Crimson Desert's Open World is Beautiful - New Gameplay Breakdown

Sep. 20, 2024

Crimson Desert’s Open World is Beautiful – New Gameplay Breakdown

Crimson Desertis an upcoming open-world action-adventure game byPearl Abyss. We recently covered this game and I got to try it out when I was in Gamescom. The demo I played was mostly focused on boss combat with little to no exploration. If you haven’t gotten the chance to watch our take on the demo, you can watch ithere. This footage focuses on exploration and quests, as well as lesser mob combat, something we only saw a bit in the demo. As usual, we won’t go into too much detail about the story but more on the features and mechanics shown in the footage.

We start off with a cutscene and narration byKliff, the main protagonist. We witness a battle between theGreymanesand theBlack Bears. The cutscene is action-packed, and we are thrust into aQuickTime Event. It then transitions into the tutorial on combat mechanics. We previously made a video focused onboss combat, but this time, we’ll see more action against lesser mobs.Crimson Desertfeatures some stylish animations against these mobs that make you feel awesome when you pull them off. I really liked how, when you block an attack perfectly,visual cuesappear, allowing you to counterattack immediately. I also noticed how theday, time, location, and temperatureare displayed above the mini-map. I wonder if the temperature will serve a purpose later on.

After dispatching the enemies, we’re taken into another cutscene, showing our fellowGreymane,Oongka, fighting multipleBlack Bears. Following the cutscene, we’re immediately given anotherQTE, then it’s back to fighting more mobs. This time, the footage showcases attacks where you can send enemies flying. One enemy is pushed off a ledge, and another is thrown into one of his allies. I like how the game makes it easier to manage crowds with these moves—you won’t be surrounded as easily.

After taking care of these enemies, we transition into another cutscene, this time featuring our allyYannfighting off someBlack Bears. After yellingKliff’sname, he gets kicked off the cliff which is a bit funny. We’re then forced to deal with the remaining enemies before finally getting some time to walk around. Shortly after, a cutscene is triggered where you help another ally,Naira. This is when I noticed that thegreen leaf gauge(which I assume is your mana, located beside your health bar) replenishes as you fight, which I feel is a really convenient feature.

From there, we’re thrust into another cutscene, where it seems we’re finally going to fight the boss. It’s pretty straightforward—Myurdinhas ared health barfrom the start, meaning once you deplete it, the fight is over. Hit him with anRKOand attack while he’s down, and the fight wraps up quickly. After the battle, a cutscene showsKliffbeing brutalized and pushed off a cliff, bringing the introduction to a dramatic end as thetitle cardappears.

We start the next part withKliffin a house, and this time, we finally get a proper glimpse of the world ofPywel—and wow, does it look amazing. You seeNPCstalking to each other, children running around, and the wind blowing, making the leaves and branches sway. The world feels truly alive. We also get a look at thepause menu, which displays themap,inventory,key items,skills, andhorses. Thestat pageincludes the usual information:health,spirit(which is probably the game’s mana system),stamina,attack,defense,reputation,attack and movement speed,crit chance, andbattery. I’m curious about howReputationwill be handled. Will it play out like in theRed Dead Redemptionseries? Also, what’s with thebattery? There’s even athunderbolt symbolbeside it, so I’m guessing it’ll be used for certain skills or perhaps to operate ancient tech machinery.

We then check out thekey itemsand read some letters, one of which reveals the quest location. Next, we head to themap, where themain questis marked with ared marker. There’squest trackingin this game, and I must say,Crimson Desert’squest marking is superb. When you activate a marker, a path to the quest appears on yourmini-map. I’ve always appreciatedquest trackinglike this, and no doubt it will be helpful for players who don’t want to spend time exploring to find a specific door or pathway.

