“Another’s Crab’s Treasure” is a soulslike action-adventure game made by Aggro Crab. It was released on April 25th, 2024. So far, the game is surprisingly enjoyable and has a rather unique way of utilizing the soulslike elements.
The gameplay is like any other soulslike game, the usual light and heavy attacks, can inflict status effects, break an enemy’s posture, roll, etc. The currency gained from enemies is microplastics, and like other Souls games, the currency is used to buy items and level up the character. A unique thing about “Another Crab’s Treasure” is that there are options that players can activate to make the game easier, such as increasing shell durability or decreasing the enemy’s max health. Games such as “Dark Souls,” “Bloodborne,” and “Elden Ring” don’t have such options. Another rather unique thing is that, unlike “Bloodborne” or “Dark Souls,” there are only four things to upgrade that provide a more concise explanation of what it does instead of just showing a stat table. The gameplay also has “adaptations” that can help turn the ‘tide’ of a difficult battle, and if players die to a boss or mini-boss, they can teleport right outside their arena instead of the last checkpoint they unlocked, which gets rid of a lot of backtracking that is present in other soulslike games. Various items called “Stowaways” can also increase a variety of stats, and more. Players use trash as their main source of dealing damage and taking damage, and instead of a shield to block attacks that rely on your stamina, shells–that have their health bar and a special ability, usually found all over the sea floor, are used as your main and only harbinger of defense, while also serving as an additional weapon, which makes the game harder, but more enjoyable.
The graphics are probably the best thing this game has to offer, albeit a bit cartoonish, it is incredibly satisfying to look at, and it’s a very nice change for lots of soulslike games. Instead of looking at a beautiful but gloomy atmosphere, it’s a vibrant, shiny, cartoonish wonderland that looks good to stare at for hours and compliments the overall tone of the game. A very great addition to the graphics is that it also shows the harsh reality of the amount of trash across the ocean. Bottles, cigarettes, lighters and more can be found on the adventures throughout the ocean, but the developers make a twist on this to make it more lighthearted and not just depressing; by adding some form of incentive to sea critters; they use it as a form of currency, decoration, and as armor or weapons, while also acknowledging potentially dangerous implications.
The story takes itself seriously but also quite humorously, and it goes hand-in-hand very well. The story is ripe with good humor and incredible voice acting while not losing sight of the main plot or just making itself a walking gag. The main character, Kril The Hermit Crab (or Kril), is quite enjoyable, not too serious, not too laid-back, and very deadly while looking huggable. The other characters met along the way also have a lot of personality added to them, which makes the experience all the better.
Overall, “Another Crab’s Treasure” seems to be an incredible game so far, the story holds up, the characters are enjoyable, the gameplay has unique twists to it, and the graphics are incredible. This is a good game for players who love the soulslike genre. Of course, since it is a more newly made game, it’ll have occasional bugs here and there, but the bugs won’t ruin the experience of upcoming players.
