Crimson Desert: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Open World ARPG
Jan. 9, 2024Crimson Desert: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Open World ARPG
In Crimson Desert, you will be playing as MacDuff in the world of Pywel. Pywel is a vast continent of divided regions, each with their own people and culture. MacDuff hails from the lands of Kweiden, a harsh land of snowy peaks that can be seen from across the continent, but there are other diverse landscapes that we will be able to explore as well. From what has been shown, there is another named region called the Vast Plains of Akapan, and an unnamed desert, forest, rocky plateau area and mountainous region. Within these distinctive biomes and regions there will be cities, such as the Desert Oases or Kweiden’s Ulsrund, land of the wolf, as well as villages, castles, towers and other monuments of civilization.
The technology of Pywel is primarily Medieval, with new technological advancements ushering in a new age of warfare thanks to the invention of pistols, cannons and hand mounted cannons. That’s not all though, as along with the invention of new weaponry was the discovery of Alchemy; an art allowing practitioners to imbue weapons with additional abilities, making times of war and battle fierce in Pywel.
The overarching story seems to revolve around The King of Demeniss, Unifier of Lands, who has fallen into a Coma and thus prompted political chaos. Those who suffered from his iron rule are now contesting for power, with some simply seeking independence, while others set their sights on creating a new absolutist rule. However, amidst the chaos, there are rumours of beings from a distant world that exists in a time yet to be, and mysterious gates leading to mystical passages of time. This aspect of the story and how it seems to blend a Sci-Fi world into a Medieval world looks to be very much inspired by the Animus in Assassin’s Creed.
The world of Crimson Desert that was showcased in their gameplay trailers looks absolutely enormous, with interesting monuments and structures spread out across all the different regions in the game. Inside the map and its various biomes, the player will encounter hostile wildlife, such as a massive crab or a pack of wolves, along with various herbs and materials which may be unique to specific regions in the game.
Moreover, it seems like within each region, there are going to be different religions and cultures, as well as an intriguing blend of species like you would see in The Elder Scrolls Online. From what has been showcased, there are Humans, Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Antler People, Dwarves and other unnamed species. How these different species blend and the political turmoil between them is no doubt going to be an important part of the game and its story.Going back to the mysterious time beings, Pearl Studios also teased unnatural floating islands within the world which are definitely tied to the Sci-Fi part of Crimson Desert’s upcoming story, though not much is known about them for now.
By far the most ambitious aspect of this game is going to be the scale of what exactly you can do in it. You can pet the dog, and cuddle the cat. That is next gen gaming.
But seriously, the scale is massive. Just to start, let’s lay out the basics; There are of course going to be side quests and a main quest, just like any other ARPG. There will be a party system in the game, and you will be able to recruit mercenaries, earn their support by gaining their respect, and engage in battles alongside them. There will be gear to loot, equipable items and a rarity system, as well as a crafting and cooking system that uses materials that you can find throughout the world.
In terms of the worlds dynamics, there seems to be a Day and Night cycle as well as a current temperature in the HUD on the bottom left, so there may be some kind of survival aspect to the game or maybe temperature and time play a role in certain monsters spawning in or certain quests being completed.
A big part of this game looks like it’s going to be about raiding Outposts and Castles. However, it won’t be as simple as just sneaking in like you would in most single-player games; now you need Siege Weapons to destroy the gates and walls of these structures, which all crumble with proper building destruction physics. Wooden outposts will collapse with splinters of wood flying everywhere, brick castle walls can be shattered with heavy artillery, and explosive barrels can obliterate structures into a million pieces. Definitely a selling point.
Alternatively, there are less thunderous methods of entering areas. You can pole vault over outpost barricades and into the outpost like an olympic athlete, or for cities with a climbable architecture, you can effortlessly grab onto ledges in the wall to parkour into a window, or on the roofs of a city, Assassins Creed style. You can even climb the trees in the wild to gain high ground, or traverse through ravines using a rope to swing from one cliff to another.
