Crimson Desert Is Not a Soulslike; Will Not Have Microtransactions at Launch
Based on what has been shown so far, Crimson Desert may seem similar to several other games, but the developers want to make it clear that this open-world action RPG is not a soulslike.
However, that does not mean Crimson Desert will be easy. While it may share a few similarities with the genre, it follows its own design.
Crimson Desert Is Not a Soulslike, But Do Not Expect It to Be Easy
Speaking on the Dropped Frames podcast, Pearl Abyss’ marketing and PR director, Will Powers, talked about the “beauty” of Crimson Desert’s open world. He explained that players do not need to be highly skilled just to explore the map.
There will be bosses to defeat in the main story in order to progress. Still, players are free to move in different directions, complete side quests, upgrade weapons, and find ways to make fights easier. In theory, players should not get stuck at one point without having something else to do.
When discussing bosses, Powers mentioned that when people see a boss appear in Crimson Desert, they often think the game is a soulslike. He stressed that this is not the case. According to him, soulslike games follow a very specific design, while Crimson Desert focuses more on combo-based combat and allows players to control the pace of fights.
While Crimson Desert includes skill checks that require players to learn proper combat, Powers clarifies that the game offers many ways to improve your character and make difficult encounters easier. This ensures that while battles may be challenging, they remain accessible, preventing players from ever getting “hard stuck.” However, he stresses that this accessibility does not mean the game is “easy.”
Powers also confirmed that Crimson Desert will not have microtransactions at launch, functioning as a premium, single-purchase game. The only additional purchases are the optional pre-order bonuses, which are strictly cosmetic.
Crimson Desert will be relesaed on March 19 on the PS5, Xbox Series X}S and PC.
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