Back in October, I did an "Everything we Know" about Crimson Desert, which covered everything from the main story to the Blackspace Engine, gameplay, combat, customization, and bosses. Since then, there have been some major updates.
Gone Gold!
That's right, Pearl Abyss released a post revealing the game has officially "Gone Gold," meaning the game is formally ready for mass distribution. This also means that there's no turning back, and the game should release on its intended launch date of March 19 later this year.
New Game+ Showcase Interview
There were snippets of an interview edited together for the NewGame+ Showcase, but the full interview can be found here. It clocks in at just under an hour. We found out some pretty interesting details, for example, the game is twice the size of the playable world of Skyrim and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2. We have seen only a fraction of the game, and Pearl Abyss wanted not just to make a game that was massive in scope and scale, but immersive as well.
Is it an RPG?
Crimson Desert is not an RPG; it's a third-person, open-world, action-adventure game. The player's journey isn't made up of choices; rather, it's about how you choose to play and fight. According to Will Powers (PR for Pearl Abyss), "The guiding principle for the game is around empowering the player, not forcing them into specific choices."
There are multiple ways players can solve objectives. There is resource gathering, which players will need to upgrade weapons and gear. As well as multiple factions (major and minor), which control different regions of the map.
The philosophy behind the game is that the devs are giving players a toolbox. They're leaving it up to you, the player, to determine how you use those tools. For example, one mechanic used on one boss may be used against another.
Having trouble? Come back later!
When players are struggling against a particular foe, a boss, for example, they are free to leave and come back later. The world is filled with so many things that it may take players a moment to figure out just what they need to do. It's comforting that if a boss is too difficult, players will have the ability to come back later after getting some new gear or powers. If you are not entirely sure what to expect, the team at Pearl Abyss has likened Crimson Desert's systems and exploration to Breath of the Wild, and the combat to Bayonetta.
The Destin Interview
Once again, every time we see the game, it looks better than the bits of gameplay we've seen previously. The "Overview" is a perfect example of this. We can also see where the team actively listens for feedback. For example, according to Will Powers in Destin's YouTube Interview, the particle effects were a common enough complaint that the team took that feedback. They're used to actively listening to their community. Their solution? "If you don't like particle effects, turn them off." While Will has stressed that they'll release targeted performance before launch, he did say that there will be a PS5 Pro enhancement option.
Will also revealed that you can mine, and craft in terms of cloth and armor. He also revealed that in demos, they've shown a "Jack of all trades" Kliff. Players can choose a specific direction or specialization. (Including ranged and stealth builds) "There's mechanics that allow you to lean into the playstyle you want to play as." There's even armor customization.
While the main story is set in stone, which houses, or factions Kliff chooses to align with can change the landscape. Aligning with specific Houses can unlock reputation which gives more access to vendors in a region along with additional resource nodes.
The Luke Stephens Interview
In an interview between Luke Stephens and Will Powers, Luke asked Will what his response was to people who claimed that simply too much of the game has been shown. Will revealed that it's a similar problem they face inside the studio as well.
“There is so much in the game that we still haven’t talked about and shown. The breadth of the systems, the breadth of the game… I really don’t think that anything that we’re showing is a spoiler for fans. It won’t dilute their experience.” He goes on, “Showcasing one experience doesn’t spoil it for you if you take a different approach.” - Will Powers
During the Interview Will gave us some new insight into how progression works. “Your level is gear-based, so there’s smart ways of limiting how much you can advance your upgrade of your gear by changing the material requirements at certain thresholds of materials that are only in that area that you’re in,” Will confirmed that players can explore the world, but how difficult or tough an area is, depends on your gear. This is an example of how Crimson Desert will attempt to curve players from becoming too overpowerful too quickly.
Multiplayer
There had been rumors and rumblings of the game having multiplayer, considering it comes from a studio that still handles a massive MMO and updates it weekly. Will Powers said, “No,” when asked if there were plans to implement it.
The Overview
Over on YouTube, the team dropped a video going over Kliff's journey, and the world players will be immersing themselves in. You can check out the Overview video here.
Kliff's main journey will be to travel across the continent, which consists of five regions, or countries, to reunite the members of clan Greymane. Kliff will also have to face dark forces fixed on "The Abyss," a mysterious realm that offers incredibly powerful potential.
While the main journey focuses on Kliff, in this overview, they officially confirmed that players will also take on the role of two other characters as well. Each having their own combat styles, skllis and weapons. There's been no official word on whether all three will have separate inventory systems or if there will be a way to trade or swap items from them. Like trading items with followers in Skyrim, for example.
The five regions of Pywel are as follows, Hernand - Mountains, and rivers, the starting point of Kliff's journey. Pailune - the northernmost region and homeland for the Greymanes. Demeniss - Center of political and military might. Delesyia- Region of Science and Technology. Crimson Desert - An arid expanse of Red Sands and laslessness.
From what we've seen and heard it doesn't appear that any of the explorable areas are region or level-locked. Enemies will be higher leveled in different areas, but what is and isn't avaliable from the get-go has yet to be confirmed.
The team at Pearl Abyss have stressed that there's way more to the world of Pywel than just the main story. The world is filled with stories, encounters, and hidden challenges. The quest structure ranges from the large-scale battles, to helping peasants with everyday tasks.
What does it all mean?
We know from interviews and gameplay footage that the Abyss, the floating puzzle islands, and the dive from them into the world were directly inspired by Breath of the Wild. The game also features parkour like Assassin's Creed, and combat similar to Bayonetta. There is a Witcher element to this as well with contract/bounty boards that post jobs for Kliff.
We also know that players can come across jobs by listening to NPC's. It is not known at this time whether players can unknowingly complete posted jobs, without collecting them from the contract/bounty boards. We do know that players can take out/liberate bandit/faction camps before being given a quest to do so. How this affects the quest when it is given to the player is not known at this time.
At the end of the day, Crimson Desert seems like a blended game with some of the best bits gaming has to offer. You can check out Crimson Desert when it releases on March 19, later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Mac. We know of at least 2 other "overview"-styled gameplay videos Pearl Abyss plans to release. Stay tuned for more on those.