Open-world games have changed a lot over time, but Crimson Desert seems to have reinvented the genre more than any other game.
This game has redefined what an open-world experience can be, sparking discussions about the future of the genre. It’s incredibly vast and filled with things to do, and although it’s not perfect, it’s raised the bar for all open-world games that follow.
Things are shifting in the gaming world, and it might become more challenging to create the expansive, open-world features players want in the future.
10. Base Progression
See the Improvements
The player camp in Crimson Desert is truly exceptional. It begins as a small collection of tents, but through completing camp-related quests, it expands into a thriving little settlement. Many games feature a home base, but Crimson Desert’s is special because it offers a genuinely engaging experience.
Take Red Dead Redemption 2, for example. It’s a fantastic game, but its central camp doesn’t really evolve much as you play. In contrast, Crimson Desert consistently gives you rewards for exploring and improving your camp, adding things like cooking skills, weapon crafting, character options, pets, and even livestock – it’s constantly growing!
Honestly, building up your camp in Crimson Desert feels like a whole other game, and it really pays off. I mean, if you put the time in to improve it, your camp becomes so much more useful than someone who just skips those quests. The way they’ve done it is just brilliant! I think we’re going to see a lot more games where your home base actually evolves with what you do, instead of just staying the same, and Crimson Desert is setting the standard for that. It’s a game changer!
9. That Big Fight Feel
Strength in Numbers
Crimson Desert really delivers on large-scale combat, especially during castle sieges and certain side quests. Many open-world games promise epic battles, but often fall short, offering only minor fights and saving the spectacle for cutscenes. Crimson Desert actually puts you in those massive conflicts.
Many open-world games, like Final Fantasy 16, The Witcher 3, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, show large battles happening in the distance while you fight only small groups of enemies. Crimson Desert is different; it delivers on the promise of epic warfare. When a large battle occurs, you’re right in the middle of it, experiencing the full scale and chaos of a real war.
Going forward, games that claim to feature war need to actually show it. We’ve seen examples, like God of War: Ragnarok, where a supposedly massive battle concludes far too quickly to feel impactful.
8. It’s Okay if there is Nothing to Find
Sometimes Things are Just There
This might be a controversial opinion, but let me explain. Older games, like Skyrim and The Witcher 3, always had something special to discover in each town or village. While that’s great, it sometimes pulls you out of the game world a bit.
Crimson Desert has a lot of side quests, and usually they feel pretty logical – you’re doing work for established, powerful groups and getting paid. However, sometimes you’ll stumble across a quest that just feels out of place. Like, you might find someone asking you to extinguish their burning husband. While those quests can be fun, they don’t quite fit the overall world and feel a little unnatural.
I’ve often stumbled upon towns and settlements in this game where people are simply going about their lives. Once, I even found a fully functioning circus in Demensis, complete with performers and games – and no quest attached! I did find a cool shield, but mostly it was just a nice, unexpected detail. It struck me as beautiful, and it made me realize that future open-world games should focus more on letting the world feel alive independently of the player’s story – not everything needs to be tied to a quest.
7. Cool Gadgets with Multiple Uses
Don’t Limit Your Vision
What really stands out in Crimson Desert is how its special magical powers are used creatively – not just for fighting, but also for solving puzzles. It’s a feature you rarely see in open-world games, and the recent Legend of Zelda titles are the best comparison. Many open-world games give you items that have only one purpose, but in Crimson Desert, every tool feels powerful and versatile, and it’s up to the player to figure out how to best use it.
It’s a smart design choice. Often, the tools in these games are just as risky to use as the weapons, and Crimson Desert reflects that. For instance, many games include grappling hooks, but rarely can you actually use them effectively while fighting. I believe players will expect this level of freedom and flexibility in future open-world games.
6. The Mounted
Variety in Your Ride
For a long time, open world games, like popular titles such as The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, haven’t offered much choice in how you travel – usually just different types of horses. But Crimson Desert is changing that. It throws convention out the window, letting you ride not only horses, but also bears, wolves, dragons, mechanical robots, and potentially even more undiscovered mounts!
