Everything about Crimson Desert screamed ‘GOTY contender,’ but Pearl Abyss’ exciting new RPG has fallen short of expectations with many of the critics – our own Paul Kelly included. Reacting to this disappointing turn of events, investors have started dumping stock in the developer-publisher, rubbing salt in the wound.
Crimson Desert first captivated me with the promise of total freedom; a sprawling sandbox RPG filled with magic and mystery, populated with stunning scenery. Honestly, I’ve been more excited about it than GTA 6. When the reviews started rolling in, though, I felt the light begin to leave my eyes. Currently sitting with a respectful but relatively underwhelming Metacritic score of 78, Crimson Desert, ostensibly, isn’t the masterpiece I hoped it would be, and, critically at least, it has failed to make the same impact as recent South Korean exports like Lies of P and Stellar Blade.
PK wasn’t enthused, either. In his wonderfully composed Crimson Desert review, he gave it a modest 6/10, praising its scale and beauty, but notes, “it can’t pull itself out of the bog-standard narrative trenches.” Additionally, PK brands its combat “clunky,” especially in boss fights, and says its exploration doesn’t feel rewarding enough. So, at this point, it sounds like Crimson Desert is more style than substance.
Reacting to the scores, investors have been quick to pull support for Pearl Abyss. As reported by Seoul Economic Daily, its stock plummeted nearly 30% overnight. It’s understandable, considering Crimson Desert soaked up an eye-watering 200 billion South Korean won ($133 million) over its seven-year development cycle. It’s a huge blow, to say the least.
Crimson Desert may not have nailed the assignment right out of the gate, but I hope Pearl Abyss continues to iterate on the experience with subsequent updates. It truly has the bones of something special, and now the onus is on the studio to add that extra meat. With some much-needed tweaks to balance and feel, Crimson Desert could very well get back on track to reach its lofty potential. Maybe, in a couple of years, we’ll look at it as a Lords of the Fallen-style comeback story.
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