(Image credit: Pearl Abyss)
Throughout my career, I’ve been part of numerous tech demos. A standout was an Uncharted showcase by Sony, back when we marveled at water so realistic it didn’t resemble microwaved aloe vera gel. Nathan Drake falling into this thoroughly watery terrain revealed another marvel: real-time drying clothes. Imagine video gaming reaching its pinnacle, as Nate’s sweater clung drenched!
This memory surfaced during my recent encounter with Pearl Abyss at GDC 2025, where they unveiled the BlackSpace Engine. The proprietary tech behind the forthcoming Crimson Desert offered a tour akin to witnessing sausage-making magic—substitute animal byproducts with wind vectors, hurtboxes, and physics toggles. Rarely do we get such inside views, which is regrettable. From elemental reactions, time lapses, NPC pathing to torch brilliance, the details captivated. But the star? Water.
Yes, this showcase thrived on abundant detail, sparking a query in me as vivid as the water portrayed. As someone tuned into cutting-edge releases and graphics advancements like Balatro, this new engine begged a 2025 video game comparison against the Nathan Drake Sweater Gradient—the NDSG, as insiders call it.
Thus, my question to the engaged Pearl Abyss team, translated from Korea, was relentless: should my character fall face-first into a shallow river and brace with their hands, would their back emerge dry?
After considerable discussion, the response was straightforward: “Only the arm portion would get wet,” they explained. “The back and cloak remain dry. Our tech discerns body segments for partial wetness, ensuring it’s distinctly identifiable.”
“The wetness is distinguishable” might not headline on an Uncharted box, yet it’s the succinctness I sought. Oddly, I felt a hint of unfulfilled intrigue—not at the water’s exceptional aqueous nature but hoping for a narrative disruption akin to casing rupture during sausage crafting.
Then, the unexpected: a PR coordinator intervened, sparking further inquiry—is this wetness distinction a specific game or engine attribute? Delving deeper than before, the staff clarified this was purely about the pioneering tech. Individual polygons, however, turned into spectators as I watched a collaborative interaction likening a NASA predicament with a feline on the launch pad.
The conclusion was profound: it wasn’t about polygons but a volumetric masking feature. So indeed, the wetness remains discernible, guaranteeing a dry back. File this under NDSG progress!
Crimson Desert boasts a feel akin to Dragon’s Dogma 2 blended with the spirited heroism of The Witcher 3.