Pearl Abyss made a big splash at PAX East with Crimson Desert. The team offered a 15-minute demo on the show floor, giving players a small taste of the sprawling upcoming open-world single-player action-adventure game. To prep players for the demo, it was necessary to show a short tutorial that introduced the game’s combinatorial combat mechanics. During my roughly 30-minute hands-on session, I faced off against two of the game’s bosses while I was teased enough to salivate over some of the others. But, was this short demo enough to put this open-world RPG on my must play list when it launches later this year?
During PAX East 2025, Pearl Abyss didn’t hold back when it came to showcasing Crimson Desert. Their booth was one of the most elaborate setups at the show, and throughout my time on the floor, the line to play was consistently packed. When I arrived I was treated to a curated experience meant to pull me directly into the action. While general attendees got a feel for exploration and traversal, I was dropped into two boss fights that showcased the game’s intense combat system, and paved the way for some added story elements.
If you’ve never played a Pearl Abyss game before, one thing they do exceptionally well is visuals. Crimson Desert continues this tradition with an almost dizzying level of detail and clarity. From the character models to the sweeping vistas, everything looked incredible. At one point, I stood atop a mountain and was told that every single landmark I could see in the distance was explorable. There were dozens of points of interest I wanted to check out, but there simply wasn’t time, nor was I given free rein to do so. I could have easily spent my entire time traversing from one area to the next. That in itself was an electrifying prospect, but the PR Director, WIll Powers, had some other ideas in mind.
Instead, I was quickly introduced to a training dummy to learn the combat basics. Those familiar with Black Desert might expect a certain flashy, animation-heavy combat system, and in some ways that exists here. However, Crimson Desert is a completely different beast when it comes to the execution. While some of the world and character design choices feel familiar visually, the combat system is a radical departure. According to the team, the combat is inspired more by fighting games than action RPGs or Soulslikes, and that was apparent before I ever faced off against a real opponent.
That might sound surprising, but it makes sense once you start playing. At first glance, it might seem like you can just mash buttons and pull off combos, but there’s far more depth than that. The developers pushed all players to watch a tutorial presentation video before playing, and I quickly understood why. The game includes grapples, stuns, thrusts, and both light and heavy attacks, each with its own input pattern. Mastering the intricacies of these combinations is key to surviving, especially in boss fights. But Pearl Abyss didn’t just throw caution to the wind with numerous button combinations and hope for the best. What I really liked is that you could hold the light or heavy attack button to string together several hits, which eased the effort of having to constantly slap your triggers to string together attacks.
It may seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of their robust combat system, but it fundamentally changed the way I thought about combat. Not only was I treated to the same tutorial video that all Crimson Desert players were at PAX, but I also had a one-on-one tutorial with the PR Director who showed off some of the more difficult combo strings. There are so many variations of button presses you could employ, such as holding the A and B buttons together or Y and B, or pressing down on the right stick, while aiming to nail an opponent with a stun attack.
I was floored by the diversity, but I had never played the game, so while I was impressed with the variety, I was initially worried I would have to employ my Marvel vs Capcom skills to make any semblance of a cohesive combat encounter work. I was glad to have been wrong on that front. Simply holding the light and heavy buttons would volley a string of attacks which took the idea that I had to have fast-paced twitch skills out of the equation. That left me with simply peppering in the other attacks when I wasn’t flustered by my target’s assault.
The first boss I faced was the Reed Devil. He was fast, aggressive, and punished any semblance of hesitation. I found myself overwhelmed until I began to lean on my stun abilities as I was instructed to do by Will, which slowed him down just enough to land a flurry of attacks. The devil was certainly a departure from the training dummy, as not only did he move faster than the eye could see, but he could block my regular attacks with some frequency. The Reed Devil also had multiple phases, each more dangerous than the last. With the phases split by some glorious cutscenes, his evolving attack patterns kept me constantly adjusting, and although I barely made it through, the fight felt rewarding, even if I played it pretty poorly from a combat perspective.
The setting of the Reed Devil fight was as interesting as the combat itself. It took place on a hill where reeds covered the landscape. The reeds themselves added more than just ambience as you could slice them and watch them float on the wind. This was a nice touch as it mean that once the battle was over, you could see the direct change you had on the surrounding landscape.
Next up was the Staglord, a hulking boss with a slower, more deliberate attack style. Unlike the Reed Devil, this battle felt more like a game of positioning and environment manipulation. I was able to dodge most of his sweeping blows, and at one point, I brought down a pillar onto him, dealing heavy damage. But the destructible environment cuts both ways: he smashed through terrain with ease, changing the battlefield dynamically as the fight progressed. It was a great demonstration of how different each boss encounter can feel. Just like my last boss fight, the Staglord would sometimes progress into a cutscene, but all of the cutscenes happen in game, so you absolutely cannot drop your guard. You’ll be pulled in and out of a cutscene at a moment’s notice and the bosses are unforgiving if you aren’t paying attention when the swap back to the battle happens.
What I liked about the Staglord aside from him being slower and generally easier than the Reed Devil, was that he wasn’t a literal pushover. One thing I was able to do with the Reed Devil was grapple him, which is rarely a thing you get to do during boss battles. The Staglord, on the other hand, is so big and bulky, even when I did have the chance to get in close, grabbing him was out of the question. Will suggested I swap to utilizing ranged attacks, such as the exploding arrows I had in my quiver. With fire being exceptionally effective against him, I made quick work of his remaining health.
Finally, the team teased an enormous crustacean boss known as the Queen Stoneback Crab, which is an enormous, almost mountainous enemy. Will was quick to point out the similarities to Shadow of the Colossus a game that I have been acquanted with for more than a decade. The hulking monstrosity required that you climb across its body, completing objectives if you wanted to take it down, and I couldn’t wait to get to that point, but unfortunately we just didn’t have the time for me to battle it.
My time with Crimson Desert was short, but it left a strong impression. Visually, the game is stunning. Mechanically, the combat offers a mix of complexity and brutality that should appeal to fans looking for something fresh in the action RPG genre. It’s not just a single-player rehash of Black Desert, and that’s a good thing. This is Pearl Abyss trying something new, and based on what I played, they have absolutely pulled it off. My only major gripe at this stage is how difficult this may be to play for people who like slower paced combat, and less button presses. As I previously mentioned you can hold your attacks to perform combos, but some of these boss fights will require a little more than just two buttons to get you through.
Whether you’re a Black Desert fan curious about what Pearl Abyss’ single-player offering may be, or you’re a fighting game afficionado looking for an open world adventure, Crimson Desert is shaping up to be a standout title when it releases later this year.
