert, the open-world RPG from Pearl Abyss, delivers a vast and ambitious experience but struggles with consistency, according to reviews by critics.

After more than 110 hours of gameplay, Northup reports that the title blends elements from leading RPGs yet fails to master any single aspect.

The game draws clear inspiration from titles such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, combining open-world exploration, dynamic systems and puzzle-solving.

Players can engage in a wide range of activities including settlement management, hunting and side quests, with a reactive world where characters follow routines and events unfold organically. Reviewers note that this scale creates memorable moments and a strong sense of freedom.

However, critics widely agree that gameplay systems often undermine the experience. Combat frequently involves large numbers of enemies, resulting in prolonged encounters, while boss fights introduce difficulty spikes that feel out of sync with the rest of the game.

Inventory management remains a recurring issue, with limited space and no reliable storage system forcing players to discard items.

Review feedback cited in development updates indicates that some adjustments, such as increased inventory capacity, were made during the review period, but did not fully resolve concerns.

Narrative elements have been identified as a major weakness. The story, centred on protagonist Kliff, has been described as difficult to engage with, with inconsistent dialogue and underdeveloped characters. Critics also report that emotional stakes and coherence are lacking despite frequent cutscenes.

Technically, the game performs well on PC, maintaining stable frame rates across different systems.

Nonetheless, reviewers encountered bugs ranging from crashes to progression-blocking issues, though Pearl Abyss has stated that fixes have been implemented ahead of launch.