Crimson Desert has really raised the bar for open world games with its diverse and dynamic mounts. Not only do they look different, but each one handles and moves at a unique speed, adding a lot to the immersive experience. Players will likely expect this level of variety in future open world games – it’s that impressive and fun!
5. Show Us How You Work
Watch the Mission Unfold
Some open-world games let you send companions on missions for rewards, like Metal Gear Solid V and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Crimson Desert has a similar feature, but with a unique twist: you can actually travel to the mission locations and see your allies completing their tasks firsthand.
You’ll see these characters actively involved in the world – building homes, assisting residents, and completing whatever tasks the story demands. The game features a remarkable level of detail that makes both the characters and the world feel incredibly alive, something you don’t often experience in other games. While not super common, this approach is becoming more popular, and if you’re aiming for the same quality as games like Crimson Desert, you’ll need to put in the effort to match their impressive level of world-building.
4. Fly You Fools
Take to the Skies
Flying in video games is simply enjoyable, and Crimson Desert recently improved how well it works. Players can now easily glide across the game’s landscapes – its plains and forests – making exploration much more exciting. This raises the bar for future open-world games, particularly those with even a hint of science fiction, as players will now expect smooth and engaging flight mechanics.
Players are already wondering why they can’t fly in Crimson Desert – it’s just that enjoyable! The game offers a massive, all-encompassing open world, and to keep players engaged, the developers will likely need to continually add new features and content. Expect to see more flying mechanics introduced soon – it’s something the community really wants!
3. Great Combat
10 for Fighting
Open-world games are often criticized for having weak combat systems. While titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin stand out, many open-world RPGs don’t deliver satisfying fights – even a big fan of The Witcher 3 like myself needs mods to make the combat feel modern. That’s where Crimson Desert truly excels. Its combat is exceptional – it feels powerful and impactful, like a large-scale action game, but with a huge range of moves and a satisfying weight to every action.
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This game lets you pull off incredibly dynamic moves – you can kick enemies, reel them in with a hook, slam them to the ground, hit them with an elbow drop, and even throw them off a cliff, all as part of a single combo. It’s a far cry from games that restrict your moves, limit you with stamina bars, or just have clunky combat. Here, fighting is genuinely enjoyable and I look forward to every encounter.
Unlike many games that simply offer small percentage increases, this game’s skill tree unlocks entirely new abilities, making you genuinely feel like you’re getting stronger. To put it in perspective, The Witcher 3 only teaches you two new sword techniques throughout the whole game. Here, you’ll learn around five new moves just in the first hour, and they keep getting more complex and exciting to unlock. This game proves that combat in open world games can actually be really fun.
2. Show, Don’t Tell
The Magic of Discovery
Playing Crimson Desert can be really frustrating – I often feel lost and have to search online for puzzle solutions. But when I do figure things out myself, it’s incredibly satisfying and makes the game truly enjoyable.
This game isn’t just about solving puzzles; it’s full of incredibly well-hidden secrets. Exploring thoroughly is really rewarding for observant players, and what makes it special is that you won’t find any map markers to guide you – you have to discover everything yourself.
The map will show you locations to explore, but won’t directly reveal what you’re looking for. Discovering those hidden items and unlocking the secrets of each area relies entirely on your own understanding and skills. This is a significant departure from the typical open-world games that focus on completing checklists, and, similar to Elden Ring, Crimson Desert is prompting us to rethink what makes a truly compelling open world.
1. Sir, Did You Just Hit Me with a Tree?
Yup, Sure Did
Crimson Desert’s environmental interactions are a standout feature, adding a lot of fun and variety to the combat. While it could be even more expansive, the current implementation is really impressive. You can do things like chop down trees and topple them onto enemies, throw opponents into containers, or even destroy structures and open locked gates using your skills. It’s a fantastic addition that takes the already excellent combat to the next level.
The game’s missions often require you to dismantle enemy camps, which means destroying buildings and other structures in the area. This adds a lot of excitement and unpredictability to combat. Later in the game, when battles are already intense and everything is exploding, you’ll really appreciate how much environmental destruction Crimson Desert offers – it’s something you’ll want to see in every game going forward.
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2026-04-01 22:43