New open-world RPG offers arguably the best water graphics. That's not the only visual highlight of Crimson Desert

At the Game Developers Conference, Pearl Abyss studio presented the capabilities of its proprietary BlackSpace Engine. Especially the water simulation is very impressive.

Adrian Werner

March 27, 2025 15:50

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New open-world RPG offers arguably the best water graphics. That's not the only visual highlight of Crimson Desert Source: Pearl Abyss.

The action RPG Crimson Desert is shaping up to be one of the most beautiful games of this year. One of the graphically impressive features of this project is water, and a recent article on GamePro has detailed how this was accomplished.

The text is based on a presentation that the creators, the people from Pearl Abyss studio, held last week at the Game Developers Conference. We recommend the whole video.
The simulation of sea waves, which realistically collided with obstacles, and the water droplets that naturally scattered around the environment from these impacts, left a lasting impression on the GDC participants. The rivers also look great, partly due to the presence of frothy water in the right places.
Pearl Abyss Studio used the famous Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm to create water simulations. The Crytek team had previously used it in developing Crysis, but it was implemented in a much-simplified form due to the limitations of hardware at that time. The devs of Crimson Desert have access to much greater computing power, enabling them to realistically simulate elements like water physics .

The presentation wasn't limited to just this aspect of graphics. Pearl Abyss also detailed other elements of its proprietary BlackSpace Engine, including the use of ray tracing and a dynamic weather system. This last one will influence the NPCs. For instance, their hair and clothes will be blown by the wind, and they are supposed to get wet from the rain.

The creators decided to develop their engine, as they needed technology perfectly suited to their own needs. This is especially visible during exploration. The game will feature a vast open world, which we can explore both on land and on the backs of flying creatures, making it essential to create data loading systems that this. The recent launch of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, where we can explore the entire world by flying a mech, reminded us how rarely such a feature is possible in modern titles.

Crimson Desert is coming to PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, Pearl Abyss is still not ready to announce the exact release date. We only know that Crimson Desert is set to be released at the end of this year.