SIDEQUEST: Is Crimson Desert really deserving of Game of the Year?

Since Crimson Desert launched in March of 2026, a contingent of fans have been touting it as a sure-winner of the treasured Game of the Year award. Despite this, the word of fans isn’t all that matters for a prize like that.

Crimson Desert is a fine game. I’d even go as far as to say it’s a good game. It is not Game of the Year material. Let’s look at some of the past winners of Game of the Year, see what they did right, and see how Crimson Desert compares.

Exploration

I’ll start with a positive. The world of Crimson Desert is, for lack of a better word, amazing. With staggering vastness and plenty of little corners to explore, it is very clear to see where Pearl Abyss developers put much of their work in.

When we compare it to a past Game of the Year winner, like Elden Ring, we actually see a lot of similarities: A massive open world that feels alive, a plethora of secrets to find and beautiful environments.

In this one aspect, Crimson Desert rises to the prestige of a Game of the Year title. I am so disappointed that the rest of the game does not live up to the standards of the world the developers created. 

Story and Writing

If you were hoping I would continue to say positive things about Crimson Desert, I have bad news. That won’t be happening. The list of disappointing things about this game continues to grow as I play. 

Last year’s Game of the Year winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is an extraordinary piece of writing that exemplifies video games as an art form. The characters’ emotions and struggles feel so real despite the fantastical setting you find them in. In contrast, the story and writing of Crimson Desert struggles to be relevant to even the game itself.

Before we even get to the main character, let’s talk about side characters. A major part of the first several chapters is gathering your scattered allies after your group is ambushed. Sadly, most of these allies are absolutely insufferable. The rest are forgettable – except for Marius, he’s a sweetie pie. 

The main character of the game, Kliff, is one of the most boring and uninteresting characters I’ve encountered recently. The biggest issue is that the game can’t seem to decide whether it wants Kliff to be a “strong silent type” that the players can project themselves on to, or a fully realized character within the world with the players simply playing his story. 

Did someone say “story?” Let’s talk about the story. I can’t say I hate it – I wouldn’t dare devote that much energy to it. The story is nothing, it’s forgettable. Each main story quest feels so disconnected from the next that while I might be able to follow what is happening, it lacks any emotional impact. 

Another huge aspect that the writing and quests lack is any sense of nuance. There was a point where I was begging side quests to not end exactly how I thought they might end. Without a doubt, the game fails to surprise. Everything in this game is good or evil, there is no in between.

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Combat

The combat in Crimson Desert is confused – not confusing – confused. It can’t decide what it wants to be. For the most part, it’s a fun, quick, hack-and-slash style combat system until you hit a boss fight, of which there are many.

We turn once again to the 2022 Game Awards Game of the Year winner “Elden Ring.” To say combat is a major focus of “Elden Ring” would be an understatement. What makes the game’s combat so fantastic is not just because of its difficulty, but the controls and hitboxes are so precise that the difficulty feels fair.

Crimson Desert does not have that feeling. Boss encounters are poorly designed, fast-paced fights that the controls do not have the fidelity to keep up with, and these aren’t even the worst combat encounters.

Flying enemies are a common hazard in RPGs, they force you to change your fighting style and can be a nice change of pace, although usually they are just frustrating. Crimson Desert decided to break the mold by not only making annoying flying enemies, but also making very poorly designed ranged combat. The bow (or gun) barely works, and every time you attempt to use it, your character may just ignore you and put up their shield instead.

When you hit the flying enemies enough they fall to the ground, you’d think it’s so you can easily dispatch them with a much stronger sword. By the time you get over to them, they are back in the air to cast spells on you.

Like I said, Crimson Desert is a fine game, but it is carried by its massive and gorgeous open world. The errors that it has are pretty glaring. From a boring main cast of characters and story to boss fights that don’t appear to have been play tested at all, the game has more than just a few issues.