Crimson desert's mixed reception

Crimson Desert, the hotly anticipated open-world action game from Pearl Abyss, launched to big Steam concurrents yesterday but is currently on a 'mixed' user review rating on Valve's platform.

Players criticize controls

Most of the complaints revolve around the game's controls, with many PC players recommending that others use a controller. Some are calling the controls 'unintuitive' and 'unresponsive', particularly during normal movement and exploration.

One Steam review criticizes the design, saying, 'Controls on the controller are so bad. It's REALLY annoying to have to hold one button then aim with a stick, then press another button JUST TO TALK TO AN NPC. Why would you design it like this?' Another reviewer complains about the movement feeling 'really sluggish and unresponsive', which makes the clunky controls even more noticeable.

On the Crimson Desert subreddit, threads are filled with complaints about the game's controls. One user writes, 'I find a solution for a task — I want to grab my loot: not working. Literally feeling like someone with a disease. For this you needed so many years? Who QAs this and says yeah lets go live with it?' Another thread reads, 'Controls are single-handedly hurting the game. I had an easier time with Sega's Lion King game. WHY IS THE ACTION BUTTON THE SAME AS THE JUMP BUTTON?'

Pearl Abyss' PR and marketing director, Will Powers, has been responding to player complaints on social media, insisting that once players learn the controls, they'll come 'naturally.' However, many are unconvinced, with one reviewer saying, 'If they just fix the controls to be like every other third-person game it would be such a better game afterwards.'

The mixed reception comes as a blow to Pearl Abyss, who saw their stock price plummet nearly 30% in response to review scores. The company's stock fell a further 9.78% today.