I also noticed that the temperature has now risen to21.4 degrees Celsius. I’m not sure if you can change it toFahrenheit—maybe that’s something you can toggle in the settings. As we walk around, it seems you can interact with a lot of items in the environment. You can liftcrates, talk toNPCs, catchcats, and even stealchickens. Stealingchickenswill probably affect yourreputation, so it’s best not to do that. You can also summon ahorsequickly by whistling, making traversal much easier. However, I can’t help but notice that the sound offootstepsis the same, whether thehorseis on grass or a wooden bridge. The only time it changed was when thehorsestepped in a puddle on the bridge. What’s worse is that thefootstepsare quite loud, so once you notice, it’s hard to ignore.

The journey is long, but I don’t mind since the landscape is beautiful. While walking, I noticed anNPCgetting beaten up by some soldiers and aNoble.NPC interactionsare really interesting in this game. I like how someNPCsreact to your character as you pass by—some look at you in awe, while others make disparaging comments.Collisionis also a thing in this game; you can bump into someone while running, and they will be shoved aside.

We finally reach thecastle entrance, and I like how easy it is to switch equipment without going through thepause menu. You can do this from youritem wheel. I also couldn’t help but notice the presence ofgigantic soldiersamong the regular-sized ones. Maybe they’re monsters employed as soldiers? One thing that stood out is how thecameragets pushed into awkward angles when moving through narrow spots. I noticed this earlier too, when we left the house. It can get annoying, so I hope they fix that.

We eventually get to the room where the quest is, but for some reason, no one is there. After searching achest, adoorappears, serving as the pathway to where we’re supposed to go next.

After going through the pathway, you’re brought to a place that looks like some sort oftemple. It’s really neat how, when you equip something, it briefly shows what you’ve equipped on the right side of the screen. When you reach thetemple doors, it prompts you to useHeuklangandBaeklang’spowers to open them. You then enter a mode where these powers manifest asethereal appendages, which you can use to open what looks like a heavy set of doors. I’m guessing these powers will play a key role in solvingpuzzlesthroughout the game.

Once inside, it turns out this place is actually alibrarysince there are a lot ofbookshelvespacked with books. There are three people inside, and I really like how the light reflects off themarble walls, just like it would in real life. Acutsceneis triggered, and you get to talk toAlustin, the alchemist.Voice acting-wise, they did a great job. The voices fit well and sound natural, though I can’t help but notice the mouth movements feel a bit off. After thecutscene, you’re transported outside, where you spot someone in the distance. Approaching them triggers anothercutscene, introducing you toWhite Crow the Witch, a figure clad in white. Thiscutsceneunlocks thegliding mechanicwe saw a bit of in the previous video.

Following thecutscene,Kliffjumps off the cliff, and what comes next is pure eye-candy. After passing through some sort ofportal, we start plummeting to our doom. But never mind that—the view is incredible. Thedraw distanceis impressive, withmountains,valleys, andforestsstretching into the distance. We then see thegliding mechanicin action, which transforms your appearance into abeaked creaturewith a cool cape. This allows us to break our fall and glide through the air. AfterKlifflands, we get to roam around again.

After wandering around and shoving people, we eventually stumble uponKliff’sold ally whose leg is badly messed up,Marius, triggering anothercutscene. Afterward, we walk withMariusasKliffdecides to search for his otherGreymaneallies. Overhearing some soldiers discussing them leads to anothercutscene, where we get to fightMatthias, the soldiers’ boss.

Now, if you notice, hishealth barisblueinstead of red, unlike theMyurdinfight. This means that the fight will have two phases.Matthiasfavorsheavy charge attacksrather than quick ones, and he’ll attempt arunning kickif you put some distance between you. Dodging those attacks opens him up forcombos. After defeatingMatthias, you encounterBarden Middler, who triggers anothercutscene, asking for our help in identifying somebrigandswho have been harassing people.

