At a ridiculously detailed showcase of the commence-world engine in the support of the RPG Crimson Barren train, I asked a ridiculously detailed ask about water and all hell broke free

Throughout my career, I have witnessed a wide range of technology demonstrations. A standout example that sticks in my mind is an old-school showcase of Uncharted presented by Sony. After we were impressed by breathtaking water simulations that looked more like fresh aloe vera gel than actual water, I remember thinking: if Nathan Drake were to fall into this vividly animated water, you would be able to see his clothes getting wet in real-time. In reality, you probably wouldn’t notice because you’d be too engrossed in the gameplay instead of analyzing technical elements, but the technology was impressive, and Nate’s sweater did indeed get soaked. Truly, it seemed like video games had reached their pinnacle.

This demo lingered in my mind during a recent meeting with Pearl Abyss, which attended GDC 2025 to showcase its BlackSpace Engine—the custom open-world game development technology that powers more than just the upcoming RPG Crimson Desert, the highlight of their presentation. In a way, it felt akin to taking a lengthy tour in a sausage factory; however, instead of observing animal parts being processed, I was exposed to wind vectors, hitboxes, and physics toggles.

We don’t often encounter such intricate details, which is unfortunate. It was captivating and invigorating. From elemental reactions to time lapses, NPC pathfinding, and torch illumination—just the essential nitty-gritty. And most notably, the water. Water that genuinely resembled water and appeared even more realistic with the water technology called Shallow Water enabled. This water could selectively wet your horse’s legs, for instance, or when hit with an ice spell, it would freeze, shatter, and drift downstream, colliding with rocks and forming small crystalline nests.

The essence of this presentation was to achieve remarkable detail, and this water sparked a highly detailed question in my mind. I keep track of the latest sleek releases and cutting-edge graphics technology—how about that Balatro, right?—but this innovative engine seemed like an excellent way to measure the progress of 2025’s games against the Nathan Drake Sweater Gradient, or NDSG as we in the industry refer to it. I felt compelled to inquire.

Here’s the question I posed to the gracious Pearl Abyss developers who entertained my curiosity from Korea: if my character lands face-first in a shallow river and uses his hands to push himself up, will my back still be dry when I rise?

The response, translated by an interpreter after some deliberation, was straightforward. “Regarding the partial wetness, only the arms would get wet,” the team replied. “The back and coat would remain dry. We’ve specified body parts in such a way that when there’s partial wetness, it can be accurately represented. The wetness is distinguishable.”

The phrase “the wetness is distinguishable” isn’t exactly a tagline out of the Uncharted handbook, but it’s precisely the rather blunt summary I received. However, I must admit I felt a hint of disappointment—not due to the water, which, as we’ve established, looked impressive. I can’t stress enough how authentic it appeared.