TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 2,013
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Practice makes perfect, eventually.
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One of the more common complaints you're likely to hear about Crimson Desert are to do with its controls, which some folks just don't care for. Folks like, for instance, PC Gamer's Rory Norris, who called the game's control scheme "bafflingly convoluted." Or Morgan Park, who said the game's "true boss battle is wrangling its controls." Or Mollie Taylor, our reviewer, who said you should use a controller instead of a keyboard because it sucks less (real ringing endorsement there), but warned that you're probably going to end up accidentally punching your horse in the head a whole bunch anyway.
You'll find much the same on Reddit, although without the editorial constraint, which means you get succinct analysis like "absolute dog shit" and "whoever made these controls needs to be fired." Yeah, it's rough out there.
One person who thinks the controls are just fine, though, is Will Powers, PR and marketing director for Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss.
"Think of it like riding a bike, it comes naturally after you learn it," Powers wrote on X (via GamesRadar) in response to a user who said the game needs simpler controls. "Just takes a minute."
In a follow-up, he clarified that he agrees about the controls, but was just "saying that it takes time to learn, but it comes naturally after you do."
You'd expect Powers to defend Crimson Desert's controls—he works on the game, after all—but he's not entirely alone out there. Dinga Bakaba, the co-creative director at Arkane, didn't mention Crimson Desert by name but said he likes learning new control schemes, calling it "a rewarding mental gymnastic."
"Makes you pay attention to the game differently too," Bakaba wrote. "I remember discovering Demon's Souls and having to develop new coordination for it. I hope this doesn't disappear in the profit of standardization."
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Crimson Desert is undeniably a hit, selling more than two million copies in less than 24 hours and blasting its way into the top five of the most-played games chart on Steam. But it's also wearing a "mixed" user rating, and its control scheme is certainly one of the reasons why.
Pearl Abyss hasn't commented on the complaints directly, but it did say today that it "will listen closely to the wide range ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
One of the more common complaints you're likely to hear about Crimson Desert are to do with its controls, which some folks just don't care for. Folks like, for instance, PC Gamer's Rory Norris, who called the game's control scheme "bafflingly convoluted." Or Morgan Park, who said the game's "true boss battle is wrangling its controls." Or Mollie Taylor, our reviewer, who said you should use a controller instead of a keyboard because it sucks less (real ringing endorsement there), but warned that you're probably going to end up accidentally punching your horse in the head a whole bunch anyway.
You'll find much the same on Reddit, although without the editorial constraint, which means you get succinct analysis like "absolute dog shit" and "whoever made these controls needs to be fired." Yeah, it's rough out there.
One person who thinks the controls are just fine, though, is Will Powers, PR and marketing director for Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss.
"Think of it like riding a bike, it comes naturally after you learn it," Powers wrote on X (via GamesRadar) in response to a user who said the game needs simpler controls. "Just takes a minute."
In a follow-up, he clarified that he agrees about the controls, but was just "saying that it takes time to learn, but it comes naturally after you do."
You'd expect Powers to defend Crimson Desert's controls—he works on the game, after all—but he's not entirely alone out there. Dinga Bakaba, the co-creative director at Arkane, didn't mention Crimson Desert by name but said he likes learning new control schemes, calling it "a rewarding mental gymnastic."
"Makes you pay attention to the game differently too," Bakaba wrote. "I remember discovering Demon's Souls and having to develop new coordination for it. I hope this doesn't disappear in the profit of standardization."
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Crimson Desert is undeniably a hit, selling more than two million copies in less than 24 hours and blasting its way into the top five of the most-played games chart on Steam. But it's also wearing a "mixed" user rating, and its control scheme is certainly one of the reasons why.
Pearl Abyss hasn't commented on the complaints directly, but it did say today that it "will listen closely to the wide range ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?