Crimson Desert's Kliff mocap actor says "what it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in other aspects"

Crimson Desert star Trevor McEwan – the performance capture actor and reference model for protagonist Kliff – understands why some players might find the open-world adventure's story a bit lackluster, but he reckons the game "more than makes up for" it with other aspects.

Speaking on Reddit, McEwan is asked for his take on Crimson Desert's plot, with one fan noting that many players find it rather "barebones." The actor responds, "Yeah, I get that, but I think what it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in other aspects."

He also notes that – if fans "don't mind a bit of reading" – then "there's also lore hidden across the world," so there's more to uncover for those who want to seek it out. That's the case with plenty of other games too, of course – just look at the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, which have a lot more narrative to discover beyond the scenes you're guaranteed to see just by progressing the main story.

McEwan isn't the first person to work on the game to admit that Crimson Desert's narrative isn't exactly its strong suit. Last month, the CEO of developer Pearl Abyss, Heo Jin-young, reportedly admitted that "to some extent" he shares folks' feelings that the story is a bit underwhelming, and noted that the devs regret not fleshing it out more.

Apparently, Pearl Abyss did its best to fit plenty of satisfying story into the game, but during a tight development period, making sure the gameplay was polished was the priority.

Clearly, though, none of that ruins the experience for McEwan, who agrees with one fan saying that "this is the game I've been dreaming about" since they were a kid. That's despite the fact that he jokes his "knees have never been the same" since having to record Kliff's crouch-run, so that's true love.

Be sure to check out our Crimson Desert review to find out if it's worth playing amongst all the other new games for 2026.