Crimson Desert Review Summary

Vast and diverse open world: The game features a massive, beautifully designed open world with a variety of landscapes and activities. Players can explore a detailed and immersive world filled with numerous interactive elements and secrets.

Engaging and varied combat: The combat system is dynamic, satisfying, and offers a wide range of moves and combos. It is enjoyable and requires strategic thinking, with unique playstyles for different characters.

Variety of activities and mechanics: The game offers a rich variety of activities, including mini-games, puzzles, quests, and exploration. This diversity keeps the gameplay engaging and rewarding.

Stunning visuals and graphics: The game boasts impressive and beautiful graphics, with detailed environments and high-quality visuals. The world is visually stunning, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Immersive and engaging gameplay: The gameplay is immersive and engaging, with a mix of exploration, combat, and various activities. The world feels alive and encourages players to explore every corner.

Poor and confusing controls: The controls are widely criticized for being overly complex, unintuitive, and poorly designed. Players report issues with various aspects of control, including combat, puzzles, and general movement, which significantly detract from the gameplay experience.

Uninteresting and weak story: The story is frequently described as dull, uninteresting, and lacking depth. Many players find the narrative underwhelming and not as compelling as other games, which affects the overall enjoyment of the game.

Difficult and frustrating boss fights: Boss fights are noted for being particularly challenging and frustrating due to complex controls and unclear mechanics. This can make these encounters less enjoyable and more tedious.

Lighting and graphical issues: The game has various graphical issues, including poor lighting in dark areas and inconsistent graphics quality. These issues can affect visibility and overall visual experience.

Frustrating and unclear puzzles: Puzzles in the game are often criticized for being difficult, unclear, and lacking proper hints or guidance. This leads to frustration and a poor experience for players trying to solve them.

Open-world exploration and immersion: The game features a vast and detailed open world that encourages exploration and discovery. Players can engage in various activities, interact with the environment, and uncover hidden secrets, making the world feel alive and intentional.

Complex and engaging combat system: The combat system is complex and requires strategic thinking. It includes a variety of skills, combos, and mechanics that keep the gameplay engaging and challenging.

Variety of activities and side quests: The game includes a wide range of activities such as mini-games, side quests, and interactions with NPCs. These activities add variety and depth to the gameplay experience.

Character progression and customization: Players can develop their characters through combat and progression systems. The game features unique abilities and customization options that enhance character development.

Clunky and unresponsive controls: Some players find the controls to be heavy, slow, and unresponsive. This can make movement, combat, and menu navigation difficult and frustrating.

Mixed graphics quality: Graphics quality varies from stunning to poor. Some players report impressive graphics while others mention graphical flaws and issues with lighting and textures.

Pop-in and graphical issues: The game has pop-in issues and shimmering artifacts. Some players experience graphical bugs and minor issues with lighting and textures.

Ray tracing and DLSS performance: Ray tracing and DLSS implementation can cause visual issues and performance drops. Some players report artifacts and performance issues with ray reconstruction.

Crashes and stability issues: While some players report no crashes, others experience frequent crashes and performance issues. The game's stability varies among different setups.

High system requirements: The game has high system requirements, especially for ray tracing and other graphical settings. Players with high-end hardware generally report better performance.

Recommended for exploration and complex gameplay: This game is highly recommended for players who enjoy exploring detailed worlds and engaging in complex combat systems. It offers a rich, immersive experience with lots of content and freedom, making it ideal for fans of open-world RPGs and fantasy settings.

Wait for discounts: Several reviews suggest waiting for a sale or price drop before purchasing the game. This could be due to the game's current price point or anticipated improvements.

Worth the investment for depth: The game is praised for its depth and engagement, offering a unique experience that is worth the investment despite a slow start. It is recommended for players who enjoy challenging and immersive games.

Encourages exploration and persistence: Players are encouraged to explore the game's world and activities thoroughly. The game rewards persistence and learning, making it a worthwhile experience for those who dedicate time to it.

