Crimson Moon Review – Great Fun on Controller, Frustrating on Keyboard and Mouse

Crimson Moon is one of those games where I came away enjoying the experience quite a bit, while also wondering how much better it could have been with a little more polish at launch.

I finished the game solo, and for most of my playthrough I had a genuinely good time. The combat is enjoyable, the gothic world looks fantastic, and there is enough variety in the weapons, abilities, and progression to keep experimenting throughout the game.

The biggest surprise, however, was how quickly it ended. I expected a considerably longer adventure, especially considering the progression systems and replay-focused structure. The $20 asking price makes the shorter length easier to accept, but Crimson Moon still feels like a game that ends just as its systems are starting to open up.

There is also a major difference between playing Crimson Moon with a controller and playing it with keyboard and mouse. On a controller, the game generally feels good. On keyboard and mouse, several missing basic PC options make the experience far harder to recommend in its current state.

A Beautiful Gothic World

One of Crimson Moon’s strongest qualities is easily its world design.

The environments have a dark, gothic atmosphere filled with ruined architecture, corrupted landscapes, monstrous creatures, and some genuinely beautiful scenery. Even when the individual missions themselves aren’t particularly complicated, exploring the environments remained enjoyable simply because of how good many of the locations look.

The visual direction also gives Crimson Moon a stronger identity than I initially expected. There are obvious Souls-inspired elements throughout the game, but it doesn’t simply feel like another game trying to imitate Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

There is enough of its own style here for Crimson Moon to stand apart visually, and the world ended up being one of the parts of the game I enjoyed the most.

Combat Is Fun, But Souls Veterans Shouldn’t Expect a Huge Challenge

Combat is another area where Crimson Moon generally succeeds.

Fighting regular enemies feels satisfying, and experimenting with different equipment and abilities gives you enough freedom to build around the playstyle you enjoy. There is a good rhythm to moving through an area, fighting enemies, finding better equipment, improving your build, and eventually reaching the boss.

That said, players coming from harder Soulslike games probably shouldn’t expect Crimson Moon to provide the same level of difficulty.

I finished the game solo and found most of the bosses fairly manageable. They aren’t necessarily bad fights, but very few of them forced me to seriously learn attack patterns or repeatedly rethink my strategy.

If you’re already comfortable with games such as Dark Souls, Elden Ring, or similar action RPGs, many of Crimson Moon’s bosses will likely feel relatively forgiving.

That isn’t automatically a negative. In fact, it makes Crimson Moon considerably more approachable for players who enjoy Souls-inspired combat but don’t necessarily want every boss to become a multi-hour roadblock.

The Progression System Could Be Explained Better

Crimson Moon mixes its action RPG combat with a run-based progression system where much of your strength is built during individual missions while other elements contribute toward longer-term progression.

It’s an interesting system once you begin understanding how everything connects, but the game doesn’t explain it particularly well.

The permanent progression especially felt confusing during my first several hours. I frequently found myself wondering exactly what I was keeping, what was temporary, and which upgrades were actually worth concentrating on.

The underlying system has potential because it encourages experimentation instead of locking you into one build, but Crimson Moon needs to communicate its mechanics more clearly.

A cleaner interface and better explanations would make the progression much easier to understand without fundamentally changing how it works.

Crimson Moon Is Surprisingly Short

My biggest disappointment wasn’t the combat or even the progression system. It was simply the length.

I finished Crimson Moon solo considerably faster than I expected.

The game clearly expects players to return to missions, experiment with different builds, increase difficulty, collect equipment, and potentially play through content again with a co-op partner. There is definitely replay value available if that style of progression appeals to you.

However, players primarily interested in completing the main experience once may find Crimson Moon rather short.

For a full-priced $60 or $70 release, that would have been much harder to overlook. At around $20, however, I think the amount of content is much easier to justify.

I had fun throughout the majority of my playthrough, and I don’t regret the time I spent with it. I simply wanted more of it.

Keyboard and Mouse Support Needs Serious Work

This is where my biggest criticism of the PC version begins.

Crimson Moon currently feels significantly better when played with a controller.

