In 2019, Pearl Abyss released Black Desert, a mostly free-to-play MMORPG on consoles in the US. At the time, I would say that it was the best-looking MMO that I had a chance to play. Fast forward to 2025, and the team at Pearl Abyss is nearing the release of their new single-player action title, Crimson Desert. When I started to watch more in-game footage, I knew I had to get my hands on this game. Luckily, PAX East gave me my chance.
During GDC, I met with the team to check out the BlackSpace engine Crimson Desert was built on top of. This is what I think makes the game special. The game world is huge, and whatever you can see, you can explore. Some of the encounters you have can be very grounded, and others are larger than life. As a player, you dictate the speed of battle in most cases. During my demo, I was instructed not to play this game like a soulslike and to play like a fighting game.
There are no set combos or command lists, but you can chain many different abilities together as you get better at the game. There are blocks, grabs, magic, and various weapon types. You can really create your own play style and change play styles depending on the enemies you encounter.
During my time with the game, there were four different boss fights that we had access to. Each fight gave me a look into the different potential play styles. There won’t just be one type of encounter in Crimson Desert. Check out the video below to learn a little more about the various boss types.
Crimson Desert is set to release at the end of 2025. Head HERE to wishlist the game on your platform of choice.