This Might Be the Best Argument Yet for Crimson Desert to Add Difficulty Settings

A gamer has shared how the lack of difficulty options in Crimson Desert is making the game unplayable for them, not due to a lack of skill, but from physical limitations that can come with age. While Crimson Desert announced in advance of its release that the game would lack adjustable difficulty levels, it hasn’t gone over well with everyone.

Despite difficulty concerns, Crimson Desert has been a major success, selling millions of copies within its first week of availability, and seeing positive reviews overall from critics and players alike. The single-player RPG isn’t quite a Soulslike, but is intended to be challenging. Unfortunately, that challenge may end up being too much for some gamers who have no control over the matter.

Crimson Desert Players Find a Major Flaw with the Endgame

A player of the action-adventure game Crimson Desert discovers a major flaw in the endgame and decides to share it with other gamers.

Crimson Desert Fan Laments Game’s Difficulty

On Reddit, a Crimson Desert player called Appropriate_Durian17 shared that they’re enjoying the game, calling it “great fun,” but that the downsides of physical age are making it impossible for them to progress in the game past a certain point. Appropriate_Durian17 explains that they love gaming, but they’re also 73 years old, and that over the years, their eyesight has gotten worse, reaction times have decreased, and they’re dealing with arthritis in their hands, making it harder to move their fingers quickly enough to keep up. After progressing for a while, they’ve found that they now can’t get past certain bosses, no matter how much effort they put into equipping their Crimson Desert characters.

In any other game, they explain, they would turn down the difficulty level to either get past the boss or for the remainder of their playthrough, which is enough to get them past their limitations. But without difficulty options in Crimson Desert, they’ve found themselves completely stuck in a game that they’d love to still be playing.

Gamers have come out of the woodwork to not only offer ideas on how the player might still be able to progress, but also to lament similar issues. Some have said that they’re in the same general age range or a bit younger, and are going through similar problems. Others have talked about friends, relatives, or even themselves going through real-life troubles like cancer or brain injuries, which have made high-difficulty games impossible to play due to the impact of these problems on their cognitive capabilities. Several have said that they are advocates for always including difficulty options or accessibility features in games, as it can help to guide these kinds of players through the tough spots and help them to continue enjoying their favorites.

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Prior to the game’s release, a developer at Pearl Abyss noted that adjustable difficulty for Crimson Desert wouldn’t be happening “at the moment,” perhaps meaning that the door is still open for that to change in the future. While giving players a sense of accomplishment and pride in getting through a difficult game without the ability to make it easier for themselves is something some celebrate, it comes at the cost of locking some players out completely. With players sharing stories like these, perhaps Pearl Abyss will reconsider its position and make an update adding difficulty and/or accessibility options in the future.