High recommendation for gameplay-focused players: The game is highly recommended for players who prioritize gameplay. It offers a promising experience despite some imperfections.

Community fair range: $30.00 - $50.00.

Game completion: 50.0h.

Story completion: 30.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Endgame: 100.0h.

The game has a slow and challenging start, but it becomes significantly more enjoyable after completing the tutorial or the first few chapters. Mastering the controls and game mechanics is key to unlocking the fun.

Reported time to anchor: 11h.

Open-World Explorer: Explores every corner of the game world, engages in various side activities, and enjoys the freedom of open-world gameplay. Motivation: Exploration and immersion in a vast, interactive world. Stance: buy.

Discerning Enthusiast: Enjoys games with depth and complexity, willing to overlook minor flaws for a unique experience. Motivation: Appreciation for unique and ambitious games, despite their flaws. Stance: buy.

Passionate Advocate: Enjoys open-world games with great combat and exploration, eager to recommend games to others. Motivation: Sharing their positive gaming experiences and encouraging others to play. Stance: buy.

Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with higher-end systems generally reporting positive experiences, while lower-end systems and Linux/Proton setups often encounter issues. High VRAM and RAM configurations tend to have smoother gameplay, whereas lower specifications struggle with stability and performance.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM: positive. Mostly positive performance with high FPS and stable gameplay, though some users report issues with specific settings.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Generally good performance with consistent FPS, though some users report crashes and optimization issues.

Windows <8GB VRAM / 16-31GB RAM: positive. Positive reviews on optimization and performance, though some users report issues with specific settings and crashes.

Steam Deck: El análisis de la experiencia de los usuarios con el juego revela varios puntos críticos que afectan la experiencia general. Los controles han sido ampliamente criticados por ser poco responsivos y mal mapeados, especialmente para aquellos que usan mandos. Los gráficos, aunque elogiados por su belleza y optimización, presentan problemas como sombras y pop-ins que afectan la experiencia visual. La historia ha sido descrita como olvidable y mal contada, lo que puede disminuir la inmersión en el juego. Además, la falta de tutoriales claros y la explicación de las mecánicas ha llevado a una experiencia confusa para muchos jugadores. Finalmente, se han reportado varios problemas técnicos que afectan la estabilidad y el rendimiento del juego, como dientes de sierra, ghosting, crashes y otros bugs. Estos problemas en conjunto indican que, aunque el juego tiene aspectos positivos, también presenta barreras técnicas significativas que requieren atención.

Linux and Proton: The game exhibits significant issues on Linux, including frequent crashes, graphical glitches, and DRM-related problems. Users often need to perform various tweaks to get the game running smoothly, and while some report good performance with specific settings, others experience persistent issues. The overall experience on Linux is marred by these compatibility and stability problems.

Monetization: The analysis of user reviews for the game reveals a predominantly positive sentiment regarding the absence of microtransactions. Many users appreciate the game for its lack of a cash shop and microtransactions, which sets it apart from many other games in the industry. However, there are some concerns about the base price of the game and the publisher's reputation for monetization in other titles. Additionally, there are mentions of potential future DLC and issues with deluxe edition content, but these do not confirm predatory monetization practices in the base game. Overall, the game is praised for its fair monetization approach, but users remain cautious about potential future monetization strategies.

Mod reliance: The game has several issues related to camera, controls, performance, and quality of life, many of which have been addressed by mods from Nexus Mods. While these issues are significant, they are not game-breaking and can be mitigated by community efforts. However, there is a notable concern about the developers' competence and reliance on the modding community to fix problems.

External guides: The game presents significant challenges related to its complex mechanics, puzzle difficulty, and lack of guidance. While some players appreciate the freedom and lack of handholding, many others find these aspects frustrating and overwhelming. The need to frequently consult external resources for puzzle solutions and mechanics understanding highlights a major barrier to enjoying the game.

AI usage controversy: There is controversy surrounding the use of AI in the game.

Refund issues reported: Some players have reported issues with getting refunds for the game.