Welcome to Pywel.

  • Engine

    Pearl Abyss has hand built a whole new engine to accommodate the high level of depth towards combat, movement and emersion, the BlackSpace engine has truly complimented their ambition.

  • Graphics

    For a game that is about fast paced action and whilst being mechanically heavy, the game is complimented heavily due to its graphics from the floor of the map to the flowing of clothes even during the busiest of combats.

  • Ambition

    Crimson Desert whilst being a huge project with a whole new engine and after some very successful previous titles, it would of been easier to approach another online game and keep a successful blueprint, they have showed that not only are they flexible as a development but in a world full of live service multiplayer games running wild, to release a single player game could be classed as a brave yet risky move.

Crimson Desert Website

BlackSpace Engine

The BlackSpace engine handles the fluidity of both fast and slow-paced combat whilst allowing for environmental damage/interaction and multiple entities to preform actions with noticeably zero performance issues which was also highlighted by the 4 boss fights displaying very different aspects and mechanics within the game showing the developers found a way to keep each boss fight feeling fresh but also deeply engaging.

The fluidity of the combat system was highly impressive allowing seamless transition from hand-to-hand combat to ranged bow attacks with a natural feeling drop in mobility due to weaponry.

Movement was very reactive with the parrying and combat rolling being fluid to allow the continuation of combat sequences making it feel seamless, an area that a lot of games have struggled with.

The test environment showed that the studio has taken important scenarios into account with bigger boss arenas which helps the engine really shine at times where it is most needed.

The AI aggression levels were very balanced allowing users to have small windows to adapt and change their thought path whilst not taking away from the battle itself.

Graphically Beautiful

The first thing I noticed about the graphics was the use of softer colours to bring a better undertone that at times really accommodated the ambient environment at important times but not making it intrusive.

Clothing during movement and combat continued to carry an elegant and impressive feel to every aspect due to the collision with hitboxes not causing over reactive tendencies which allowed the game to feel clean cut and professional.

During combat the use of particle effects were visible to indicate certain situations (damage over time and heavy attacks) whilst being present and noticeable they weren’t intrusive and overpowering whilst also having music that really matched the moment.

The HUD was complimentary, easy to see and not intrusive whilst having clear indicators of what resources and stamina was available to use.

I was impressed with the narrative scenes that used the game engine to help with keeping you engaged and the focus being on the main character and other key characters with each one having a clear feel of being important.

The developers have done a fantastic job where I feel a lot of companies struggle, with making the stealth meter and in game controller hints easy to see and notice but not drawing your eye away from the gameplay itself.

Personal Beta Review Score

The use of the brand new BlackSpace engine has truly shown what can be achieved when handled correctly and the Pearl Abyss Dev team have managed their resources wonderfully and truly deserve a lot of praise.

The graphics have truly complimented the fundamentals by working to promote even the smallest details whilst not taking over what the game is trying to do mechanically.

Whilst I believe the controls are a little complex for beginners with a lot of combinations, I do believe that once you get used to the layout its actually very easy to remember and very accessible with natural hand placement.

The only feature I would like to see added to the game is a locking targeting system, but I can also understand that adding may take away the importance of some boss fights and make some Ai mechanics less valued.

Due to the nature of the play test, I personally would confidently rate what was shown so far at a 4/5, I would happily make this a 5/5 game if the developers can carry the same balance into the open world aspects by making the world feel alive and busy, but also not over stuffing the world with traversal complications and having to be constantly fighting your way across the map.

For more information on Crimson Desert

Check out their link below