With one of the most popular MMOs in the gaming industry, Black Desert Online, Developer Pearl Abyss is moving to a single-player open-world action game with Purple DesertAs someone who deals with Black Desert but I lacked the dedication to stick with it, I was looking forward to it Purple Deserts solo approach and I enthusiastically started a practical part of the game during Gamescom. But while Purple Desert teeming with dangerous, mythical threats, my worst enemy raised its head at the system level.
Purple Desert Set on the vast continent of Pywel, it puts players in the bloodstained shoes of brooding mercenary Kliff. A band of mercenaries join Kilff on his mission to save this beleaguered land, though I didn’t see much of that in the Gamescom demo, which focused on close-combat action with four selectable boss battles.
Although Purple Desert‘s atmosphere is reminiscent of the dark fantasy of game of Thrones (and Kliff closely resembles Jon Snow with face paint), the gameplay feels more playful. Imagine combining fast-paced hack-and-slash action with WWE 2K grappling and a dash of monster scaling a la Dragon’s Dogma or Monster Hunter. Kliff can hack opponents to pieces by stringing together melee combos with his sword or weapons that make opponents drop. Oddly enough, he can also pull off a number of pro wrestling moves, from a running dropkick to a huge swing to a straight-up RKO.
Kliff also boasts maneuverability in the form of the Crow’s Wing, essentially a glider that helps him traverse. A precise focus ability slows down time so he can take out targets with his bow. He can climb on top of larger enemies and poke weak spots to bring beasts to their knees. Pearl Abyss has gone to great lengths to make every swing, slash, and impale look cool, as nearly every big attack creates a shower of colorful particle effects.
Each of the four boss fights in the Gamescom demo offered its own challenge. First, I took on the Staglord, a lord armed with a sword and shield who presented a relatively simple and straightforward challenge. The second boss, a fast, scarecrow-like masked menace called the Reed Devil, proved to be the most annoying enemy. His ability to quickly dart through a wheat field and fire from a distance meant he was confusing to keep in sight. When I had him in my crosshairs, he would often strike first or switch positions. The windows of opportunity for retaliation seemed small, and since Kliff would scamper off his feet during most attacks, simply recovering meant losing the chance to retaliate.
The fight against White Horn, a Yeti-like animal with huge horns, was reminiscent of the encounter with the ape in Sekiro. This monster lunged at me with a wild and unpredictable melee attack. It also unleashed ice storms that froze Kliff in place and left me vulnerable. I succeeded with a more hit-and-run defense to stay out of its considerable range for as long as possible. The final enemy, the Queen of the Stoneback Crabs, was a giant crab made of stone. This fight channels Shadow of the Colossuswhich requires players to climb a bowl laden with crystals to attack weak points that will likely bring them to their knees. I say “likely” because my hour-long session unfortunately ended before I got to see this fight through to the end.
Each boss has a stronger second phase, although Kliff has a Sekiro-like second chance to respawn and continue the fight. I made extensive use of this mechanic, as each fight presented a significant challenge. But the most vexing obstacle often wasn’t the White Horn’s crippling blizzards or the Reed Devil’s dizzying speed. Instead, my biggest challenge was keeping my targets on screen.
My biggest criticism of Purple DesertIn ‘s Gamescom demo, the lack of targeting (or the kind of customization that would be necessary without it) was an issue that took away from the fun. The game seems to be inspired by Monster Hunter in this regard, but enemies often outsmarted Kliff in ways that made combat a tedious exercise in having to rotate the camera to keep an eye on enemies. The excessive number of particle effects also cluttered the screen and made it hard to analyze what was happening, making targeting seem even more necessary. Blocking was similarly difficult to master. I had Kliff’s defenses primed only for attacks to break through, apparently because I was off by a degree or so when facing the enemy properly. I never found the right timing or optimal positioning during my session, so defending often felt like a gamble.
The camera also became a nuisance. Kliff’s movements seemed like those of a rag doll, especially when he was launched into the air, and many attacks sent him crashing into walls, over cliffs, or directly into the camera as if he’d been thrown from a Super Smash Bros. arena. While this was amusing, the camera often went haywire during these moments and couldn’t keep a close eye on Kliff, resulting in zoomed-in shots of him prostrate in a corner with little to no view of surrounding threats. It also didn’t help that when Kliff fell to the ground, he could easily be attacked by others and stunned into nothingness. I suffered several frustrating deaths from being kicked into the dirt while desperately trying to re-orient the camera and get to my feet.
Because of these problems, I left the meeting full of cautious optimism. Purple Desert‘s combat was initially entertaining, but in the demo it became too chaotic and occasionally degenerated into total chaos. I hope these issues are fixed, because there is significant potential behind these sore spots. It remains to be seen whether the open-world exploration portion of the game holds up its end of the bargain, but I hope Pearl Abyss tightens up the action before Purple Desert starts next year.