The main use of Parkour in this game will likely be to escape people, as there will be a crime and a bounty system. From what we have seen so far, the only confirmed crime is kicking some poor dude off their carriage and stealing his horses in broad daylight. Crime will probably also include pickpocketing, stealing, Town Guards chasing you, and maybe even a fencing or bounty collection system.
For traversing the world, you will get a trusty mount and plenty of horses to ride, but you will be able to unlock more methods of traversal throughout the game. The first one is the Hot Air Balloon, which can be used to fly around Pywel and visit the mysterious floating islands which will probably progress the main story.
The other method of transportation we saw involved using a strange power which enshrouds the player with a black feathered cloak, allowing them to glide through the air. This power is likely connected to the dark psychic power that MacDuff possesses, which seems to be used to open gateways and cleanse structures throughout the world.
The final method of transportation is flying a massive dragon. The dragon can do flips and barrel rolls, and you will be dodging magical missiles with this mighty companion at some point in the story.
Another important part of the game will be puzzles and secrets. So far, we have only seen a couple of puzzles, one involving connecting beams of light, and another being a runic minefield. The only secret we have seen so far are hidden ice platforms in the world suspended high above the ground that are completely invisible to the naked eye. Players will need to take a plunge to discover the secret ice platforms, and unveil the world in its entirety.
Besides the main features of the game, there were also a few minigames showcased within the world. Minigames are a great part of ARPGs because they usually add some kind of flavour to the setting and serve as a nice break from the combat part of an ARPG. One such break will be Fishing, and the likely complementary system Cooking. You can also tame a horse by jumping on its back, and desperately clinging onto it as it tries to kick you off. There was also a Quicktime Event cutscene in the trailer, so expect to see that as well.
Crimson Desert’s combat is definitely on track to living up to its predecessor Black Desert: Online in terms of flashy animations and satisfying combos. Weapons we have seen so far are axes, bows and swords, and bows seem to have explosive tips which can be used on horseback to explode destructible buildings as you pass by.
Players will have many hand-to-hand skills that take inspiration from Wrestling and Taekwondo to masterfully manoeuvre large groups of enemies, such as through a TKO headlocking takedown, roundhouse kicks, triple midair kicks and even a sparta move. Specific skills may work especially well against certain enemies with weaknesses, such as the giant enemy Crab which was shown to be tipped over after the player bounces a kick off it, allowing them to secure a fatal blow.
There are also different approaches to combat. As in most ARPGs nowadays, you can block with a shield, dodge, sidestep and parry enemies as a method of defence. There seem to be skills that counter enemy attacks by vaulting over them or charging at them to pin them on the ground. The most interesting and perhaps ethically questionable approach is going to be taking an enemy hostage by sneaking up behind them, and using their life as leverage to get an upper hand. Not exactly heroic, but maybe this will play into some kind of morality system within the game.
Most of the time in combat players will face 2 situations: a 1v1 scenario, or a skirmish against multiple opponents. Enemies you will face while in the latter will likely be weak humans or some of the other species in the game, while enemies you face in 1v1 scenarios seem deadly.
For example, you could face the mythical beasts of the world such as the kraken, a sea serpent, or a huge bloodthirsty ape with deer antlers. Other enemies shown were Robot Mechs, Robot Dragons, Real Dragons and straight up Ents from Lord of the Rings which you can climb. The most cinematic enemy fight we have seen so far is definitely the Reed Devil boss fight, which looks like a battle straight out of the memorable Ghost of Tsushima duels.
Another enemy that you can face is a giant Lightning-Wielding monster that sits upon a throne chucking lightning spears at you. Once MacDuff defeats this enemy, he learns how to wield explosive lightning techniques which he can use to conjure explosive lightning against enemies. Since there is a monster that can be defeated to give MacDuff lightning capabilities, it’s possible that there are other monsters wielding Fire, Earth, or Water abilities that MacDuff can also learn to use in combat.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
