{"id":1836490,"date":"2026-03-20T10:00:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836490"},"modified":"2026-03-20T10:00:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:00:49","slug":"i-genuinely-thought-my-controller-wasnt-working-crimson-desert-players-are-getting-so-annoyed-with-its-clunky-controls-theyre-asking-for-launch-day-refunds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836490","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I genuinely thought my controller wasn&#8217;t working&#8221; &#8211; Crimson Desert players are getting so annoyed with its clunky controls they&#8217;re asking for launch day refunds"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/crimson-desert\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Crimson Desert<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">&#8220;I genuinely thought my controller wasn&#8217;t working&#8221; &#8211; Crimson Desert players are getting so annoyed with its clunky controls they&#8217;re asking for launch day refunds<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;Whoever designed the control scheme should seek employment with the devil&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Crimson-Desert-launch-trailer-screen.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Crimson Desert launch trailer shows Kliff being threatened\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Crimson-Desert-launch-trailer-screen.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Pearl Abyss<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-03-20T10:00:49+00:00\">March 20, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/crimson-desert-players-annoyed-clunky-controls-asking-for-launch-day-refunds?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          14 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"10cf2e53-bea5-44e6-bc6c-98d8a341d473\" data-name=\"Crimson Desert\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Crimson Desert\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Crimson Desert\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Crimson Desert\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Crimson Desert\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Crimson Desert\" title=\"Follow Crimson Desert\"><br \/>\n  Follow Crimson Desert<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>With Crimson Desert&#8217;s release finally arriving last night, a massive wave of players have thrown themselves at the open world RPG. However, while there&#8217;s certainly many out there having a good time, others are running into a major problem with Pearl Abyss&#8217; latest release: the controls.<\/p>\n<p>But what do people mean when they say the controls are bad? Well, these gripes are split into two major categories: confusing button mapping that makes performing certain actions frustrating, and sluggish feel of gameplay. Both in one package has players feeling a touch\u2026underwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Whoever designed the control scheme for crimson desert should seek employment with the devil,&#8221; wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LiamStephen1313\">eziobakker on X<\/a>. &#8220;They are fully qualified cause wtf is this.&#8221; Their sentiments are shared <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/inkblotPrincess\/status\/2034866154960036217\">by InkblotPrincess<\/a>, who provided examples of where the controls fail for them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8216;Looting something&#8217;, a staple of this type of game, is a laborious venture involving playing with a finicky button prompt that only sometimes appears, and needs to be seen from a specific angle and with an exact distance from the thing in question,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Talking to an NPC requires me to *hold one button* and then *press a different button*. Genuinely what the f*** are we doing?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Others have focused in on the game feel, pointing to a sense of sluggishness that permeates the game. As <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Niflheimm155983\/status\/2034821922714771799\">Niflheimm on X<\/a> puts it: &#8220;Crimson Desert has set a new low for me in terms of game feel. I genuinely thought it would be like Tsushima &#8211; mid, but comfy due to the great visuals. Instead, it was so unbearably bad that I decided to quit and get a refund literally within 5 seconds of touching the joystick. I made it like 2 min in before quitting lol, I genuinely thought my controller wasn&#8217;t working at first because of the inertia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Or, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/CrimsonDesert\/comments\/1ryhm87\/comment\/obeiiwk\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\">TheMassExodus on the Crimson Desert Reddit<\/a> succinctly summarised the issue: &#8220;Feels like every action happens after button is released. Not pressed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These public complaints come after mixed (though leaning positive) critic reviews, which resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pearl-abyss-shares-tumble-after-crimson-desert-fails-to-meet-expectations\">developer Pearl Abyss&#8217; stock value dropping 30 percent<\/a>. The game also received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/crimson-desert-adds-denuvo-drm-to-steam-release\">last minute changes to its Steam version, adding Denuvo DRM<\/a>. But, on the bright side, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/base-ps5-footage-of-crimson-desert\">base PS5 Crimson Desert footage<\/a> was released (and now tested by players) and it looks okay.