As my first hour with Pearl Abyss’s new action game Crimson Desert at Gamescom 2024 came to a close, I wasn’t sure how to feel. A large chunk of my time was spent in frustration, hammering the respawn button as I tried to wrap my head around its distinctive control system. Yet between those moments were glimmering sparks of potential, and so I did the only reasonable thing; I booked one of my only remaining free hours at the show to come back for more. As my demo ran out for the second time, my mind was much clearer – Crimson Desert has the potential to be one of the most exciting games I’ve played in a while, but it’s not quite there yet.

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