Pearl Abyss goes easy on us critics for our Crimson Desert reviews: ‘They had to play the build that is not the exact same version of the launched game’

Kliff, the Crimson Desert protagonist. He has four blue stripes across his face, mid-length black hair, and is looking solemnly at the ground.

Lybee Park

“I do believe both parties have fair points, especially for the critics—they had to play the build that is not the exact same version of the launched game. Also they had limited time … But [in] Crimson Desert, our unique charm is spread all over our in-game world. All those tiny details that are hidden … I don’t think critics had a fair chance to explore and experience them while in the review period,” via The Game Business.

Harvey Randall

Honestly, I’m just glad to hear it’s not only us feeling this way—our own Mollie Taylor, who reviewed the game, said as much: “I complained in my Crimson Desert review about a lack of storage, and four days after releasing? Boom. Private storage chest. Players complained about the chest’s location, and it only took a few more days after that for it to move somewhere else.”

Mind, we didn’t come down that hard on Pearl Abyss’ game, giving it a solid score of 80. Which, per our own review scoring system, is a “A great game with exceptional moments or features; touches of brilliance. We love it.”

Even the story, which Mollie rightly criticised as being somewhat underbaked, has received a significant facelift in the intervening months—though on balance, some of its negatives did get worse. For instance, the fact that it’s an overwhelmingly dense clump of systems and activities that’d give most people analysis paralysis. And that was at launch, here are some of the things that’ve been added since, or will be added soon:

And that’s all already on top of the pre-existing camp management, minigames, pet loyalty and collection system, transmog, market manipulation and banking, cooking, fishing, mount collecting, bounties—and I am almost certain I’ve missed some stuff. But hey, maybe that’s actually an improvement, based on your personal tastes. For instance, Fraser Brown, our online editor, loves the messiness.

At any rate: Yes, Crimson Desert is a different game since we reviewed it. And judging on the blistering pace that Pearl Abyss has managed, it’ll be a different game in a year from now. I very much look forward to (throwing a dart at a list of videogame mechanics) beer distillation, dressmaking, and an RTS mode or something. Chuck ’em in there.