We can all agree on one thing, that combat is an important part of any game. The Crimson Desert game, which is an open-world action RPG, has a combat system worth playing. I’m saying this because it includes powerful combos, flashy attacks and unique mechanics. It has a different combat style than the usual hack and slash. Thanks to Crimson Desert’s developers, Pearl Abyss, for releasing official gameplay footage. So, let’s hop into a deep dive.
Variety in Gameplay
Within the gameplay, most attacks use bows or swords, but we can see a variety in these attacks. But the final game will have much more variety, like wrestling-style close combat and different types of weapons, which we already showed in the trailer. There are many floating islands, which serve as a training centre before players head out into combat. The gameplay starts with a big mission that ends with a boss fight. If you watch the released gameplay, you can see proper variety in the action.
Movement
Let’s talk about combat now. The training begins with learning simple movements. We can see Cliff walking, running, rolling and jumping freely. Rolling is an important part of combat because it helps in dodging. And it comes with invincibility frames that let us dodge through attacks. We are not using dodging only for defence, we use it to improve stamina also. Special attacks need stamina, and dodging is a good way to increase stamina. Stamina isn’t the only resource either, Cliff also carries food to restore health, stamina and spirit. We get the power to perform unique and magical attacks by using Spirit.
Attacks
For basic attacks we have the light attack, which deals sustained damage. To hit harder we have heavy attacks, but it requires a proper opening. If you block the enemy to protect yourself, it will consume stamina, and ranged attacks let you use a bow. These are just basic attacks, which further expand into unique and combined moves. These unique moves will allow you to perform strategies and combinations in combat with more variety.
Unique Moves
The first move that is shown is Stab. It doesn’t seem impressive on a training dummy, but in real combat it is very useful. Stab can pin the enemy in place, and gives you room to move and acts as a strong form of crowd control. It also looks visually awesome when performed.
Another move is my favourite, the Turning Slash. We have to rely on it during different boss fights and it helps a lot to defeat bosses. It’s a very powerful move and can be charged up. It hits twice vertically and cuts straight through enemy defenses effectively. The animations make it powerful, heavy and impactful.
Another notable move is Reflect Light. It’s a very interesting move, Cliff reflects sunlight to enemies making them blind by using his sword. It’s very helpful and effective in combat, freezing all enemies close by. Another brilliant option for crowd control that shows the creativity of the combat system. Moves like these are unusual, we don’t see things like this in other action games.
If you want to switch weapons quickly then we have a quick swap move also. When Cliff uses the spear with the quick swap move, he can vault forward. It is a very helpful move to close gaps or dodge attacks. The game also has weapons like axes and other spear types which makes combat more varied.
One of the most satisfying abilities in the game is Scar of Dusk. It’s also a chargeable attack but unlike Turning Slash it uses both stamina and spirit. Cliff can also unleash a sequence of heavy slashes and you can add more attacks in a sequence to perform massive damage. This one is the most rewarding and powerful move in terms of visual and combat effectiveness.
Defensive Options
Now let’s talk about defensive options. The first defensive move is Evasive Kick. It has good animations and works as both a counterattack and dodge.
Another option is Evasion Slash, which has Cliff slashes backwards while creating space. It helps Cliff stay aggressive while also dodging during combat, keeping the combat flowing even on the defensive.
If we press Spinning Slash quickly, Cliff does a fast single chop. And if we hold the button, Cliff spins more times. This move is useful when we are surrounded by a number of enemies, since the spin hits everyone around us and creates space.
Special Abilities
Now let’s move on to some special abilities. The Force Palm is a magical ability in Cliff’s toolkit. We can say it’s versatile because it works as both movement and attack skills. We can use it as an attack to stun enemies and bosses in place. As movement it blasts Cliff into the air, which gives Cliff extra height and time to reposition or chain into stylish attacks with ranged combos.
It is shown as being combined with other movement skills like grapple and glider. It allows players to close gaps or move around the environment in really creative ways. For some boss fights, this chaining is necessary to hit enemies weak points that are unreachable. The combat system is very complex and in depth for this kind of game.
After Force Palm, we finally get the most awaited magical attacks. Cliff uses an Axiom Bracelet, which lets him infuse his skills with elements like fire, ice, or thunder. It can also be applied to moves like Turning Slash, ranged attacks, and Force Palm to add more depth to combat. Fire element helps in crowd control by causing explosions.
The ice element spreads over large areas and can freeze a group of enemies instantly. The thunder element charges Cliff’s weapon with electricity, which looks like it could deal extra damage against armoured or mechanised enemies, like the massive mech dragon shown in trailers.
Cliff also has a Focus mode, to slow down time, allowing us to mark enemies with our bow. We can also activate it mid-air, giving time to aim the perfect shot before diving into an attack. There’s also an evasive version, allowing us to dodge while tagging enemies so we are never completely exposed while setting up the volley.
Final Thoughts
The game then just leaves us in the freestyle section where we can freely combine all skills and abilities we have learned. We have lots of tools to experiment, and using them will give satisfaction. The controls may feel different and overwhelming at first because controls are different from today’s action games. Cliff also has wrestling style moves and if we combine his wrestling with his special abilities and unique moves, combat will feel amazing. So, are you satisfied with this combat style of Crimson Desert? Do tell me in the comments.