A review as long in the making as the release date itself. As turbulent as the feelings towards playing the title. From the initial previews of Crimson Desert, a sprawling open world romp was promised. Countless hours of adventuring with a rich lore and a sense of comradery were heavily implied. A lot to live up to certainly, but judging by the marketing and various gameplay demos, achievable. After diving in (sometimes literally), however, this desert seems barren.
Before the utter dismantling of Crimson Desert, it’s worth mentioning that the sheer scale and ambition on show here is a marvel. A never-ending list of tasks to complete in a world so large, it seems impossible to conquer. The story itself is a simple one. Main character Kliff takes a major beating by some rival clan members, and after some otherworldly influences, comes back with new powers ready to put the world to rights. Nothing really progresses from this initial plot point; just stakes being raised as threats get bigger. This is also not really helped by the absolute wooden statue of a lead in Kliff. Even Geralt gives off more emotion than this guy.
Once out in the open, the biggest positive is on full display. The world looks absolutely beautiful and evokes that Death Stranding feeling of wanting to go somewhere for the sake of it, just to see the world from a different perspective. Almost everywhere has something to do once arrived at, whether that is side quests, puzzles or conquering a rival fort. The issue with all of it is that none of it feels particularly fun or interesting. The puzzles in especially can very quickly become incredibly frustrating, and to date, it feels like no control system has ever been more complicated than this. From the outset, even a simple thing such as interacting with a chimney was a multi-button finger workout. With so much to do, having non-intuitive controls really stifles the enjoyment and interest in continuing.
While adventuring, inevitably trouble will find you. Again, the combat has a deep system that can be exploited to make use of all manner of weapons and elemental attacks to pull off some majorly stunning moves. This is showcased with the impressive boss battles, the most fun thing to do in Crimson Desert. The bigger scraps are quite the spectacle and require full use of what is available to Kliff, while the smaller tussles can all be blasted through just by holding the attack button until everyone around you has been obliterated. If mixing and matching styles and abilities is your thing, the combat is fully fleshed out; it’s just a lot easier to let the game fight itself.
Ultimately, Crimson Desert crushes itself under the weight of its own ambition. It feels as if absolutely any task can be undertaken and any fantasy life lived. In ensuring every need was met, however, the developers seem to have forgotten that the reason players long for these things is to have fun. If those initial few hours of being thrust into the world of Pywel don’t thrill, it’s very difficult to want to see out the 150+ hours of game when so many other titles are clamouring for attention. 
Ridiculous review. If this game was made by rockstar or fromsoftware, it would have received a easily 90+ on metacritic.
For instance, Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild, both 10/10 games and GOTYs on their years, also lack in storytelling, with muted protagonists. This game has better exploration and better combat than both of them.