Crimson Desert

Glebee · 18-03-2026 08:57PM #1

Quote
Crimson Desert is an upcoming 2026 action-adventure game by Pearl Abyss The game is scheduled to release for Windows, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on March 19, 2026.

Crimson Desert is set in the open-world fictional continent of Pywel, a medieval fantasy world affected by multiple conflicts and mysterious forces. Players control Kliff, a member of the Greymanes, as he navigates a world populated by rival factions, mythical creatures, and arcane forces. The game features a dynamic combat system powered by the proprietary BlackSpace Engine, combining melee sequences, combo attacks, and strategic gameplay. Players can engage in horseback combat, face large-scale bosses such as mechanical dragons, and utilize a wide array of weapons and abilities enhanced with elemental effects. In addition to combat, the game offers a variety of activities including fishing, cooking, crafting, and hunting, allowing players to engage with the world beyond battles. The open-world of Pywel is designed to be seamless and immersive, encouraging exploration and interaction with its inhabitants and environments.

The narrative of Crimson Desert follows Kliff and his fellow Greymanes—Oongka, Yann, and Naira—during a period of conflict on the continent of Pywel. The fragile balance is disrupted by a devastating attack on the Greymanes by their sworn enemies and rival faction, the Black Bears. During the ensuing conflict, many members of the Greymanes are killed, and Kliff, along with the surviving members, are scattered. The story focuses on Kliff's journey to reunite with his comrades, rebuild the fallen Greymanes, and confront the Black Bears' leader, Myurdin.

Launching tomorrow, dont see a thread on this one, promises to be brilliant but is it all hype? Time will tell, no reviews up yet.

Potential-Monke · 18-03-2026 09:02PM

I'll update when I'm allowed play it! With the global launch at 5pm our time, it's gonna be a long day waiting because I am definitely excited for it. Skipping reviews and haven't looked at any previews or videos so as to keep as much as it a surprise. But from what I know of it (too much!) it seems right up my street. I heard DF say it runs very well on Pro, and thats half the battle.

EoinMcLovin · 18-03-2026 09:33PM

_____

Unearthly · 18-03-2026 10:00PM

Reviews are a bit late aren’t they? Hopefully it’s not a sign they aren’t confident with the feedback

Potential-Monke · 18-03-2026 10:03PM

**** 10pm?!

Retr0gamer · 18-03-2026 10:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124322998#Comment_124322998

Pretty sure it's 24 hours before launch. Worrying yes but not the worst. Bethesda would do that a lot and at least it's not an embargo until launch.

EoinMcLovin · 18-03-2026 11:03PM

https://opencritic.com/game/19373/crimson-desert/reviews

https://www.eurogamer.net/crimson-desert-review

----

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/03/18/crimson-desert-review-pc-ive-never-seen-anything-like-this/

https://youtu.be/faKy3l9agxY?is=pVgCW-YQ7FydmFkw

https://youtu.be/tMcOnWgksF0?is=9qSjYvIsNyu1YHfS

https://youtu.be/r20oxJ3bScI?is=-YBcDxAkM2U5G5X3

https://youtu.be/36RXJp1cjX8?is=9Wi0gJa9ZJbbwbN9

https://youtu.be/H5TcrcZNxFI?is=jZGVZ7_51TPBKp5e

johnny_ultimate · 18-03-2026 11:45PM

Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun make it sound exactly as anticipated - a strange, cumbersome mess of cool stuff and really annoying bits.

Ouch: https://www.eurogamer.net/crimson-desert-review

“Think of The Witcher games: you can practically taste the fetid water, churned-up mud, and hunks of charred meat dined on by noblemen. Those are works of grit, texture, and a genuinely idiosyncratic sense of place. How does Crimson Desert taste? Well, it is not nearly so flavoursome - imagine, instead, a banquet where almost every dish has the faint taste of cardboard, and you have to eat it for what feels like forever.”

McFly85 · 18-03-2026 11:52PM

IGN the same.

I suppose with a game of this scope it’s natural that it’s all not going to work, but some decisions seem genuinely baffling.

It’s definitely not one for me - I can appreciate the scope of what they’ve managed to build but I cannot imagine trying to put 100+ hours into a game that will be regularly frustrating.

johnny_ultimate · 19-03-2026 12:03AM

Jason Schreier’s take is pretty blunt:

“I've only played a few hours of the much-hyped Crimson Desert, so weight my opinion accordingly, but those few hours were so boring and soulless that I absolutely did not want to play anymore. Feels like a game designed for people who just want to Consume Content.”

https://bsky.app/profile/jasonschreier.bsky.social/post/3mhej2qzta22p

brady12 · 19-03-2026 12:05AM

Pre ordered on steam so don't know what to do now . Might refund it . Journalist's seem be more down on it vs you tubers like Luke Stephen's , ACG , fighting cowboy etc . A lot the frustrations with it iv seen from IGN , Eurogamer are a big turn off . Sounds like needs a lot of patches . Might tear into it Friday morn I will see !

