CABAL RED 🔴 CBT Review: A Technical Dive with Mr. Wormy

The Closed Beta Test (CBT) of CABAL RED, the highly anticipated mobile & PC title from the Cabal franchise, gave us an early glimpse into what’s coming. In this post, I’ll break down my hands-on experience during the CBT, covering technical performance, user interface, gameplay experience, and areas for improvement.

Rating Summary: 4/5

• Compatibility & Device Testing 5/5
• Input & Controls 4/5
• Graphic: 5/5
• Mobile UI: 4/5
• PC UI: 2/5
• Audio: 3/5
• Gameplay: 4/5
• Network / Social: 5/5
• Monetization: 4/5

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⚙️ TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE

🔌 Compatibility & Device Testing

iOS:

• Although I couldn’t personally test iOS due to device limitations, a friend running the game on an iPhone 15 via TestFlight reported smooth gameplay without issues.

Android:

• Galaxy S10 (Minimum Requirements):
  Performance was below average. Given its age (2019), the device struggled—likely due to outdated OS and hardware.
• Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G:
  Flawless performance, though the device heated up during extended play—expected from Unreal Engine-powered games.

PC Client:

• A few technical details were missing from the official requirements:
  • Storage: The game takes ~18–19GB, so a 20GB free space requirement should be clearly mentioned.
  • Browser Requirements: Needed to install/run Hive Launcher but not stated.

• My PC Specs (Lenovo Legion 5):
  • Intel i7-14650HX, RTX 4060, 32GB RAM, SSD 2TB
  • 3-day test streaming sessions:
    • 📅 Apr 25: 6h 15m – 1 crash
    • 📅 Apr 26: 6h 15m – no crash
    • 📅 Apr 27: 4h 5m – no crash
      ✅ Stable FPS, smooth dungeons, no major graphical glitches.

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🎮 USER EXPERIENCE

🖱️ Input & Controls

• Mobile: Responsive touch zones, ergonomic design for thumbs and gestures.
• PC: WASD + mouse worked smoothly.

🖼️ Visuals & UI

• Skills:
  • Normal Skills: Lacked polish and visual flair.
  • Combo UI: Excellent and nostalgic.
  • Battle Mode: Felt underwhelming visually, despite its power.
• Summon Animation (Gacha): Visually satisfying and engaging.
• UI Layout:
  • Dull, grayish backgrounds across UI sections (e.g. character creation, costume, pet, mercenary).
  • UIs often stretch poorly on PC—feels like a mobile-first design.
  • No PC-specific enhancements (e.g., empty spaces not utilized, lack of shortcut keys like opening the Pet UI).
  • 💡 Suggestion: Introduce PC-adaptive UI elements like widget support, sci-fi-themed designs matching the game world, and expanded shortcuts.

🔊 Audio

• SFX: Skill and status effects (freeze, burn, shock) were fine.
• BGM: Carries nostalgia but lacks fidelity—consider a remaster for full impact.

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🧠 GAMEPLAY

• Quests: Some quests are repetitive.
• Map: Not open-world game, have loading screen between maps / contents.
• Growth System: Some were ported from Cabal 1 / 2 / M to Red, some are totally new. Need further optimization / guidelines for players.

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🌐 NETWORK & SOCIAL

• Networking: Stable data consumption during all test periods.
• Chat System: World, party, guild filters are functional.
• Cross-platform Interaction: Works as expected.
• Trading: Auction House using Force Gems available (Unclear if Alz is supported).

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💸 MONETIZATION SYSTEM

• Gacha Mechanics: Mount, pet, and mercenary summoning included.
• Paywall Systems: Battle Pass, cash shop, and utility-based upgrades (e.g. inventory expansion) present.

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🧪 CBT OBSERVATIONS

• Duration: 3 days, 6 hours/day—feels too short for deep testing.
• No clear content guide – players were left guessing:
  • Available classes, dungeons, and PvP content weren’t explained.
• Regional Availability:
  Launch appears to be limited to South Korea, though the presence of English confused many into thinking it was a global release.
• Player Hype: High, but limited testing access and lack of clarity led to frustration.

🚧 Major Testing Issues

• Channel Congestion: Only 1 channel made questing difficult. Minimum 2–3 channels would help.
• OTP Bug: Took over a week to fix (resolved ~April 15–16), turning away many international testers.
• Testing Items: GMs gave out gacha-related items, but no starter gear, repair kits, or reforging items were provided.

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🛠 FEATURES TO IMPROVE

1. UI redesign for PC clients—more engaging, optimized layout, and full shortcut support.
2. BGM upgrade—remastered for richer audio experience.
3. Better onboarding—with guides to available content and mechanics.
4. Regional clarity—clearly communicate the CBT/OBT scope to manage expectations.

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📌 FINAL THOUGHTS FROM MR. WORMY

CABAL RED shows strong potential, especially with cross-platform capabilities and a familiar combat system. However, the PC experience needs polish, and clearer communication from the devs would go a long way in keeping both Korean and global fans engaged.