Anyone who has played, or even just seen, Crimson Desert in action won't fail to notice how it borrows mechanics from other popular games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, just to name a few. Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead Michael Douse didn't miss this either, saying the game is the definition of "gaming plucked off a gas station shelf." Still, this doesn't make the game any less fun.
"Crimson Desert is fun to play, but it is such a cynical amalgamation of borrowed mechanics. It is Now That's What I Call Gaming plucked off a gas station shelf, for better & worse," said Douse on X a few days ago, ultimately praising the game despite its lack of innovation.
However, this approach could spell a major change within the gaming industry as a whole. "Expect a lot more of this in premium & F2P. There is less risk in it," Douse said. "Is it more cynical than any other big AAA open world game that borrows from its own past? Probably not. At least it's adding spice to the stew, rather than removing it."
Fun Vs. Innovation
Needless to say, these statements on Crimson Desert sparked a sharp reaction from the community. Ivory Moose challenged the Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing lead to "name a better video game that's more immersive or fun to play recently," adding that they would need to get back to (surprise) Baldur's Gate 3 to find something similarly immersive and fun.
The "cynical amalgamation of mechanics" statement is the one the Crimson Desert community had the most heated reaction to. "Every game dev is borrowing from another game dev. It's the way of things. This idea that devs cannot take ideas from a whole bunch of games is a lie. What's the core thing gamers want? FUN. They got that," said MRHARDCOREMODE, with whom Douse agreed, although few games are the "Greatest Hits of game mechanics in one pot."
A New Industry Standard?
Although it's undeniable how derivative Crimson Desert can get, it's not the only recent game to borrow heavily and still find success. Baldur's Gate 3 itself perfected a traditional cRPG formula, while other recent hits, like Helldivers 2, don't do anything truly innovative, but what they do, they do so well that it is easy to look past the lack of innovation.
And if Crimson Desert's "cynical amalgamation" returns in future premium and free-to-play games, but with the same level of quality, I personally wouldn't find it a major issue. Over sixty hours in, and with the story completed, the game developed by Pearl Abyss continues to pull me, mostly thanks to its excellent combat system and the sense of discovery that permeates Pywel.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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