Pearl Abyss brought a new playable demo of its upcoming open-world action RPG, Crimson Desert, to this year’s Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles. The event, known for giving media and creators early access to major upcoming releases, offered a hands-on look at a key questline from the game’s early to mid-story. Crimson Desert has drawn attention for its mix of narrative-driven quests and large-scale battles, setting it apart in the crowded action RPG space. The game is aiming for a full release later this year.
In this demo, players take on the role of Kliff, the leader of the Greymanes, as he navigates the aftermath of an ambush by the Drunken Black Bears. The narrative centers on Kliff’s search for his scattered allies across the continent of Pywel, eventually taking him to the besieged region of Calphade. The story introduces political intrigue and betrayal, with Cassius Morten turning against Calphade and joining the enemy faction, pushing the region toward collapse. The demo provides a look at the game’s storytelling approach and introduces several key characters through cinematic cutscenes.
- The featured questline follows Kliff after a battle separates him from his team, establishing the main plot and setting up future storylines.
- Players experience a large-scale battlefield scenario with dozens of NPCs, dynamic environmental effects, and shifting combat conditions.
- Key characters such as Oongka, Barden Middler, and Cassius Morten are introduced, each playing a part in the ongoing conflict.
- The continent of Pywel is prominently displayed, with realistic landscapes, dynamic weather, and time-of-day effects built in Pearl Abyss’ in-house BlackSpace Engine.
Pearl Abyss has indicated that more demo opportunities will be available ahead of the game’s full release. Crimson Desert is scheduled to launch in late 2025 on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Mac. The game’s development team is best known for Black Desert Online, and early previews suggest they’re aiming to combine cinematic storytelling with large-scale, interactive gameplay in this new project. While Crimson Desert was originally introduced as an MMORPG ~6 years ago, it’s pivoted to a more traditional action RPG focus with multiplayer elements.
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