Kliff, the main character of Crimson Desert, receives quite a bit of criticism upon release. Experts from the quasi-predecessor Black Desert now miss one of the biggest strengths of the MMORPG even more.
What is the problem with Kliff? I write this in my review of Crimson Desert: “The main story and various larger side quests are told repeatedly in elaborately staged in-game sequences that can be fast-forwarded but not skipped. The English voice actors usually do a great job in the fully voiced dialogues.
Especially the rough Grey-maned members have truly grown on me over time as a collective – even if the clan is not as compellingly portrayed as, for example, the gang from Red Dead Redemption 2.
In terms of the main character, RDR2 even excels by a large margin: While I shed tears during Arthur Morgan’s long ride, the stoic reactions of the taciturn Kliff sometimes feel almost like a parody. No matter how crazy things happen around him, you often can’t get more than a ‘Mhmpf’ out of the Jon Snow lookalike.”
“He could just as well have been a walking tree”
How does the community assess this? Even among players, Kliff receives a lot of criticism. Sabawoonoz25 writes on Reddit: “No depth, silent as a book, never questions anything, you can’t establish a connection to him, and he looks like a mix of all the tough, stoic gaming protagonists there have ever been.”
The more than 1,500 thumbs up and over 880 comments underline that many other players see it similarly. sadsapph0 explains, “I agree. He is just there. He could just as well have been a walking tree, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
You can find many tips for getting started in Crimson Desert on our YouTube channel by MeinMMO – check it out!
What would have been the better alternative? DarkKalsi beautifully puts his finger on the sore spot with his comment: “The sad thing is that Black Desert still has the best character editor on the MMO market. But people have no idea how stubborn Pearl Abyss is.”
PRGRyan adds, “Yes, I was totally ecstatic when I found out that Pearl Abyss was behind this game because I was hoping for a great character editor, but well …”
In fact, the character creation tool of the MMORPG is so powerful that part of the community has been having fun recreating well-known personalities with the editor for years. Additionally, it could have attracted players who don’t want to play a predefined male protagonist.
You can unlock two additional playable characters in the campaign with Damiane and Oongka, but it can take a very long time, and switching characters comes with some restrictions. The main story still revolves only around Kliff. You can find out more here: The 3 playable characters of Crimson Desert – you can even fight as a trio