The footage then skips tonighttime, showingKliffriding toward what appears to be burning houses. I really like how someNPCsare just standing in the distance, watching the scene unfold, which feels very much like how people would react in real life. Reaching the secondburning housetriggers acutscenewhere apriestessasks us to help the people inside. Some of thedialoguein this game can feel a bit cheesy and awkward; for instance, whenKliffasks how many people are inside, thepriestesspauses and glances around for a bit before answering. Anyway, after thecutscene, we get to throwgiant vases of waterat the burning spots in the house, allowing us to enter and rescue the sole survivor. A cool detail here is that thetemperature gaugeabove themini-mapreads50 degrees Celsius(122 degrees Fahrenheit) when we step inside theburning house. After saving the survivor, they sendKliffoff to findHubert, thehealer. It’s funny how they chose to repay his kindness by giving him anartifact, which seems to be the reason the bandits burned their house down in the first place.

While riding ourhorseto the healer’s location, we pass by somegoblin minerswho panic at the sight of us and attempt to attack. We just ride past them and continue on. The area seems to be teeming withgoblins, most of whom flee at the sight of us. When we reach the healer’s location, he’s heavily guarded bygoblins. This section of the footage highlightsstealth combat. After picking off twogoblins, we confront the threegoblinsguardingHubertand take them out. I noticed a“goodwill: 0”indicator besideHubert’sname before rescuing him—perhaps it ties into thereputation system. After acutscene, we followHubertwhile gathering someLavender, which is probably acrafting material. I also noticed a button prompt to sit onrockswhile exploring. It’s a nice touch, allowing players to relax outdoors and take in the scenery. If you’re the type to get annoyed whenNPCswalk slower than you, then here’s some good news:NPCshere keep up with you.Mariuswas an exception earlier, but his leg is badly injured, so he gets a pass.

After guiding us to theGoldleaf soldiers’location,Hubertruns off, and it seems you have the option to tackle him, which would be pretty funny. Anyway, approaching thesoldierstriggers acutscene, and after receiving a few expletives, a fight breaks out. The footage shows that you cangrab opponentsand use them asmeat shields, which is a really useful mechanic. It’s nice how theRKO-like moveis a greatcrowd controloption, knocking enemies back. After defeating thesoldiers, a hoodedgoblinnamedShakatuappears, and we walk with him. We’re then given a new quest: to challengeSplit Horn, the branchmaster of theGoldleafs, to a duel.

We head back to where theGoldleaf soldierswere stationed and pick up one of thePrixia swordsfrom the weapon racks. After making our way to theGoldleaf headquarters, we engage in a skirmish with thesoldiersoutside. They’re tough, but we manage to pull through after consuming lots ofmeat on toast, a recovery item. We then barge into theheadquarters, triggering acutscenewhere we challengeSplit Hornto a fight. He’s an unusual-lookinggoblin, pale instead of green. After thecutscene, aQTEkicks off. This boss fight is tougher than the previous ones—Split Horncan executerapid attacksand usesranged attacksif you create too much distance. Fortunately, he only has ared health bar. It appears we don’t need to fully deplete it, though, as after taking off a significant portion of his health, acutscenetriggers in which we deal him a crippling blow and leave him to be finished off by his own people. A very satisfying end. The footage then ends asKliffwalks away.

Now what I think about this game is that visually, it looks stunning. Theenvironment, thedraw distance, and thelightingare very well-executed.Crimson Desert’sworld also feels very alive the way theNPCshave autonomy, and all the animals roaming around,frogshopping about. Dialogue is a bit awkward and just feels out of place sometimes but it’s something I can pay no mind.Questsandstatsare very straightforward and we didn’t get the chance to see if we can enhance our equipment or if we just need to pick up better ones. It also didn’t reveal if we’ll get askill tree. I have a lot of questions here that need answers and we’ll probably get them overtime when Pearl Abyss drops more updates about Crimson Desert. That’s it for our footage breakdown. What do you think about the game so far? Any thoughts about the exploration bit? Please let us know below.

Castielle

Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.