When a new RPG claims an open world bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2 and twice the size of Skyrim, expectations rise instantly. With Crimson Desert, those promises are as bold as the game’s ambitions.
Bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2 and twice as big as Skyrim?! The open world of a new RPG coming this spring is promised to be massive.
Crimson Desert: From MMO To Single-Player RPG
Crimson Desert is shaping up to be one of the next big fantasy RPGs. Developed by Pearl Abyss, the studio best known for Black Desert Online, the game was originally conceived as a multiplayer game. Over time, however, Pearl Abyss made a decisive shift and reworked Crimson Desert into a single player, narrative driven open world action RPG, which is set to launch March 19.
So far, the game looks like a mixture of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Dragon's Dogma. That said, very little is known about the story at this point, other than the fact that it takes place on the fictional continent of Pywel.
The trailers give a first impression of how combat might work. It appears to follow a typical action game fighting system, with a strong emphasis on visually striking effects. Most footage focuses on melee combat, but the game is also expected to feature ranged weapons such as bows.
Nonetheless, it is still easy to see that the game was originally planned as an MMO when looking at the sheer amount of systems teased in the trailers. Players can tame horses, cook meals, steal wagons, rescue hostages, arm wrestle in taverns, and perhaps most importantly cuddle pets and even ride dragons.
However, the most talked about aspect of Crimson Desert is not any single feature, but the sheer scale of its open world.
A World Twice As Big As Skyrim
During New Game+ PR representative Will Powers was asked about the size of the game, and his answer might surprise some people:
“Twice the playable area of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s larger than the map of Red Dead Redemption 2. The area you’re playing in, the continent of Pywel, is absolutely massive.”
It is not a shock that a game originally conceived as an MMO would feature a huge open world, but being bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2 still feels almost unreal. However, in the end it is not just about the size of the map, but about what you can actually do in it and how the world feels. If it manages to feel alive throughout, much like the world of The Witcher 3, then we are in for a real treat. For now, though, we will have to wait until March 19.
Are you excited for Crimson Desert? Let us know in the comments!
