Crimson Desert's new demo wowed me, but this medieval RPG still needs work

I can say with confidence that of everything I went hands-on with at Summer Game Fest, nothing got me as animated as Crimson Desert. On the one hand, I was snorting with glee at the RPG's ridiculous but satisfying combat inspired by fighting games. On the other hand, its baffling mechanics led to arguably my most impassioned and lengthy rant of the entire event.

Crimson Desert is a medieval open-world game where you assume the role of the grizzled and fearless Kliff Macduff, who not only has a cool name but some equally great moves to match. The world-building and narrative stakes of its hour-long SGF demo are deathly serious. As the leader of the Greymanes, you need to clear out and capture outposts controlled by an opposing clan. There's appropriately styled armor, war banners with your clan's insignia, cannons, horses to ride into battle; it's all quintessentially medieval. It also takes place across gorgeous mountains and sprawling forests.

The game's battles are of equally epic proportions. Enemies are thrown at you and your soldiers in seemingly endless waves. Environmental destruction sends debris flying over your head. Cannons and exploding barrels illuminate the darkening battlefield in flashes of orange fire. It's an almighty spectacle. You don't have to slay every enemy that stands between you and your objective, so don't waste your time trying to do so, but simply navigating your way through these massive battles is a thrill.

Crimson Desert feels like a serious, atmospheric medieval RPG - right up until the moment you enter combat. While there is the expected light and heavy attacks, parrying, and dodging, Kliff is also armed with a pleasingly ludicrous set of skills - super jumps, throw attacks, RKO-style slams, shield bashes, arrows that act as markers for air strikes, and abilities resembling a hang glider and grapple hook that allow for swift getaways.

With so many satisfying and powerful moves at your disposal, Crimson Desert takes the fighting game approach by binding them to double-button presses on a controller. It takes a bit of getting used to, and I'm unsure how this will translate to anyone playing on mouse and keyboard, but within a few minutes, I was starting to learn the combos.

However, Crimson Desert's leftfield approach to inputs does cross a line. Some bizarre instances of overcomplication and fiddliness feel entirely unnecessary. In some instances, you must hold L1 and aim directly at the thing or NPC you want to interact with before actually hitting the interact button. You'd get used to it, but what's wrong with just pressing or holding a single, contextual button?

The most maddening example, though, comes when Kliff has to pick up something heavy. This left me in disbelief, not once but twice. The first time was at the start of the demo, where I had the seemingly simple task of picking up a large standard that flew the flag of the Greymanes, moving it a few feet, and inserting it into a metal base to claim an outpost for the clan. This required me to press both thumbsticks in to activate Kliff's super strength power, aim at the flag and press X and Square together to select it, rapidly press X to raise it from the floor, press Triangle to secure it above my head, walk to the base, hold L1 to aim at it, then press R1 to place it. All this to pick up and plant a flag…

This baffling combo then returned at the end of the demo, in the middle of a boss fight. A great battle, by all accounts, that pits you against Cassius Morten, the hulking leader of a rival clan, in a sealed room atop a castle. Kliff can only defeat him by using a stun attack, dealing damage to whittle down his stamina bar to put him in a temporary vulnerable state, and then slamming a massive collapsed pillar on him to take big chunks off his health bar. While 90% of this encounter felt great, that cursed combination of inputs is required to pick up the pillar. Given that the boss is only in a vulnerable state for mere seconds, this was quite the challenge. But not an enjoyable one. I can only apologize to the lovely Pearl Abyss rep for my exasperated rant that followed.

If Crimson Desert can simplify or eliminate some of these unnecessary complications, which distract from the genuinely grin-inducing combat, then it'll be all the better for it. While I didn't get to explore much, despite the enticing, beautiful vistas I saw surrounding the demo area, I can also see these fiddly moments breaking the immersion there, too.

Aside from that, I've got high hopes for Crimson Desert. If you're after a medieval game with plenty of authenticity and a healthy dash of lunacy on the side, this should be right up your alley.