As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I must admit that Crimson Desert left me feeling a bit perplexed yet intrigued at Gamescom this year. The trailer was nothing short of breathtaking, promising an immersive open-world experience brimming with action, adventure, and a touch of whimsy. However, the demo we were shown seemed to focus more on boss rushes reminiscent of Soulslike games than the sprawling open world I had anticipated.
At the 2020 Gamescom Opening Night Live event, Crimson Desert captured the spotlight with a variety-packed trailer featuring sword and shield combat, angling, tavern arm-wrestling, dog-petting, flute playing, goat-carrying, horse-taming, monster-climbing, and much more. Despite offering the game for play at Gamescom recently, Pearl Abyss (creators of Black Desert Online) opted to present a more streamlined demonstration instead.
During our demo, Crimson Desert appeared to be a Soulslike game focused on boss battles instead of exploring an open world. While it’s common to learn controls quickly during demos, encountering multiple bosses without understanding their weaknesses and mechanics, which are usually explained through the story or gameplay, can make the experience less enjoyable.
During the exhibition, I found that nearly every journalist I interacted with had a PR representative constantly nearby, attempting to clarify intricate boss mechanics and strategies. They advised using specific gear or aiming at scarecrows scattered across the arena rather than the boss itself. While this isn’t necessarily negative, it was an unusual decision for a vertical slice, particularly for an open-world game. The developers appeared to acknowledge this oddity as well, offering us a large quantity of healing items in our inventory to assist us during this demonstration.
Rather than simply saying a game is like another with some differences, this particular title appears to have combined elements and concepts from various other games to form its unique identity. For instance, Crimson Desert incorporates stamina bars and emphasizes defense through guarding and parrying, but it moves faster and enemies attack more aggressively compared to FromSoft games. Furthermore, the attacks are more dynamic and flamboyant, evoking a sense of style reminiscent of Devil May Cry’s combat system. Additionally, the game does not include manual lock-on, leaving the camera control to determine who can be targeted, similar to traditional action games.
In this game, various diverse mechanics combine to create boss fights that are rather tough. The speed at which actions occur might make you want to spam buttons, but you’re also confined within the animations. Enemies’ attacks are swift and frequently link together, so it’s easy to end up taking a lot of damage and running out of stamina for escape. This was particularly tough during the initial sequence when we had to confront a powerful enemy tribe leader accompanied by hordes of foot soldiers, leaving us barely any space to maneuver.
Besides, the colossal foe we battled turned out to be a Queen Stoneback Crab, towering above us and resembling a giant mound. To vanquish this beast, we had to climb onto it, locate weak spots, and strike them – much like the gameplay in Dragon’s Dogma or Shadow of The Colossus. As our struggle continued, it started to remind me of Monster Hunter, as the battle dragged on for so long that our time demo eventually expired before we could deliver the fatal blow.
Although it might seem discouraging, a lackluster demo doesn’t necessarily predict a game will be poor, and there were numerous elements that piqued our interest. One particularly enjoyable moment was a boss fight in the snow, as it simplified the mechanics, leaving us to focus on learning the monster’s attack patterns and synchronizing our combat strategies.
The Crimson Desert game is tough to assess right now because the demo raised more questions instead of providing answers. However, we’re definitely intrigued and eager to follow its development further.
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2024-09-06 16:28