As a big MMORPG fan, MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz has of course also played Black Desert for many, many hours. The online role-playing game by Pearl Abyss is not perfect, but it does some things really well. These strengths can also be found in the next game from the studio: Crimson Desert.
Forget GTA 6. Resident Evil Requiem? Pff! ArcheAge Chronicles has shown too little so far. What about WoW: Midnight? It will probably be nice, but! But what? But Crimson Desert! Currently, there is no other set release for 2026 that I am looking forward to as much! And by a long shot.
My anticipation for the new action-adventure RPG from Pearl Abyss has grown for years and has only solidified through the latest gameplay presentations. The main reason for this: Crimson Desert seems to shine in exactly the areas where its quasi-predecessor excelled. Due to the genre shift, some weaknesses could also be eliminated.
If this impression is confirmed while playing, Crimson Desert has the potential to become my Game of the Year 2026. But one step at a time…
The single-player child of an MMORPG
You have probably heard: Originally, Crimson Desert was supposed to be something like a spin-off for the online role-playing game Black Desert from Pearl Abyss, so it was to be set in the same world and also have some multiplayer or MMO features.
Over the years, however, Crimson Desert has developed into a standalone AAA project that focuses entirely on the single-player experience. However, anyone who has played Black Desert will clearly recognize the roots of the game in every new trailer for Crimson Desert – in the fights, in the design of the world, and in many features such as the parkour system, taming wild horses, and more.
Fights that boom and bang
The good news: This is exactly the greatest strengths of Black Desert. For me, the MMORPG from Pearl Abyss even has the best action combat system of all online role-playing games. With every class I have tried so far, it is simply fun to batter my way through the masses of enemies with hefty combos and well-staged spells for hours.
This fantasy of power seems to await us in Crimson Desert as well, if I look at the latest gameplay on combat and character progression. The attacks with melee and ranged weapons already convey a certain weight just by watching. The many different movement maneuvers for hits, kicks, throws, rolls, and spells flow smoothly into each other.
As in Black Desert, you will often deal with large groups of enemies and a few tough bosses in Crimson Desert, who often come with special mechanics and have multiple phases.
For all battles in Crimson Desert, a wide range of options will be available to you over time:
- In combat, you can combine multiple weapons and switch between them fluidly, and you can also cast spells or activate special powers.
- The attacks can be supplemented by wrestling maneuvers and throws. Or you use items lying around to gain an advantage in melee exchanges.
- You don’t just fight on foot: Crimson Desert lets you dish out slaps on a bear, roast opponents with a dragon, or fire rockets in a mech.
- The 3 playable characters are said to play noticeably differently with their own combat styles, weapons, and skills – a bit like the classes from Black Desert.
When colleagues got to try Crimson Desert at gamescom, they controlled a fighter who was already quite advanced. The unanimous feedback: The many options in combat were somewhat overwhelming, but the fights already feel really good even when you have no exact idea of what you are actually doing.
Again an eye-opener: the game world
The second great strength of Black Desert is the – even today – beautiful game world, which you can explore on foot, horseback, by flying, or climbing. This world has a Western medieval fantasy style that is also recognizable in Crimson Desert, with a strong “Game of Thrones” vibe.
In the large cities, countless NPCs bustle about. In the wild, the immense visibility from great heights offers amazing panoramas. And everywhere you can find quests, activities, puzzles, and secrets. This is true for Black Desert, and the previously shown also promises the same for Crimson Desert – for example here on YouTube.
What’s the catch?
Black Desert is not perfect and has some weaknesses that could potentially dampen the gaming fun. Here are the things that bother me the most:
- The grind factor is high, a large part of the gaming experience consists of beating up groups of monsters. There is no max level, theoretically, the grind never ends.
- The payment model has always been tricky, with pay-to-win or strong pay-to-progress elements. Many great designs for armor, for example, are made for the shop, which significantly devalues the acquireable rewards.
- While Black Desert tells stories, the game has never managed to spark my interest in the characters and the world.
Some of the weaknesses could also affect Crimson Desert. Especially concerning the story, I am worried. The gameplay sequences shown so far look great, but Pearl Abyss still has to prove to me that they can tell stories that captivate me.
I also assume that fighting will once again play a very important role in Crimson Desert. If the combat system is as good as hoped, I can live with that very well. The countless activities in the game world should provide the necessary variety, and we are not dealing with an endlessly repeating MMORPG here.
As for the payment model, I hope that it will remain with the announced buy-to-play editions of Crimson Desert. I keep my fingers crossed that no nasty surprises await us here.
Crimson Desert has the potential for GotY
Despite its weaknesses, Black Desert has given me many hours of great enjoyment. Crimson Desert could be the single-player variant that sheds the right ballast, builds on its strengths, and hits the right buttons for me. My hopes are high; I expect nothing less than my game of the year 2026.
Are you looking forward to Crimson Desert as well, or has what has been shown so far left you cold? Let us know in the comments! If you’re looking for more general information about the new action-adventure RPG from Pearl Abyss, check out our overview – Crimson Desert: Release, trailer, demo, and editions – All information about the RPG hope for 2026
