Thirteen minutes of gameplay from Pearl Abyss’s recently delayed title are on show—and if you’re headed to Cologne or Seattle, you’ll be able to try it hands-on at both gamescom and PAX West.

Prior to the scene shown in the video, the protagonist, Greymane Kliff, and his fellow Greymanes walk into an ambush laid by their enemies, the Drunken Black Bears. After a brutal clash, Kliff and his companions are split up and scattered. Kliff sets out to find them. While traveling across the continent of Pywel, he learns that his most trusted ally, Greymane Oongka, is in the region of Calphade. Upon arriving, he discovers that reaching Oongka is complicated by a violent uprising stirred up by Cassius Morten—a subordinate of Marquis Stefan Lanford, lord of Calphade and an ally of the Greymanes—who has joined forces with the Black Bears to overthrow Lanford. With Calphade on the brink, Kliff joins the fight, beats back both the rebels and the Black Bears, and swings the tide in Calphade’s favor. On the battlefield he reunites with Oongka—who has been fighting alongside Lanford against the rebels—and defeats Cassius Morten, ending the revolt.

The footage drops viewers into an epic-scale war, with countless NPCs battling in real time across every corner of the field. As the Calphadean army and the rebels collide, artillery screams overhead and high-tension skirmishes break out on all sides. Soldiers’ shouts, clashing steel, and the smoke and flames rolling over the ground combine to create a convincing warzone atmosphere. Kliff undertakes varied battlefield tasks, from firing cannons and demolishing enemy watchtowers to rescuing allies in distress.

For mobility, Kliff can summon and ride his horse, and he can glide along optimal routes using the Crow’s Wing ability. His Axiom Force further boosts maneuverability and enables more advanced combat tactics. As he pushes through missions and the broader questline, he encounters a spectrum of combat situations—each supporting multiple approaches—so players can adapt and showcase their preferred fighting style. Kliff can leverage a broad offensive toolkit, time dodges and blocks, and swap among multiple weapons to seize the advantage.

Kliff’s Axiom Bracelet augments attacks with fire, lightning, and ice, each imparting distinct effects on enemies. Fire-charged arrows explode on impact, while an ice-charged sword strike freezes foes so they can be shattered with a follow-up blow. He also employs Artillery Whistling Arrows, which call in allied forces to bombard a designated location. Beyond wiping out enemies, this tool can be used strategically to level enemy structures such as watchtowers.

Mid-questline, Kliff faces a fearsome black bear—an outsized foe whose sheer bulk and power set it apart from rank-and-file troops. Grapples are ineffective against it, and it dishes out devastating attacks, including massive axe swings and launchers that send players airborne. The war peaks in a boss battle with Cassius Morton, who wields a mace and shield with lethal precision. While evading his relentless blows, players can defeat Cassius through multiple means, including straightforward attacks. There’s also a special tactic: sustained damage will stagger him, allowing Kliff to use a special skill to lift shattered pillars in the arena and hurl them as weapons for massive damage.

The Pywel continent showcased in the video is another highlight. This explorable landmass is rendered with high-quality visuals and lively natural phenomena, including dynamic lighting and weather. Behind the front lines, cliffs and mountain ranges unfold, underscoring the realistic presentation achieved with Pearl Abyss’s proprietary BlackSpace Engine.

Crimson Desert is slated for release in Q1 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Source: Gematsu