I was hiding in an alcove when I heard the voices. Perched on a rock, I could barely make out what they were saying, but I was looking for help.
My health was low, my spirits depleted. I had traversed across a desert wasteland and I was happy just to make human contact. A man was driving a wagon and, from the looks of it, no one else was around. I decided to slip behind the wagon and see if there was anything I could “borrow” when I noticed you could become a stowaway. I slipped under the wagon and just rode along for what seemed an eternity.
That was my one major discovery playing Crimson Desert this last week. The game is ridiculously varied, with so many things to do and see that it’s groundbreaking simply because of the sheer scale of it all. I don’t know who designed, wrote or created the role-playing game I am calling the best ever made. I could look it up, but that would spoil the surprise. One person like Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima? An entire team who came up with the concept as a group? An army of developers? (Actually I do know it’s the same deve;oper that makes MMO games.)
I can tell you that we think alike. The person or team behind this open world RPG, which has sold five million copies so far and was labelled average by most game reviewers, are the type who probably go on vacation and somehow spend time at the beach, find a fancy restaurant, learn a new board game and still have time for golf. They like to pack it all in; only one life to live, you might say.
In the game, there is an actual day-night cycle that figures into the gameplay. I think one day lasts two hours in the real-world. I created my own days, though: rock-climbing, fishing for a while by a bridge, riding up into the mountains. I rarely engage with enemies unless there is something to gain. In fact, I have created my own storyline, which goes against everything you are supposed to do when reviewing a game. The unspoken rule is that you play through the main story. I suppose I’ll get around to that at some point, and I can see the logic in a complete playthrough. For now, I am starting to think Crimson Desert is the best game I’ve ever played period. It feels like a living and breathing world.
To be honest, I didn’t know the history behind Crimson Desert going into this, so I decided to just start riding a horse and see what happens. It was the dumbest and smartest decision I’ve ever made in reviewing a game, and I’ve reviewed hundreds and hundreds of them.
It was dumb because my stamina was so low. I wasn’t 100% sure what that meant until I tried to swim across a small pond and promptly drowned myself. I had no armor, no friends, barely any weapons, and a ton of optimism. It was smart because I was able to grasp the immensity of the world. I asked Gemini about the size of the map and thought the bot was hallucinating: it’s about 40 square miles. That’s 2-3 times bigger than both Skyrim and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Basically, it’s Chicago and all of the suburbs. I literally started the game, jumped on a horse, and started riding. And riding. I climbed up a snowy mountain and was beaten up repeatedly by roving gangs. I found a skeleton graveyard but didn’t actually know enough about the gameplay to explore it thoroughly. It was exactly like being a teenager with a newly minted driver’s license who immediately drives to New York and just cruises around for days on end. I think I played 10 hours this way, with no real goals.
I’m now at around 50 hours, which is by far the most amount of time I’ve invested in any recent game. This is coming from someone who played through the game Ico three times when it first launched, but lately I have been too busy for role-playing games. What sucked me in? It was not the main story. In fact, I am only just now starting some quests after discovering I can assume ownership of a home and decorate it, link up with some comrades, and occupy a camp.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
After riding around the entire map, I went back to the main city of Hernand and decided to start collecting minerals in the surrounding area. For several days. I can’t explain what is motivating me to do that. It’s a personal mission. I collected iron ore, copper ore, and a few other ores. I found a dozen diamonds. I mined minerals I can’t pronounce and don’t even know if they’re real.
Then I decided to become a thief. I first doomscrolled through Crimson Desert clips on Instagram and TikTok, pausing to take screenshots with my phone to capture map locations. Turns out there’s one spot where people are carrying around gold bars, so I snuck over there and robbed them, amassing an insane amount of money in a short period of time. I felt guilty because I’m basically a nice guy in the game (and in real life). I now have around 3,000 silver, most of it stolen.
I refuse to use the word “outfits” but I have about six of them, including one that makes me look like the Raven King, although my Raven King has brown leather boots and a hat shaped like a shoe. I have collected so much armor that I can’t keep track of it all. I’ve hunted down swords for hours.
I’ve played Skyrim and many similar games, but there’s nothing quite like going on a massive hunt for gold bars and armor, then riding back into Hernand (even though I don’t need to go back to that city anymore) like I’m some sort of celebrity. I wish there was a button to have the main character Kliff nod at people as he slow-rides through the city streets. Maybe there is.
I’ve fished, hunted, climbed, sneaked, robbed, and explored. I have literally climbed to the top of a mountain and then just sat there for a long time, thinking. I visited a monastery and sat on a bench next to a guy and chatted with him about nothing. I chopped wood all day, just for fun.
If I invented a game, it would be Crimson Desert. Seriously. I avoid fighting, and I’m not that impressed with the story. Something about an alternate world, I guess? I decided I like my own stories better. I read a review that said it’s annoying how you can cross a bridge and get ambushed and have to fight off every last enemy. Ever heard of running? I’ve engaged with a few bosses and armies, but only at my own discretion. Once, a boss rose out of some stone fragments and started thrashing me to kingdom come. It reminded me of the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Run away!
I do like the puzzles. There’s one called Chaos Forest that requires intricate maneuvers, and not in a good way. Something is off with the physics, almost like the developers were trying to annoy us on purpose. I used a giant lasso thing and moved some pillars and boulders, but would take one wrong step and fall from the sky and have to start all over again.
I’ve laughed out loud a few times. At dusk, it seemed like everyone in the town was going to mass at the church so I snuck back to the bank (my favorite place to hang out) and robbed it for the third time. I then added another gold bar to my investment portfolio. This is a game where you can make money from investments while you lean against a stable fence and do nothing.
I mentioned my elaborate Raven King armor with flowing black robes and a helmet I sometimes wear that makes me look like Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, but sometimes I like to wear the original robes and stride into a neighboring town. No horse. No attitude. I look like a clueless moron.
Then I start robbing everyone and run away.
What else is there to do? Plenty of stuff. I have a list of about six things I want to try tomorrow. There’s a sword I somehow missed and a place where you can mine brimstone like bitcoins. I haven’t spent as much time in the bigger towns, unless you count the prison in Demeniss. And I need to resume the main quest at some point. Right after I steal a few more gold bars.