The first few hours of Crimson Desert are rough, but it’s worth persevering

I often feel like I’ve had my fill of open world adventure games, especially those which don’t have a gripping story to pull me through. But every once in a while you get something like Crimson Desert, a game where the world itself is simply enough to keep you returning time and time again. Saying that, however, you have to play for at least a few hours before you get to that point, and those first hours can be very trying.

Developed by Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert can perhaps be viewed as a single player MMO. And it’s pretty fitting, given the the South Korean developer’s background. While there is a story here, it takes a while for it to really get going. And even then, there’s not much connective tissue between the random missions you’re given. The gist of it is this: you’re Kliff, a member of the Greymane faction which, at the start of the game, is scattered by a group of mercenaries known as the Black Bears. Left for dead, you’ve now got the task of rebuilding the Greymane faction, and perhaps saving the world.

Sounds simple enough, right? But during the first hour or two you’ll be left scratching your head as you traverse what seems like a cyberspace, meet mysterious figures who disappear into thin air, manipulate strange machinery high up in the clouds, and gain supernatural abilities such as being able to momentarily sprout wings and glide to safety after falling from great heights. And there’s no real reason provided for all this; you’re just guided from one random event to another by objectives and quest markers.

Making things even more off-putting in the opening hours are the game’s controls, which aren’t intuitive in the slightest. This is a game where the button to pick things up is the same one used to jump, leading to some very awkward interactions indeed. There are some mechanics that are fiddly to get to grips with, too, such as your ability to grab objects with a strange whip-like cord and manipulate them. Others, such as being able to replay past events via a strange helmet, require you to go through multiple steps which feel unnecessary.

Persevere with Crimson Desert and get past its tutorial-filled opening, however, and you’ll find a game that quickly opens up into something rather magical. Given the freedom to choose what you what to do and where to go, the feeling of adventure and discovery is likely to quickly win you over.

Want to simply explore the world? Choose an interesting-looking landmark on the horizon and start making your way to it. Even mountains can’t stop you, providing you have enough stamina to climb them. Alternatively, you could become a bounty hunter, tracking down criminals far and wide and capturing them to make them pay for their deeds. Or if you progress the story a little, actually set about rebuilding the Greymanes.

Crimson Desert is one of those games which has an open world in which it’s fun to simply exist. Everywhere you go there’s something to see or do, whether it’s liberating a location from bandit control, solving a puzzle that might lead to treasure, or simply an opportunity to gather some valuable resources. And while you can make use of quest markers and suchlike for some activities, it doesn’t totally hold your hand, leaving plenty to be discovered in an organic manner which is immensely rewarding.

Despite playing a decent amount of Crimson Desert on PS5 Pro since it launched on Friday, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of it. Time will tell If I remain compelled, but it’s clear that there’s tens, if not hundreds, of hours of adventuring to be done here, fulfilling requests for various factions, rebuilding the Greymanes, and satiating my wanderlust.

It helps that it’s one of the most visually stunning games on PS5 Pro. Numerous settings are available, allowing you to tweak the experience to our preferences whether you own a standard PS5 or a mid-gen upgrade. But if you do have a PS5 Pro and a TV capable of VRR, turning off V-sync and putting the game into quality mode results in one of the most attractive open worlds to date, which you can explore at a framerate that feels silky smooth for the most part. It’s very impressive indeed.

While it doesn’t make the best first impression, then, and likely won’t please those who desire a strong narrative in their games, Crimson Desert is a must for players who simply enjoy existing in open worlds that feel expansive and alive. There’s just so much to see and do here, and while the controls can initially seem awkward, once you’ve adjusted to them they’re not too bad. Better still, Pearly Abyss seems committed to listening to player feedback and making meaningful improvements, with two impactful updates already landing since the game’s launch.

Crimson Desert is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.