Website Metacritic, which collects video game reviews from dozens of publications to produce an average score, puts Crimson Desert at a “generally favourable” 78 out of 100, external.
There was almost unanimous praise for the game’s graphics, its variety of environments and the scope of its ambition.
But critics were less united on whether Crimson Desert brought its various influences and ideas together into an enjoyable whole.
Forbes’ Paul Tassi, in his 9.5 out of 10 review, external, was impressed by the game’s “unprecedented scale”, and said he’d “never been bored” after playing it for 100 hours.
Despite his praise, like most reviewers he was less impressed by the game’s story, calling it the “weakest element”, but said it was not expected to be a strong selling point.
In a four-star review, external, GamesRadar’s Joel Franey said Crimson Desert was “messy”, but “elements of genius and wonder make the experience worthwhile”.
One of the game’s harsher critics, Shacknews’ Will Borger, external, said the game’s “maximalist” approach worked against it, and felt it only succeeded “half the time”.
“The rest of it made me wish I was doing literally anything else,” he wrote.
“I cannot deny its ambition; I did not enjoy my time with it. It is a game that wastes your time.”
Radio Times reviewer Alex Raisbeck, who gave the game four stars, external, summed up the diversity of opinions in his write-up.
“It feels like a game that, for the right player, could be played for thousands of hours without getting bored,” he wrote.
“For others, it’ll be one playthrough and then never picked up again.”
Reviewers played the PC version of the game, but it is also due for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles.
