Another Crab’s Treasure Review

Another Crab’s Treasure is a soulslike adventure developed by Aggro Crab and published with support from Kowloon. Despite its charming exterior, it offers a challenging experience reminiscent of games like Death’s Door and Tunic, combined with the tongue-in-cheek humor of Maneater.

The story follows Kril, an innocent hermit crab who lives a quiet life avoiding avian predators. His world is turned upside down when a loan shark confiscates his shell as payment to the Duchess of Slacktide. Determined to reclaim his shell, Kril embarks on a perilous journey through polluted oceans, facing formidable foes and navigating the complex socio-economic landscape of the ocean.

Will Kril succeed in retrieving his shell? Prepare your fork and makeshift shell as you join Kril on his quest in Another Crab’s Treasure!

Every Crab Has Its Day

Did I mention that Another Crab’s Treasure is a soulslike? Indeed, it embodies the genre with its challenging enemies, precise combat mechanics, and the risk of losing your hard-earned currency—microplastics—upon death. Each enemy you defeat yields a certain amount of microplastics collected in their bodies.

You can exchange these microplastics for stats at Moon Shells, which serve as your refuge and a means to fast travel across the ocean. Upon reaching New Carcinia, the metropolis where most sea creatures reside, you’ll find various shops that accept microplastics in exchange for goods and services.

Another Crab’s Treasure cleverly integrates the soulslike genre into a world of polluted sea creatures, blending dark comedy with Kril’s arduous quest to reclaim his shell. Initially, the game feels confined, but as you complete challenging tasks, it expands into a larger, more complex world.

Getting the hang of Another Crab’s Treasure takes time. Initially, you only have a fork for defense, with limited movements like dodging and dashing. As you master the crab’s combat style, or Umami, you can use skills provided by the makeshift shells you find along the way.

These shells not only offer defense but also come with unique abilities. For example, soda cans enable projectile attacks that slow enemies, bottle caps allow for uppercuts, coffee pods grant haste, and thimbles provide extra defense. There are numerous makeshift shells scattered across the seven seas to experiment with and exploit.

As you defeat stronger enemies, you can acquire their Adaptations, which can be used at the cost of Umami. Some of these adaptations offer access to locked areas, and you’ll also be able to equip stowaways to grant you better stats or other effects such as increasing your microplastic gain or preventing their loss.

Once you get the hang of it, approximately 3-4 hours into your journey, you’ll begin to appreciate the intricate gameplay of Another Crab’s Treasure. It is undeniably a soulslike, offering better shortcuts to areas as you progress. As you grow stronger and hone your skills, you’ll be able to revisit previously explored areas to scour for better loot, empowering you for future challenges.

However, don’t get overconfident! Despite its cutesy appearance, Another Crab’s Treasure features bosses who truly mean business. Often, it takes multiple strategies to decipher a boss’s weaknesses. Beyond its meta-commentary and tongue-in-cheek humor, the game offers deep combat mechanics and engaging exploration as you advance through the journey.

We Are All Polluted

For an indie game, Another Crab’s Treasure provides 15-20 hours of substantial gameplay. There are over a dozen bosses to conquer and half a dozen biomes to fully explore, each filled with power-ups and Umami crystals. While combat is the highlight, exploration also plays a significant role.

The difficulty curve increases, especially towards the end. Each boss battle demands effort, testing the basic hang-back-and-strike strategy. This is where the game’s Assist Mode in its Accessibility options becomes particularly appreciated.

You can adjust the difficulty to suit your skill level, whether by toning it down slightly or opting for full story mode. This flexibility allows you to enjoy the game regardless of your experience with soulslike titles. Adjustments can include reducing parry timing, decreasing damage taken, or increasing damage dealt. For those who have found soulslike games too challenging, Another Crab’s Treasure offers no excuses not to give it a try—even providing a gun for those who want to power through the story.

The game is enjoyable at any difficulty level. I found it engaging even in its default hard mode, despite having to restart many boss fights. The difficulty ramps up towards the end, so don’t hesitate to lower it if needed. The game’s tongue-in-cheek story adds to the fun.

However, about three-quarters through, the story takes a mean-spirited turn, shifting its tone and somewhat diminishing the charm it had built. While this didn’t ruin the game for me, it did leave a lingering aftertaste that was hard to shake off.

Overall, there’s still plenty to explore after completing the story. There are areas in the ocean you may have missed that warrant further exploration. If you enjoyed the story more than I did, a second playthrough might be worthwhile. This time, try using the gun for a satisfying revenge on your adversaries!

Verdict: Buy It!

Don’t overlook Another Crab’s Treasure—it’s one of the most delightful indie surprises this year. This game is a challenging soulslike and a clever dark comedy. While combat is the standout feature, the exploration aspects are equally noteworthy.

Aggro Crab has demonstrated its creativity and ability to produce quality games that are fun, challenging, and heartfelt. We eagerly anticipate what they will create next. For now, we’ll keep swimming and helping Kril grow stronger with each adversary he vanquishes.

*Another Crab’s Treasure was reviewed on the Xbox Series X|S with a review code provided by the publisher.