I first sawCrimson Desertbehind-the-scenes at Gamescom 2023, a quiet appointment on the final day of the event that took me completely by surprise. In 2024, I actually got to play the game, tackling three of its bosses in a demo boss rush demonstrating the game’s complex, combo-heavy combat system. I had a difficult time getting to grips with the controls, and the event was a little rushed, which means I didn’t get time to properly settle into the combat.
Now in 2025, I actually managed to defeat all four of the available bosses in the demo - the Staglord, the Reed Devil, the Queen Stoneback Crab, and the new boss I hadn’t fought yet, Hexe Marie. Something about the combat just clicked this time, probably because the setting I played it in was a bit more focused, and I could get one-to-one assistance from the developers and advice about which combos to try.You can read about my experiences trying to deal with the Staglord and co in this piece from 2024, while you can read on to hear my yapping about Hexe Marie and her army of shambling skeletal monsters.
The New Boss: Hexe Marie
There are dozens of bosses in Crimson Desert—I’ve only seen four of them, the newest being Hexe Marie. Each one is distinct from the last, and Hexe Marie’s gimmick is that she spawns a horde of skeletons and drops magic mines that explode to deal damage over time. This battle was chaotic but beautiful. I was playing on a top-end rig and the amount of particle effects on the battlefield was almost overwhelming, especially when I swapped to the bow and explosive arrows to clear out the skeletons.
I’d mastered the use of the combo called ‘Turning Slash’ by now and managed to make pretty short work of Hexe Marie, also looping in a few ‘Force Palms’ to launch myself into the air, and then activate Kliff’s bullet-time mechanic to unload several flaming explosive arrows in the swirling mass of feathers and crows known as Hexe Marie. When it clicks, the combat in Crimson Desert is just excellent, and the target lock-on feature has been refined since I previously played the game, which made handling the camera much easier.
The fight rolled between fast-paced sword-slinging to well-choreographed set pieces that felt like I was watching Geralt Of Rivia slice open the creature of the week in Netflix’s arguably decent first season of The Witcher. It’s clear that there’s a lot of inspiration drawn from that white-haired monster hunter, but Kliff - the main beast slayer in Crimson Desert - has a bit more of a heft to him than the cat-like Geralt. You spend as much time suplexing your enemies as you do slicing them with your sword.
Exploring…Just A Little
I had a few minutes at the end of the demo session to explore some of the boss arenas, and while these are closed-off areas you couldn’t wander out of - I don’t think it will be like this in the full game - just the small glimpses of the water, mountains, and distant buildings of Crimson Desert’s world left me desperate to explore more.
There was a pool of water around the Queen Stonecrab arena and when I dived in to take a swim I was pleasantly surprised to find that Kliff floundered a little in the water, and it really looked like he was struggling to keep himself afloat. It makes sense, considering how much heavy armour he wears, but that level of detail is often overlooked in games. The river also pulled a little with a current, which is a nice touch. Much like the combat, the swimming had this sort of density and weight that you could almost feel through the controller.
When Kliff clambered out of the water, I experimented with the camera a little: not only can you go into first-person mode with a click of a button, you can also rotate the camera around your character. It’s sort of this built-in photo mode that doesn’t require you to go into a menu. This seems built specifically so you can take in some of the impressive vistas in the game,enhanced by Pearl Abyss’ BlackSpace engine that we previously previewed.
We’ve had some small glimpses of the open-world activities in Crimson Desert, like horseback riding, mini-games, and petting a cute little lamb, but I need more. I’ve got to explore it myself. The combination of brutal, combo-heavy combat and the chance to adventure through this hugely detailed and expansive world puts Crimson Desert right at the top of my most anticipated games of 2025.
