Pearl Abyss says Crimson Desert isn’t a Soulslike — but it’s launching with one fixed, demanding

Why Crimson Desert’s difficulty stance actually matters

Crimson Desert arrives on PS5 next month with a design choice that will shape how players experience the game from day one: Pearl Abyss confirmed there are no distinct difficulty modes at launch. Marketing director Will Powers told the Dropped Frames podcast the studio “doesn’t call it a Soulslike,” but that combat will reward retreat-and-approach play similar to Elden Ring – avoiding fights to level up and preparing so you can tackle the encounters on the game’s single, curated challenge. That combination of rhetoric and reality is worth unpacking.

• Key takeaways:
• Pearl Abyss frames Crimson Desert as demanding by design: player choice, not sliders, will determine difficulty.
• “Not a Soulslike” is marketing-speak; the described play loop (retreat, explore, level, return) echoes Souls-style risk/reward loops.
• No difficulty toggles at launch raises accessibility and expectation issues for many players.

Breaking down Pearl Abyss’s stance

This caught my attention because Pearl Abyss isn’t some niche studio making inscrutable design choices – they’re best known for Black Desert Online, an action-heavy MMO where player skill and time investment determine success. Saying “it’s not a Soulslike” while describing a design that nudges you to retreat, grind, and come back reads like a careful PR dodge. It lets them distance the game from a specific subgenre label while still promising the tension and satisfaction players associate with tough open-world combat.

That approach is legitimate design: some games are built around a single, tuned challenge. The problem is expectation. Not everyone who picks up an open-world PS5 release expects to be forced into a single difficulty curve. Confirming no selectable difficulty modes is the clearest signal Pearl Abyss can send that Crimson Desert is asking players to accept the rules they set upfront.

What this means for players at launch

If you enjoy the loop of “I died, I explored, I got stronger, I came back and won,” this will probably be exactly the kind of gratification you want. Expect systems that let you avoid fights (stealth, mounts, terrain), meaningful progression from gear and levels, and consumables that can swing outcomes. The flip side: players who need lower challenge floors for accessibility or who prefer difficulty sliders will find no official options day one.

There are a few practical implications: speedrunners and challenge-seekers get a single, authoritative sandbox to master; streamers will have a built-in drama loop; and communities will quickly develop “soft” ways to tune difficulty – self-imposed rules, co-op carries, or guides on optimal builds. Historically, if enough players demand it, developers sometimes add accessibility options post-launch; don’t count on that, but it’s possible.

Accessibility, design intent and the likely future

One sentence: a single difficulty is a design statement, not a budget cut. Still, design statements have real human costs. Not offering toggles at launch places the burden on players to adapt or be excluded. Pearl Abyss can argue that the intended experience requires the risk of failure to feel meaningful — and that’s a defensible creative choice — but it also opens the studio up to critique from accessibility advocates. Watch community feedback in the first weeks; studios that listen can patch in more options, but that requires will and resources.

How to approach Crimson Desert if you plan to play day one

• Don’t expect difficulty sliders — plan to use exploration and progression as your crutch.
• Learn to pick your fights: retreating to level up or farm gear looks baked into the design.
• Follow the early community: if single-mode proves too harsh, expect guides and quality-of-life workarounds fast.

TL;DR

Pearl Abyss insists Crimson Desert isn’t a Soulslike, but its insistence on retreat-and-approach loops plus a single difficulty at launch makes it a demanding open-world action game by design. That’s exciting if you want a curated challenge — and frustrating if you need or expect adjustable difficulty from day one.