The souls-like genre is usually known for a few things: tough combat difficulty, dark fantasy storytelling, massive bosses, and a focus on player discovery. Another Crab’s Treasure is a cheeky indie souls-like game developed by Aggro Crab that follows most of these expected gameplay traditions, but presents it in a cutesy and cartoon-like underwater world. Playing as a naive hermit crab named Kril, you set off from your home and undertake a dangerous treasure hunt that spans the entire ocean. It’s an interesting premise, but does Another Crab’s Treasure follow through with its subversive take on the genre?
Kril’s Ocean Quest
Another Crab’s Treasure is all about Kril, a humble little hermit crab who just wants to enjoy his day. Unfortunately, when he discovers that he has backed taxes from the Royal Duchess and must pay up, his precious shell is seized as collateral. With no shell to call home, Kril decides to leave the safety of his tide pool and heads into the ocean to plead his case to the Duchess.
Of course, things get more complicated from there, leading to a lengthy treasure hunt full of personable characters. Villainous pressure comes from Roland, the money-hungry CEO of the Shellfish Corporation, who wishes to claim all treasure as his own. Rivals are found in other would-be treasure hunters, like the over-confident Firth, leading to some character growth sprinkled into the otherwise silly story.
Another Crab’s Treasure has an endearing plot with some funny dialogue, cheeky references, and an underlying message about the poor state of our oceans. It’s not some mind-boggling fantasy world that’s packed with dense lore – it’s just a messy ocean with weird characters who are trying to survive.The game often leans into its silly nature, leading to an entertaining, albeit pretty straightforward story. At the very least, Kril is a likable protagonist, with surprisingly good voice-acting from newcomer Zuwie LeFou.
Beware the Giant Enemy Crabs
The story and presentation of Another Crab’s Treasure is definitely unique to the souls-like genre, but the gameplay is decidedly familiar and slightly toned down in complexity. After a brief tutorial, you’re let loose in a decently large area, where you’ll battle various oceanic foes like fish, lobsters, seahorses, and more. There’s only one weapon to wield (a fork), providing light and heavy attacks, and you are granted basic defensive capabilities like dodging, blocking, and parrying. Boss fights against enormous creatures punctuate each zone, but curious players can uncover several secret bosses that offer some extra challenge.
Defeating enemies grants you microplastics (read: souls, runes, blood echoes), which you can spend to level up core abilities or trade for other useful items. There are only a four stats you’ll have to consider when leveling up: Attack, Resistance, Magic, and Vitality. Even for players who are completely new to the genre, Another Crab’s Treasure is remarkably straightforward. Unlike Elden Ring, Lies of P, or Bloodborne, you’ll never be outright confused by your stats, armor, or upgrades. Everything is easily digestible and understandable from the onset, making it a good entry point for new players.
The various zones of Another Crab’s Treasure are also pretty enjoyable to explore, due in part to the game’s smart use of 3D platforming. At times, the game feels reminiscent of PS2-era platformers like Jak and Daxter or SpongeBob Squarepants: The Battle for Bikini Bottom, which helps keep the gameplay loop fresh. There’s even a grapple hook mechanic (an homage to Sekiro?), which is used in both platforming and combat to great effect. Best of all, missing a jump and falling into a bottomless pit will only drain a bit of health, rather than the genre standard of insta-death.
Plenty of Shells in the Sea
Akin to the 2020 souls-like, Mortal Shell, Another Crab’s Treasure features an interesting twist on armor. Instead of traditional armor pieces, Kril can use any of the 69 different shells found scattered across the game world. “Shells” is a loose term too, as you’ll commonly find discarded cans, hot sauce nozzles, and other bits of trash to wear on your back.
These shells come in various weight classes, making you tankier or more agile, but they also break after repeated blocks. This forces you to swap shells on the fly, especially during intense boss fights. Each shell also gives Kril access to a special spell ability, including passive buffs, projectile magic, and more.
Unfortunately, there are a few flaws that impact the overall experience, some more annoying than others. It’s easy to brush off age-old problems like awkward camera angles or suspicious enemy hitboxes. However, I was significantly frustrated when I got physically stuck in the environment multiple times, often due to exploring too far off the beaten path.
Other issues were more beneficial, like when I encountered a glitch that gave me an indestructible shell with unlimited magic. I was able to revert the unintended cheat code by reloading the game, though. The more obnoxious glitches were infrequent, but combined with hefty frame rate drops and the other aforementioned problems, it feels like the game lacks polish. In my opinion, it wasn’t enough to soil the entire ride, but others may not be willing to overlook these blemishes.
The Bottom Line on Another Crab’s Treasure
Another Crab’s Treasure is a welcome treat in the souls-like genre, even if it comes with a bit of gristle. It’s a thoroughly interesting underwater adventure that’s simultaneously charming and foreboding, with plenty of homages to all-time genre classics. While the boss fights are impressive and the shell armor mechanic is fun, the technical performance is imperfect and occasional glitches can grow annoying. A likable protagonist and entertaining combat make these problems less bothersome, but they’re still apparent until the very end. It’s a fun game that’s worth checking out, regardless of your experience with other souls-like games, but be prepared for some jank during your ocean-wide adventure.
