Crimson Desert: Deluxe Edition

Crimson Desert is an extremely ambitious open-world adventure, and that ambition is what makes it both incredibly cool and gobsmackingly infuriating in almost equal measure.

It might not always be the most cohesive game, mixing high fantasy with steampunk and sci-fi elements, but there's nothing else quite like it, and I can't help but be impressed by how little restraint Pearl Abyss has shown in its commitment to delightful absurdity. In some respects, Crimson Desert might not be too good to be true, but it's a world worth getting lost in.

A vast world and even vaster array of MMO-like activities mix with glittering fidelity in Crimson Desert, but what good is it without much character, texture or charm?

Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others, Crimson Desert is a fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that.

The studio clearly took liberal inspiration from other games, but I hope that there can be something more looking toward the future. Crimson Desert has something special buried beneath its surface, if all those unneeded layers can be cut out.

As it stands on release, the best parts of Crimson Desert are buried deep under layers of absurdity.

Crimson Desert features a fantastic, content-rich open world where player freedom is the number one priority. There is so much to do and so many places to go to that it's easy to get lost among its ancient ruins, mystical forests, and snowy mountains. A lack of polish breeds frustration, but nothing can shake up the firm foundations of this incredible title.

Not everyone will have the time and patience required to truly appreciate Crimson Desert. It's a monumental achievement in open world design, but it's constantly struggling with the details.The campaign is a frustratingly disjointed journey, and quests range from downright epic to mind-blowingly bad. Mechanically, it's a game that tries to do everything, but would have been better off just focusing on what it gets right.Still, it's an all-consuming open world adventure that hits some truly incredible highs, and it's already come a long, long way since launch. If you can stomach its more obtuse moments - of which there are many - then Crimson Desert borders on being brilliant.

Crimson Desert is a flawed but breathtaking, annoying yet fantastic, game of excess that has managed to infuriate and delight me in almost equal measure.

I spent hundreds of hours in the world of Pywell, dozens of which came after finishing the game, and still felt like I had only scratched the surface. Crimson Desert is so excellent at so many things that its flaws rarely matter.