something Crimson Desert Players are not impressed with Cliff, saying as much on various discussion boards and social media platforms. Although the reasons given for this opinion vary from person to person, the broader conversations resulting from the criticism have converged on a single point, which invites scrutiny of the decision not to offer the character creator of the Pearl Abyss. Crimson Desert.
The newest title from South Korean developer Pearl Abyss launched globally on Thursday, March 19. Crimson Desert 2 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours, thus becoming the latest success story among big-budget, open-world, and single-player games. As is common with major releases, its debut sparked a wave of online discussion on various topics, including the protagonist Cliff, who many early adopters seemed to dislike.
Crimson Desert PS5 players are struggling with blurry graphics, but you might be able to fix it
Crimson Desert reportedly has some graphical issues on the PlayStation 5, with the problem also affecting the more powerful PS5 Pro model.
Crimson Desert lacks a character creator as much as Cliff lacks personality, say Day-One players
While Crimson Desert’s bombastic launch day was still going on, the internet spawned populous threads and engagement-driving posts mourning the game's hero. “Cliff is one of the worst AAA MCs in gaming history,” Reddit user Sabawoonoz25 wrote in a widely circulated complaint posted on the game's largest subreddit. “No depth, quiet as a book, never questions anything, has nothing to connect with, and looks like a bunch of every bad*** stoic gaming MC.” Echoing that sentiment, user WhyPlaySerious found Cliff's personality so generic that they mockingly nicknamed him “John Desert”.
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Decision to limit Crimson Desert The three preset playable characters at launch have proven particularly disappointing to some Black Desert Online Giants. Completely ignoring Cliff's personality—or lack thereof—select members of this demographic were dismayed to learn. Crimson Desert Considering that Pearl Abyss' previous titles offer a comprehensive character creator that can rival the best in the business both within and outside of the MMORPG space, it doesn't let them create their own heroes.
Cliff haters are a vocal minority of Crimson Desert players
However Crimson Desert Debuting to mixed player reviews, there are currently no conclusive indications that Cliff or its other protagonists (Damien and Ongka) have significantly influenced its early adopter scores. Of the first 200 Xbox Store user reviews classified as “most helpful” on March 21, only three criticized the lack of a character creator, and only one commented negatively about Cliff's personality. None of the game's 107 one-star reviews on Microsoft's platform mentioned the issue. Likewise, among the first 200 “most helpful” negative Steam reviews analyzed by GameRant on the same day, only six were written by players who considered the lack of a character creator to be a drawback big enough to mention. Four others expressed one or more dissatisfactions Crimson Desertof playable characters, while a Steam reviewer from the group criticized both the portrayal of Cliff and the absence of character development.
Looking professional Crimson Desert Reviews, OpenCritic's database includes 55 of them as of March 21, listing an average score of 79 and a corresponding 79% recommendation rate. Only two of them spotlight “soft heroes” or “boring characters” in their synopsis, conclusion, or both. None of the 55 reviewers equally emphasized the absence of character development.
Pearl Abyss previously indicated a willingness to support Crimson Desert With post-lunch content. Although it has yet to commit to any concrete plans, the initial success of the title raises the possibility of such an outcome. If the current in-game character selection wheel and its two placeholder slots are any indication, that future content may include a new one. Crimson Desert Playable characters, which probably won't eliminate the ongoing complaints about the main characters but can help smooth them out.
- issued
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, drug references, intense violence, strong language
- developer(s)
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The Pearl Abyss
- publisher(s)
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The Pearl Abyss
