We may not be offered a new one The Legend of Zelda games in 2026, but I feel like I've already been Crimson Desert. From the moment I set foot in Pywel, no, from the moment I saw Kliff use the Axiom Force in the game's pre-launch marketing, I compared this game to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomspecifically. But the more I've played it (and that means over 130 hours now), the more I've seen how much it resembles it The Legend of Zeldaone of my favorite franchises of all time, in many ways. As a result, I think I'd actually be fine if we didn't get a new one Zelda games 2026.
I know Crimson Desert is not actually one Zelda game, and it's a bit of a stretch for me to say that it's my new favorite Zelda game — because it isn't. But it has pretty much everything I love about it The Legend of Zeldaand that's probably why I've enjoyed it so much. The puzzles, the secrets, the huge world to discover. There are lots of things for one Zelda hell like myself to love in Crimson Desert. And I know it's not for everyone, but what game is it? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not for everyone, and look at what it accomplished.
Crimson Desert Review: A Remarkable Open World That Often Asks Too Much
Crimson Desert offers one of the most impressive worlds in gaming, but the deeper you go, the more it begs you to face it on its own terms.
Crimson Desert is basically Zelda, and I love it
If Nintendo ever decided to make one Zelda game that looked this good it would probably be something like Crimson Desert. In fact, I'd argue that hardware is really the main differentiator Zelda from Crimson Desertalthough I could never give up my Nintendo Switch 2, especially now Pokemon Pokopia is out. But despite that Crimson Desert is basically a grab bag of pretty much any game or franchise you can think of, I'd argue it's more like Zelda than anything else—even Red Dead Redemption 2.
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Crimson Desert is chock full of Zelda-like puzzles
First, there are so many puzzles in it Crimson Desertit is almost impossible to count them at this stage. Zelda has always been a puzzle-heavy series, and has even been known for using puzzles as a form of progression gating. Crimson Desert doesn't necessarily use its puzzles as roadblocks to keep you from progressing, but it does reward you with valuable Abyss Artifacts—the game's primary skill, stats, and gear progression—when you solve them. That way, it really makes it worth it to do them, as long as you have enough patience. The biggest difference between Crimson Deserts puzzle and standard Zelda puzzles, however, is that the latter are usually solved with a unique item or tool, while the former can be solved in a variety of ways.
If Nintendo ever decided to make one Zelda game that looked this good it would probably be something like Crimson Desert.
But it's there Crimson Desert starting to look like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomin particular, and it's starting to look even more like a game from Nintendo's beloved franchise. The tears of the kingdoms MO is experimental, in the sense that it encourages players to solve the game's biggest puzzles in their own way. This is especially true when it comes to Link's Ultrahand ability, which allows players to move certain objects in the world to create their own path forward. As I said before, Crimson DesertThe Axiom Force ability is essentially Ultrahand, and it's also used to solve many of the game's puzzles.
Crimson Desert is a copy-and-paste Tears of the Kingdom in Some Big Ways
It takes more than puzzles for something to become like one Zelda game, however, as there are many titles out there that take a puzzle-centric approach to gameplay. But the reason I'm so quick to compare Crimson Desert to The tears of the kingdom depends on how many signature mechanics it imitates, including Ultrahand, and it just happens to have a strong focus on puzzle-solving gameplay on top of that.
Not far in Crimson Deserts story, you visit one of many sky islands in a world design concept that looks like it was copied and pasted straight from The tears of the kingdom. They look different, they serve a different purpose, but the concept is still the same. The sky is filled with floating islands that act as a completely separate layer to Pywel, and they even have their own fast travel points.
That's not all either, as shortly after discovering the first sky island, Kliff gains wings that, when used, act just like The tears of the kingdoms paraglider – although Kliff's wings can be upgraded for more speed and maneuverability. But why would you need something like a paraglider in the first place? Well, that's because you occasionally dive to Pywel's land below from these sky islands, just as you would in The tears of the kingdom. And to prevent you from instantly dying on impact, you can extend the wings to soften the fall. The wings also help you cover more horizontal ground while in the air, just as you can use the paraglider to do so in The tears of the kingdom.
There are also several biomes in Crimson Deserts world, including snow-capped mountains, a desert and grassy plains. Even that makes it feel like The tears of the kingdom.
But there is Crimson Deserts open world in general, which primarily moves you forward with your own curiosity, in a similar way to The tears of the kingdom and its predecessors, Breath of the Wild. There is almost no handle in it Crimson Desert because it expects you to get out and figure things out. It rarely, if ever, tells you what the next step is, simply because it wants you to discover that step on your own. For me, finding things out there in the open world makes it more satisfying, and that's one of the reasons I love The tears of the kingdom so much.
So, sometime during my dozens of hours with Crimson Desertit stopped feeling like a comparison and just started feeling true. The more I've played it, the more I've realized how much it taps into that same sense of curiosity and discovery that has always defined The Legend of Zelda for me, where the game trusts you to try things, push boundaries and figure it out without constantly pointing you in the right direction. That freedom is what makes its world so engaging, as it feels like it's reacting to you rather than guiding you.
That's really the heart of it. It may not have the name, and it may draw ideas from all over, but the feeling it creates is unmistakable. Crimson Desert captures what I have always loved Zelda in a way I didn't expect, and after more than 100 hours I'm calling it my new favorite Zelda the game doesn't feel like a stretch at all.
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, drug reference, intense violence, strong language
- Developer
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher
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Pearl Abyss