Icyseanfitz · 19-03-2026 08:06AM

The three reviewers I actually like seem to really like it (ACG, gamerranx, fighting cowboy) so I'll give it a go. Seems like if you love open ended and no hand holding you'll like it.

brady12 · 19-03-2026 08:19AM

Acg said wait for sale but Iv no patience . Might be patched fast enough.

Glebee · 19-03-2026 08:23AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124323618#Comment_124323618

Same as that, there usually my go to. Will be waiting a while though, have a few games I want to finish up first.

Penn · 19-03-2026 09:40AM

Reviewers I like seem to be on the fence, which doesn't help me because I was on the fence before reviews, and now I'm still here.

Think it's probably going to come down to watching gameplay videos and seeing if the core gameplay/combat looks engaging/interesting enough that might suck me into the game. I do like open worlds, exploring, completionist stuff, but only if the core gameplay itself interests me enough.

Icyseanfitz · 19-03-2026 10:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124323627#Comment_124323627

Yeah he said wait but it seemed it was specifically because of bugs etc rather than the actual game itself, he seemed really positive about it other than that.

Retr0gamer · 19-03-2026 11:07AM

https://metro.co.uk/2026/03/19/crimson-desert-review-a-beautiful-mishmash-gaming-nonsense-27524102/

These games are more marketed towards the Korean/Chinese market who absolutely adore MMO games and as a result always seem to have systems on top of systems to add artificial complication as MMOs always do as level creep sets in and they have to up the stakes. MMO perverts are used to that stuff but for normal single player Joe soap it just feels unnecessarily anti user. Seems that this game suffers from that as well.

brady12 · 19-03-2026 11:47AM

Lol I am the same but I think I'm going to give the weekend to it .

Unearthly · 19-03-2026 12:29PM

Going to pick it up tomorrow in Smyths. 60 euro looks decent value for the amount of hours in it. My team got AI’d a while back so I don’t have a job so plenty of free time. I like the look of it in gameplay videos

ffocused · 19-03-2026 04:15PM

I got it on disc for PS5, loaded it up so it will be ready when I finish work and get a message that I can’t play until 10pm tonight!

Cordell · 19-03-2026 05:20PM

Just got it for 53 euro from Loaded (old cdkeys)

Static M.e. · 19-03-2026 06:14PM

I got it from Green Man Gaming with 15% off using code - Mar-15 then loaded it on Steam. Easy savings.

Potential-Monke · 19-03-2026 06:18PM

I got it for €60 physical in Smyths and will get upwards of €40 back when I trade it in! Like ffocused above, ready to go, "patiently" waiting for 10pm.

New Annoyance Unlocked

Retr0gamer · 19-03-2026 07:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124325088#Comment_124325088

In the meantime you could play a good game like Ace Combat 7.

Jordan 199 · 19-03-2026 09:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124325249#Comment_124325249

….

Unearthly · 19-03-2026 09:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124325088#Comment_124325088

Yeah that’s what I’ve started to do - should have started ages ago instead of paying the stupid premium prices on PlayStation Store with no option to trade in

Potential-Monke · 19-03-2026 11:05PM

So the 10pm unlock is a 20Gb download... :/ Lemme play the game already!

Retr0gamer · 19-03-2026 11:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124325768#Comment_124325768

Ouch

Potential-Monke · 19-03-2026 11:33PM

And of course it's slower than usual because everyone is probably the same as me, waiting to play it and downloading all at the same time.

That's separate to the 71Gb patch when I first installed it earlier today. 3 min left...

Edit: another 1.8Gn update once the last update installed and i started the game. Right, finally starting!

brady12 · 20-03-2026 12:06AM

Started it at 10 . Spent most my time tweaking settings on pc. Will really tear into it in the morning . Looks unreal on my 5080/ 9800

Potential-Monke · 20-03-2026 03:42AM

Well this is gonna take a while... I've ~2 hours played, haven't done too much, exploring the first town after the tutorial, some combat, introductions to some mechanics, minigames and side activities. If this was a large book, I reckon I'd have the first page read.

I've stopped in my tracks a few times already to take in the views, and they're nearly picture perfect at times. Stunning looking game, but not free of issues. Nothing game breaking, but some models popping in, hit box on the horse is too big, and water on the PS5 Pro can shimmer and stand out, but nothing you can't ignore so far.

Not much more to say right now, because I've experienced so little of it. Seems absolutely massive, and requires a bit of reading to understand the systems already in play, with plenty more to come. I am enjoying it, slow start and all. Intrigued as to what's out there. Looking forward to giving it more time tomorrow.

Crimson Desert

Comments