Basic PC options that players reasonably expect from a modern third-person action game are either missing or inadequate. There is no proper key rebinding, no mouse sensitivity setting, and no FoV slider.

Any one of those omissions would be annoying. Having all of them missing at the same time makes the keyboard and mouse experience feel unfinished.

Games with fast melee combat require precise camera control. Players need to be able to adjust sensitivity and configure controls around their own preferences. Crimson Moon currently doesn’t provide enough flexibility.

It is especially disappointing because the actual game underneath these issues is good.

With a controller, I could concentrate on combat and enjoy what Crimson Moon does well. With keyboard and mouse, I became much more aware of the game’s control and camera limitations.

Ultrawide Support and Camera Problems

The PC problems continue with ultrawide displays.

Rather than properly expanding the field of view, Crimson Moon’s ultrawide presentation can leave you with a reduced vertical view. The result is an uncomfortable perspective where you can actually see less of the action vertically despite using a wider display.

The problem becomes even more noticeable when locking onto enemies.

The camera tends to angle downward during lock-on situations, reducing visibility further and creating an awkward perspective during fights. Against larger enemies or in tighter environments, the camera can sometimes become more challenging than the enemy you’re actually fighting.

Even outside ultrawide resolutions, the camera needs additional work.

This is one of those problems that might sound relatively minor until you’re actually playing a melee-focused action game. When positioning, dodging, enemy tracking, and reaction timing all matter, inconsistent camera behavior directly affects combat.

Proper ultrawide scaling, an FoV option, improved lock-on camera positioning, and adjustable mouse sensitivity would solve a huge portion of my complaints with the PC version.

Visuals and Performance

From a visual standpoint, Crimson Moon punches above what I expected from a $20 game.

The environments are easily the highlight, with excellent gothic architecture and strong lighting helping create an atmospheric world that frequently made me stop simply to look around.

Character and enemy designs are also generally strong, and combat has enough visual feedback to make fights entertaining without becoming impossible to follow.

My biggest technical complaints weren’t really about graphical quality. They were about how you interact with the game: the camera, field of view, ultrawide implementation, and missing keyboard and mouse settings.

Fixing those areas would dramatically improve the PC experience without requiring any major changes to the game itself.

Audio

Crimson Moon’s audio complements its gothic atmosphere nicely.

The soundtrack becomes more energetic during combat while allowing the environments to breathe during quieter moments. Weapon impacts, abilities, executions, and enemy attacks also provide enough audio feedback to give fights additional weight.

It isn’t necessarily the first thing you’ll remember after finishing the game, but the audio does its job well and fits the darker tone of the world.

Final Verdict

Crimson Moon is a good game currently being held back by some surprisingly basic PC problems.

I had a lot of fun completing it solo. The combat is enjoyable, the world is beautiful, experimenting with different equipment and abilities remains entertaining, and the approachable difficulty makes it easier to recommend to players who like Souls-inspired games without necessarily wanting another brutally difficult Soulslike.

It’s shorter than I expected, the permanent progression system can be confusing, and the camera definitely needs more work, but at around $20 I still think there’s enough here to justify the price.

The recommendation changes depending entirely on how you intend to play it.

If you’re using a controller, I can recommend Crimson Moon in its current state. The issues are still noticeable, particularly the camera, but they didn’t prevent me from enjoying the game.

If you’re planning to play with keyboard and mouse, I would wait for updates. Missing key rebinding, mouse sensitivity controls, FoV settings, and proper ultrawide support simply shouldn’t be problems in a modern PC action game.

That’s also why the early negative reaction is frustrating: there is a genuinely enjoyable game underneath these problems. ProbablyMonsters doesn’t need to completely redesign Crimson Moon. It needs to fix the PC fundamentals surrounding it.

If those updates arrive, Crimson Moon could become a very easy recommendation for anyone looking for an affordable, accessible action RPG with Soulslike and roguelike influences.

Review Score: 7/10

Crimson Moon delivers enjoyable combat, a beautiful gothic world, and impressive value for its $20 price, but its short campaign, confusing progression, problematic camera, and severely lacking keyboard and mouse options prevent it from reaching its full potential. Controller players can comfortably jump in now, while keyboard and mouse players should wait for updates.