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting of course that while many are having issues with these controls, some are managing to have a good time with Crimson Desert in spite of them. For some additional insight into what the game is like,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/crimson-desert-review\"> Eurogamer&#8217;s Crimson Desert review<\/a> is a great place to start. In it, In it, Lewis Gordon described the game as &#8220;an experience that feels distinctly modern, oscillating between whoop-inducing bombast and utter brain-smoothing banality.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>With Crimson Desert&#8217;s release finally arriving last night, a massive wave of players have thrown themselves at the open world RPG. However, while there&#8217;s certainly many out there having a good time, others are running into a major problem with Pearl Abyss&#8217; latest release: the controls.<\/p>\n<p>But what do people mean when they say the controls are bad? Well, these gripes are split into two major categories: confusing button mapping that makes performing certain actions frustrating, and sluggish feel of gameplay. Both in one package has players feeling a touch\u2026underwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Whoever designed the control scheme for crimson desert should seek employment with the devil,&#8221; wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LiamStephen1313\">eziobakker on X<\/a>. &#8220;They are fully qualified cause wtf is this.&#8221; Their sentiments are shared <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/inkblotPrincess\/status\/2034866154960036217\">by InkblotPrincess<\/a>, who provided examples of where the controls fail for them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8216;Looting something&#8217;, a staple of this type of game, is a laborious venture involving playing with a finicky button prompt that only sometimes appears, and needs to be seen from a specific angle and with an exact distance from the thing in question,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Talking to an NPC requires me to *hold one button* and then *press a different button*. Genuinely what the f*** are we doing?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Others have focused in on the game feel, pointing to a sense of sluggishness that permeates the game. As <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Niflheimm155983\/status\/2034821922714771799\">Niflheimm on X<\/a> puts it: &#8220;Crimson Desert has set a new low for me in terms of game feel. I genuinely thought it would be like Tsushima &#8211; mid, but comfy due to the great visuals. Instead, it was so unbearably bad that I decided to quit and get a refund literally within 5 seconds of touching the joystick. I made it like 2 min in before quitting lol, I genuinely thought my controller wasn&#8217;t working at first because of the inertia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Or, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/CrimsonDesert\/comments\/1ryhm87\/comment\/obeiiwk\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\">TheMassExodus on the Crimson Desert Reddit<\/a> succinctly summarised the issue: &#8220;Feels like every action happens after button is released. Not pressed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These public complaints come after mixed (though leaning positive) critic reviews, which resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pearl-abyss-shares-tumble-after-crimson-desert-fails-to-meet-expectations\">developer Pearl Abyss&#8217; stock value dropping 30 percent<\/a>. The game also received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/crimson-desert-adds-denuvo-drm-to-steam-release\">last minute changes to its Steam version, adding Denuvo DRM<\/a>. But, on the bright side, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/base-ps5-footage-of-crimson-desert\">base PS5 Crimson Desert footage<\/a> was released (and now tested by players) and it looks okay.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting of course that while many are having issues with these controls, some are managing to have a good time with Crimson Desert in spite of them. For some additional insight into what the game is like,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/crimson-desert-review\"> Eurogamer&#8217;s Crimson Desert review<\/a> is a great place to start. In it, In it, Lewis Gordon described the game as &#8220;an experience that feels distinctly modern, oscillating between whoop-inducing bombast and utter brain-smoothing banality.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Crimson Desert &#8220;I genuinely thought my controller wasn&#8217;t working&#8221; &#8211; Crimson Desert players are getting so annoyed with its clunky controls they&#8217;re asking for launch day refunds &#8220;Whoever designed the control scheme should seek employment with the devil&#8221;. Image credit: Pearl Abyss News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on March 20, 2026 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1836490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1836490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836490\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1836490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1836490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1836490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}