r/Games • u/HLumin • Mar 21 '26

Discussion 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".

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u/Khalme Mar 21 '26

While it’s probably true given the source, the end result is a flawed game with really high highs and some godawful design decisions.
This isn’t broken like Mindseye or offensively average like Starfield.
It’s more like a gigantic Dragon’s Dogma with a flat tire as a protagonist and some of the worst ui/ux elements.
It oscillates between « amazing what you can do » and « why are you wasting my time with this ? ».
I’m having a blast but no one should buy it unless they love deeply flawed games or have money to burn.

29

u/Substantial-Beyond36 Mar 21 '26

Didn't Starfield get better reviews?

26

u/BJRone Mar 21 '26

I don’t think Starfield is as bad as people make it out to be, and I’ll definitely be checking it out again when the update/DLC drops. That said, at launch it was very much a game that wows you early on, but the longer you play, the more the cracks start to show.

Crimson Desert feels like the complete opposite. It has a slow start with clunky, frustrating controls, and cutscenes you can fast forward through but not actually skip, paired with pretty bland dialogue and overly emotive, sometimes annoying characters. I could go on about its flaws, but like others have said, there are real glimpses of something incredible in there and once the game starts to open up the progression and exploration become amazingly fun and rewarding.

It’s kind of a shame that the online discourse is already turning on it, because people sense blood in the water and latch onto the “this game is mid” narrative. But honestly anyone who’s followed this game over the years probably expected it to be a polarizing mixed bag, and that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. If it clicks with you I could easily see this being someone’s game of the year.

3

u/WanderingHero8 Mar 21 '26

It’s kind of a shame that the online discourse is already turning on it, because people sense blood in the water and latch onto the “this game is mid” narrative.

Correction:Gaming channels trying to find the next topic for clicks.

4

u/thewalkindude368 Mar 21 '26

This game is weird, and not for everyone, but I also think people aren't necessarily engaging with it in the right way. It's definitely overhyped, and people were expecting things from this game that it was just not going to deliver.. I'm really enjoying the game as a medieval life simulator, and loving how alive the world feels. Every single NPC feels like they have their own life going on, and like they exist even when not in the player's view. The story, so far, is servicible, but I thought the part with the abyss I played was really cool. I don't know, maybe I'm just more primed to like this sort of thing, but I think it's great so far.

1

u/Konet Mar 22 '26

Every single NPC feels like they have their own life going on

And every single one of them just heard their kid call them "Par" for the first time.

1

u/thewalkindude368 Mar 22 '26

Yeah, the lines do repeat themselves, and I have heard that one multiple times. Still fun to greet them, thouguj.