Crimson Desert is an action-RPG. It’s also a medieval fantasy game. It’s kinda sci-fi, kinda like Dragon’s Dogma 2, with a sprinkle of The Witcher 3, and there are even some Breath of the Wild and Assassin’s Creed comparisons to throw into the increasingly ridiculous pot. It’s completely overwhelming, completely wild, and completely fun, and if you’ve been waiting for an excuse to finally give it a shot—especially with its countless updates and new Enhanced version—you could try your luck at getting it for just $1 with Fanatical’s Mystery Crate.
Crimson Desert is, admittedly, a bit of a strange game. The story of Kliff and rebuilding the Greymanes is maybe fourth or fifth on the priority list for Pearl Abyss’s single-player game, and normally, that would make it a less compelling experience. Yet, the higher priorities, like a solid gameplay loop and absolutely bizarre worldbuilding, make it so captivating that even hours later, I was still losing myself in Hernand Town, the game’s opening area.
Unlike The Witcher, which puts storytelling over combat—and for good reason—Crimson Desert decides to turn the combat in a typical action-RPG into something closer to a fighting game, and it works. Dishing out supernatural abilities while slicing apart enemies as quickly as lightning doesn’t feel button-mashy. It just feels right. Even simple actions like putting a flag into the correct position require a combination of buttons that initially feels stupidly complex for no reason, yet over time, it becomes apparent that it’s simply… fine. It’s just second nature at this point.
As you gain access to new abilities, Crimson Desert just gels so well that, despite the long list of inspirations I started this article with, it all fits together naturally quite well. Grappling up to clifftops and nailing enemies with a bombardment of skills that would make Mortal Kombat characters look tame in comparison is just a sliver of what to expect. Admittedly, it can be hard to get used to at first, but keep pushing, and you’ll start to wonder how you ever played without all of these ridiculous tools at your disposal.
Crimson Desert is an absolutely solid game, and with a whole batch of updates and the newly released Enhanced Edition, it’s now better than ever. If you’re feeling lucky, you could try out the Fanatical Mystery Crate experience, getting cheap Steam keys starting from just $1 / £1 each, or 25 for $17.49 / £17.49, and each crate is an opportunity to get Crimson Desert—or another AAA game, like The Blood of Dawnwalker or Silent Hill: Townfall.
Even if you don’t manage to get Crimson Desert, which is admittedly likely, you’ll still have plenty of new titles added to your Steam backlog. And every crate is an entry into the grand prize draw, where one lucky buyer will get the swanky new Steam Machine. Don’t miss your chance.
Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom. This story was created in collaboration with Fanatical’s deals team.
