Just hit the 15-hour mark in Crimson Desert and I'm really digging it. Even with some rough edges, Pearl Abyss has cooked up something pretty special here.

The world is massive: Seriously, the scale is insane. The draw distance is incredible-you can see so far into the distance it actually makes the world feel "real" and lived-in.Combat: Its punchy, fluid, filled with variety, and just plain fun. Definitely the highlight of the gameplay loop so far.Graphics: Absolutely top-tier. It's a gorgeous game to just stand around and look at.Traveling: Even though I’ve only used my horse or gone on foot, I’m not bored yet. Just moving through the environment feels rewarding.

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The Story: It’s… fine? A bit lackluster so far, but honestly, it’s not a dealbreaker when the world is this fun to explore. To a certain extent I can appreciate that the story doesn't get in your way, sort of.Generic Characters: This is my main gripe. Kliff feels a bit hollow, and the characters around him feel very "cookie cutter," copy paste stereotypes. Very little substance to the cast. It's like they decided on a theme and just went with it. Every character around Kliff is the same person, with a slight variation. "The drunk" Greymane. "The smart non-fighting" greymane.
• Cutscenes: You can’t skip them, which is kind of annoying. They do have the "hold spacebar to double speed" thing, which helps, but just let us skip, plz.

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Final thoughts:
Despite the flat characters, I’m really enjoying my journey. I've also really appreciated how fast the devs are to respond to feedback, which is a great sign. Can’t wait to get deeper into the world and discover more fun stuff to see and do. Based on the massive size and how many hundred hours a few streamers have played already it's likely going to take me a while to get there.

If you like massive open worlds, gorgeous graphics and solid combat, it’s a massive thumbs up from me. Keep it up Pearl Abyss!