Crimson Desert

Dark Souls has often been used to measure one's gaming prowess, but that measuring stick has changed with Crimson Desert. Not only does it boast some of the most challenging boss battles ever seen in the industry, its required levels of patience, determination, and ability have set a new gold standard.

Despite a few minor issues, Crimson Desert sets a new benchmark for this style of open-world experience, one that will be extremely difficult for future games to match.

Crimson Desert is a breath of fresh air for those looking for true ambition and adventure, as it delivers one of the most experimental combat systems and an open world on par with anything Rockstar has ever made.

Even though the onboarding was rocky, Crimson Desert stands out for its depth and sense of discovery. It can be a lot to grasp at first, but players who stick with Crimson Desert will discover a game that feels completely different from anything else. Crimson Desert is everything I hoped it would be, and it has the potential to be one of the biggest titles of this generation of gaming.

Crimson Desert manages to capture the essence of pure open-world exploration and delivers incredible combat that is unlike anything you've played previously, while offering an engaging story that keeps you engaged as you progress through its massive map. It's not perfect due to some of its quality of life issues and unfair boss encounters, but this is a game that deserves very high praise.

Crimson Desert is a game with a lot to offer players, but it gets held back slightly by some odd design choices that can create more of a challenge than they really need to.

Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others, Crimson Desert is a fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that.

Crimson Desert is one of the most ambitious single-player open-world games ever. It throws a ton of deep systems at you with almost no hand-holding, but once it clicks, the combat feels fantastic, and exploration feels rewarding. There’s enough content here to keep you busy for months on end. The story is pretty average, and the beginning can be brutal, but if you’re the kind of person who loves big, sandbox adventures, this one is worth the ride (and $69).

Crimson Desert is an ambitious open-world game that buckles under its own weight, making it a fun but flawed experience that will leave the player base divided.

Crimson Desert is huge, and it's beautiful, but it can't pull itself out of the bog standard narrative trenches. Combat feels clunky, especially when facing off against one of the many frustrating bosses, and there feels like there is little reward for exploration. I wanted to like this, but it left me feeling empty.

Crimson Desert does not make a good first impression. Imagine an episode of Game of Thrones, but you’ve taken a blow to the head and can’t remember much of anything. You’re hanging around with Jon, but you’ve got no idea about the Starks, no idea about the land they preside over, and, frankly, no idea about anything that’s going on. Imagine then, that the game version of this has the most convoluted, overly-complicated controls you’ve ever come across, and any tutorials use the vaguest words possible. It does get better, but this is the opening of Crimson Desert.

A devastating ambush in the deep of night by their sworn enemies the Black Bears leaves members of the Greymanes dead or scattered across the continent. Kliff – having lost his Greymane comrades, his family in all but name – is determined to reunite with the survivors, rebuild the fallen Greymanes, and reclaim what was lost. But on a journey where alliances are forged, dangers abound, and mysterious factions are uncovered, Kliff will come to realize that an unprecedented threat and a destiny greater than he imagined await him.​ EXPLORE A LIVING, BREATHING WORLD Welcome to the open-world of Pyw...