Crimson Desert sales soar as players slam clunky controls

Crimson Desert smashes sales records despite furious backlash over controls

Crimson Desert has broken sales records but faces strong criticism over its controls. The game sold over two million copies in its first day and climbed into Steam's top five most-played titles. Yet players have widely condemned its control scheme, calling it overly complex and frustrating to use.

The backlash has dragged its Steam rating down to 'mixed', with only 59% of reviews positive. Many describe the controls as clunky, poorly designed, or even unplayable in their current state.

Since launch, player complaints have flooded forums and review sections. On Reddit, users labelled the controls 'absolute dog shit' and demanded changes. PC Gamer's Rory Norris described the system as 'bafflingly convoluted', while Morgan Park called it the game's 'true boss battle'. Even Mollie Taylor suggested switching to a controller, admitting keyboard inputs were nearly unusable.

Pearl Abyss has acknowledged the issues. Will Powers, the company's PR and marketing director, compared learning the controls to riding a bike—difficult at first but manageable with practice. The studio has also promised updates based on feedback, though no major control fixes have been detailed yet. Patches so far have tweaked inventory management, which ties into movement, but core complaints about sluggish responsiveness remain.

Not everyone shares the frustration. Dinga Bakaba, co-creative director at Arkane, enjoys adapting to new control schemes, likening it to 'mental gymnastics'. Yet for most players, the learning curve feels unnecessarily steep, overshadowing the game's ambitious scale and visual polish.

The decline in Steam ratings reflects broader dissatisfaction. Out of around 12,700 reviews, over 41% are negative, with many citing controls as a key reason. Poor pacing and story issues add to the criticism, but movement and combat mechanics dominate the complaints.

Crimson Desert's record-breaking launch has been overshadowed by persistent control problems. The studio has pledged to address feedback, but so far, updates have only made minor adjustments. With a growing number of negative reviews, the game's long-term success may depend on how quickly and effectively these issues are fixed.