Crimson Desert Demo Shows Off Deep Combat and Gorgeous World

After years of delays and hype cycles that felt like they were powered by pure vapor, Crimson Desert finally showed up at Gamescom 2025 with a playable demo—and it’s got teeth. Insider Gaming got 50 minutes of hands-on time, and while it’s not quite polished, it’s already punching above its weight.

You play as Kliff, leader of the Greymanes, navigating the continent of Pywel—a fantasy world that’s equal parts gorgeous and grim. The demo dropped you into a war zone, handed you a weapon, and said, “Figure it out.” And honestly? That’s the vibe.

Combat Is Complicated—and That’s a Good Thing

Crimson Desert doesn’t want you mashing buttons. It wants you thinking. The combat system is layered, with weapon-specific combos, elemental enchantments, and a boss fight that will absolutely wreck you if you don’t respect its mechanics.

Minions come in two flavors: fast and annoying or slow and tanky. The boss? A full-on monster with one-shot potential if you get cornered. There’s a system here—one that rewards timing, positioning, and knowing when to switch from brute force to elemental finesse.

Magic Meets Melee in a Surprisingly Slick System

You’ve got three elemental types to play with: Fire, Freeze, and Thunder. These aren’t just flashy effects—they’re strategic tools. You can enchant weapons, trigger status effects, or rain down fire arrows like you’re summoning divine punishment.

The ranged options are solid, but the melee is where the game flexes. Once you get the rhythm down, it’s chaos in motion. One moment you’re slashing through mobs, the next you’re pulling off a move that feels straight out of a wrestling game. It’s messy, satisfying, and just shy of overwhelming—in a good way.

The World Is Gorgeous, Traversal Is Mixed

Visually, Crimson Desert is a stunner. Pywel is packed with flora, fauna, and verticality. You’ve got sprinting, climbing, gliding, and a trusty horse. But let’s talk about that horse: it’s clunky. Like, “I’ll just run instead,” clunky. Traversal works, but it needs tuning—especially if the world’s as massive as it looks.

The gliding mechanic, though? Chef’s kiss. Dropping from heights and floating across terrain feels great, and it’s a smart way to keep exploration fluid.

Open World Feels Sparse—For Now

The demo didn’t offer much in terms of exploration, so it’s hard to tell if Pywel will feel lived-in or just large. But if Team Pearl Abyss puts the same care into world-building that they’ve shown in combat design, there’s potential for something special.

It’s not a Soulslike, but it’s not casual either. Crimson Desert wants you to engage, learn, and adapt. And if the open world can match that energy, we might be looking at a sleeper hit.

Final Thoughts: Crimson Desert Has Bite—It Just Needs Sharpening

Crimson Desert isn’t trying to be everything—it’s trying to be intense, immersive, and unapologetically complex. The combat system is already impressive, the visuals are strong, and the potential is real. But it needs refinement. The traversal quirks, the sparse world, the occasional jank—they’re all fixable.

If Pearl Abyss sticks the landing, this could be the fantasy RPG that finally breaks out of the genre’s comfort zone. And if not? Well, at least we got to suplex a goblin.