On Steam, there are often reviews that only partially match the playtime of the author. In a recent case, someone invested a lot of time into a new open-world adventure, only to then advise others against it.
Which game is it? Crimson Desert was released on March 19, 2026, and is clearly one of the big hits of the current gaming year:
- On X, the developers at Pearl Abyss celebrated over 5 million units sold in mid-April
- On Steam, over 276,000 players briefly occupied the continent of Pywel; a month and a half after release, there are still more than 70,000 during peak times (Source: steamdb.info)
- After a mixed start, Crimson Desert was able to achieve significantly more positive ratings and fought its way up to “Very Positive” on Steam
- Responsible for this is, among other things, the high frequency of updates that the developers have used to eliminate issues and meet community wishes
The open-world adventure from Pearl Abyss (Black Desert) shines especially with its vast, fascinating world, action-packed battles, and motivating character progression. Many players find the story, character design, and the unusual clumsiness of many detail elements to be weaknesses.
The next game from Pearl Abyss is already in the works:
181 hours of playtime, but no fun
What does the review of a long-term player say? That despite the noticeable excitement around Crimson Desert, opinions are clearly divided, as shown by the Steam review from Fuse00, who gives a thumbs down after 150 hours of playtime and explains that he cannot recommend the game despite its strengths.
The reason: From his perspective, the weaknesses clearly outweigh the strengths. In particular, the narrative aspect receives much criticism. However, Fuse00 also sees a lot of potential for improvement regarding world exploration (and how rewarding it feels) and the battles. He also points out many detail flaws that make it seem like the game is still in alpha – he cites listening quests or dialogue errors as examples.
His final conclusion: “It’s a shame; this game had every chance of becoming a masterpiece for the next few years, but unfortunately it isn’t.”
According to Steam, Fuse00 actually put in another 31 hours into Crimson Desert after writing the review. The open-world adventure seems to be holding onto the player despite his criticism.
How does the community react to the review? At least 258 people found Fuse00’s review helpful. Due to the enormous playtime, the thumbs down also received some “ROFL or at least LOL” reactions. This mix is also reflected in the comments:
- michaeljoseph777 commented a few hours ago under the review: “Dude. You took 150 hours to realize that this is not a good game? Man, this is a good game. You spent 150 hours on it. And now you want to rate it poorly just because you got bored…”
- hot tamale sees it similarly: “And you’ve spent almost 200 hours in the game, LOL. Anyone who lets this review stop them from playing is just as stupid as this troll.”
- traven969 praises Fuse00’s assessment: “You managed to perfectly express my feelings about this game. After a few hours of gameplay, I wonder: Why did I even put myself through this? And the way the Greymanes stumble over each other every time Cliff finds them is funny and quite annoying. I am just now realizing how much I value the story over aesthetics in my games. Great review.”
- Logar echoes this sentiment: “You perfectly captured my feelings. The most beautiful and captivating game, one of the best I’ve ever played. Exploration is absolutely top-notch. And yet… why am I even doing this? Nothing really has weight.”
What do you think? Can you take a negative review from a player seriously who complains about the weaknesses but ends up putting more and more playtime into the game? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! A particularly extreme case is featured in the following article: Gamer wrote a negative review after 3,263 hours in a game on Steam – Got a response from the developer
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!