Crimson Desert's 'Fast Forward' Dialogue Feature Sparks Heated Debate Among Players

Crimson Desert is nearly here, and we're finally getting a clearer picture of what this ambitious open-world action-adventure entails. IGN's recent preview is loaded with new information, and we even have an extensive interview with one of the developers. However, one feature that's been generating buzz over the past day is Crimson Desert's 'fast forward' button, which allows players to speed through dialogue—and it seems everyone has an opinion on it.

X/Twitter user Jake Lucky shared a clip demonstrating the fast-forward feature in action, showing how it accelerates dialogue during cutscenes. The tweet has been viewed over 1.1 million times. "One of the features I really liked in Crimson Desert is you can fast forward through dialogue while still being able to understand the context," Lucky remarked. "It's not a jump skip, but a time save."

Not everyone is thrilled with this option. "You're... playing an RPG, but you're happy you can skip dialogue?" one critic questioned. "I'd like to play an FPS, but can we have a button that lets me skip the shooting?"

Lucky defended the feature, responding, "Hey, when you only got five hours to play it sure is nice, plus not every dialogue was something I needed the full story on (like rescuing a cat off a roof). To each their own."

Yet, the criticism continued. "Skipping dialogue in an RPG is kinda crazy, imo," another user stated. "Unless it's a second playthrough." Someone else added, "If you need to 'time save' it means you're not really liking what you're playing...."

On the flip side, some players are praising the feature and noting that other games have implemented similar mechanics. "People keep making fun of this. But I’ve played the game," said Swany Plays Games. "When you die to a boss or need to reload a save, or want to do a second playthrough, it’s nice to be able to skip dialogue... It isn’t 'TikTok' brain. When you have a game this big, you see a ton of repetitive cutscenes. You don’t need to watch the dialogue for a cutscene you’ve already seen seven times (for example, turning in a bounty). I actually wish they had a skip button and not just fast forward. Having the option to skip or fast forward isn’t a bad thing."

The discussion around Crimson Desert being labeled an RPG has reignited a recent debate about its categorization. Let's look at developer Pearl Abyss's official description of the game:

Pearl Abyss does not refer to Crimson Desert as an RPG. Instead, they call it an "open-world action-adventure" title. Will Powers, director of marketing at Pearl Abyss America, recently clarified that fans shouldn't expect traditional RPG elements like decision-making and choice-and-consequence mechanics for their character. Instead, the vast array of activities in the world will foster role-playing through "head canon."

"You choose the type of character you want to play as in terms of your progression within the systems in the game," Powers explained. "And then through head canon you’re having this very different experience than other players because of the scope and scale of the game. You’ll be distracted by something, you’ll go on this quest line, you’ll have an experience that’ll be radically different than someone else, even though they’re playing the same game and the same canonical storyline that you both are going through."

After the online debate over whether Crimson Desert qualifies as an RPG gained traction, Powers elaborated on why Pearl Abyss avoids the RPG label, though they're fine with fans using it. "Open world questing and action sandbox for sure," Powers tweeted. In response to someone suggesting it should be clarified that Crimson Desert is not an RPG to manage expectations, he said: "honestly.... it's not my place to dictate someone else's experience. If because of good amount of RPG elements in the game, they want to call it an RPG... Sure. I'm just explaining why WE don't call it one."

We have more coverage on Crimson Desert, including Powers's reaction to accusations that Pearl Abyss is "hiding" console footage. The game is set to launch on March 19 with a price tag of $69.99. Pearl Abyss recently confirmed that it will not include a cosmetic cash shop or any form of microtransactions.