Crimson Desert Players Are Requesting Launch Day Refunds Over Clunky Controls

AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·

Crimson Desert Players Are Requesting Launch Day Refunds Over Clunky Controls

Crimson Desert players are requesting launch day refunds due to frustrating button mappings and sluggish game feel, sparking heavy debate across social platforms.

Pearl Abyss finally launched Crimson Desert, but the open world RPG is facing an immediate backlash from players struggling with its input design and sluggish movement. Social media feeds are filling up with frustrated posts from early adopters, with many stating that the control scheme feels entirely counterintuitive for a modern action game. Common complaints point to basic actions like looting and talking to NPCs requiring awkward button combinations or overly precise positioning. Other players note that character inertia and input lag make movement feel unresponsive, with some even questioning if their controllers were malfunctioning before realizing it was just the game.

This early player friction follows a mixed critical reception and a thirty percent drop in developer Pearl Abyss stock value. The addition of Denuvo DRM to the Steam version right before launch also added fuel to the fire for PC players. While base PlayStation 5 footage managed to reassure some people about the game's visual performance, the control debate is dominating community discussions. Not everyone is bouncing off the experience, as some players are managing to look past the awkward layout to enjoy the world, but the barrier to entry is proving too high for a significant portion of the audience.

For a deeper dive into how the game holds up beyond the control issues, you can check out the full review over at Eurogamer. Whether Pearl Abyss will patch the control scheme or add remapping options to ease the launch friction remains to be seen. In the meantime, community sentiment serves as a sharp reminder that smooth game feel is just as important as graphical fidelity when players dive into a massive new release.

Tags: Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss, PC Gaming, PlayStation 5, RPG

Original article: Eurogamer