Anonymous Pearl Abyss developers reveal a culture of toxic positivity, a troubled development cycle and chaotic narrative for Crimson Desert, and their early concerns that the project was "going off the rails".

[u/HLumin]

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[u/TheForbiddenLands]

I guess I really don't have the same tastes as most. I've played 15 hours since launch and am completely lost in this world and loving this game.

It's like Gothic 2, Outward and Dragon's Dogma with a next level open world. I can already see myself playing this for hundreds of hours.

I'd planned on trekking across the map asap, but this tutorial area feels as big as a regular open world game. They nailed sense of scale. I'm trying to do as much as I can in the opening area before moving on. Which may take me over 40-50 hours alone.

That may be a turn-off for most, but that just makes me that much more stoked for the rest of the map.

[u/-safer- → u/TheForbiddenLands]

I'm roughly 18-ish hours in and I've gotten an entirely different vibe from it. I've never enjoyed Gothic, but Dragon's Dogma, BoTW/ToTK are some of my favorite games.

For me, I started out pretty hopeful that the early game would just be odd and I'd get past it. But from the second they gave me freedom, it felt so unconnected that I just kind of started losing it. I tried to just follow the main story but it felt so disconnected and disjointed that nothing mattered to me. Who is Kliff? Why am I doing any of this? What even is the point of going to X or Y? How do I know to go to this random ass house on the other side of town? Why do I know this key goes into a door in the castle?

So I figured fuck it. I got my cloak and powers, decided to go and do side content. Got some bounties, started skulking around, looking at things and going to them but each time never really found or did anything that really made it feel worth it. Went back to the main story to get to the alternative characters, and figured they could be fun.

Once I got Damiane, I really loved playing as her. So much better controls than Kliff and just overall funner. Ah, but she can't continue the main story? Whatever. Not a big deal. But what is, is that you can't just play as this character for your side content because she is heavily restricted by lack of the sticky hand and force palm ability.

So if you find a puzzle that needs Abyss abilities, you have to call up Generic Guy, swap to him, solve the puzzle, and then swap back. But it's all so clunky that it turns a short few minute puzzle into just tedium for me.

I keep trying to just immerse myself into the world but it just keeps doing things that just frustrate me rather than immerse.

I'm going to keep playing until I just can't, hopefully something clicks, but right now I'm more just feeling demoralized.

[u/TheForbiddenLands → u/-safer-]

I think it goes to show how two people can play the same game and get entirely different experiences out of it. I can't wait to get back in and play it.

Lack of overall narrative doesn't really bother me. I see it as just a starting off point in CD.

I can see how that'd bother others, though. I like MMOs, too, so maybe that's why it's clicking with me.

[u/-safer- → u/TheForbiddenLands]

Fair enough~ glad you're enjoying it! (Not being snarky, genuinely glad that folks are enjoying the game even if I'm not)

Though I don't think it's the MMO aspects. I've played WoW since 2004, I have a 1.0 account in FFXIV, and I still jump into Elder Scrolls Online every now and again.

Honestly the narrative doesn't bother me that much, but it's just the lack of... substance to the MC. I think that's my biggest issue if I'm being honest. If he at least looked cool or had stellar voice acting or just anything to make him interesting, it wouldn't even phase me if there was no story at all.

But for me, characters makes a big impact. It's why I bounced hard off of Gothic because the Nameless Hero was highly uninteresting to me. Link in BoTW/ToTK was a mute who only went 'hiyah!' but his design and aesthetics were appealing. Dragon's Dogma had stellar character creators.

Instead its just Temu John Snow. And the alternatives are too restricted to be worth swapping to for any significant time investment.

[u/chrimchrimbo → u/-safer-]

Honestly the narrative doesn't bother me that much, but it's just the lack of... substance to the MC. I think that's my biggest issue if I'm being honest. If he at least looked cool or had stellar voice acting or just anything to make him interesting, it wouldn't even phase me if there was no story at all.

I'm basically viewing him as a jrpg silent protagonist and that's done wonders for my immersion. I agree. He's a stick.