Here’s a review for Another Crab’s Treasure in time for its two-year anniversary!

As the ever-growing sub-genre of Souls-like games nears its two-decade anniversary, the focus on what I look for has changed. Sure, games like Lies of P replicate the original formula so well that they could be mistaken for a FromSoftware release, but it’s often titles that veer from the traditional parameters that leave a lasting impression. As a perfect example of what I mean, let’s take a look at this unassuming crab game.

Another Crab’s Treasure is a combination of many incredible things. It’s at once a hilarious, cartoony take on unforgiving Souls-like action, while also being a serious reminder of important environmental issues. Dipping in and out of both pools with ease, developer Aggro Crab balances the two tides of dark humour and the reality of ocean pollution incredibly well, and often, the futility of sea creatures’ actions in the face of corporate greed is what drives the satirical dialogue.

You play as Krill, a hermit crab whose prized possession, his home-shell, has been repossessed by a loan shark (one of those old shark-head-on-a-stick toys). As he ventures out from his sheltered isolation, he and the player discover a seascape heavily reliant on discarded rubbish from the surface, both as a luxury and as the foundation of civilisation. In the pursuit of his shell, Krill starts to realise just how much the abundance of trash is influencing the lives of all sea creatures, and in turn, just how harsh the wider world can be.

This being a souls-like, you’ve got the traditional mechanics such as flasks, bonfires and souls, albeit in the forms of Heartkelp, snail shells, and of course, microplastics as the world’s currency. These foundations are then built upon in wholly original ways. The most obvious being the different types of litter you can utilise as a replacement shell. While each “shell” has the basic function to block and eventually parry later in the game, it’s the individual Shell Spells tied to each that distinguish one shell from the other, alongside the comedic absurdity of what’s sitting on Krill’s back.

Combined with each shell’s defence and weight stat, you’ll find that each shell option has its own use for individual playstyles and scenarios. With the abundance of litter, it’s likely that each playthrough of the game could vary depending on what you happen to equip at a given time. Abilities can vary, and are all indicative of what kind of rubbish you’ve got equipped. You can fire off a shotgun blast with a party-popper, shoot some bubbles with a soda-can, restore health with a pill-bottle, freeze enemies with a snow globe and even discard a Russian-nesting-doll as a decoy for enemies to attack.

The previously mentioned abundance of micro-plastics being the game’s currency is just a brief example of how the satirised ocean of Another Crab’s Treasure addresses pollution. Using litter for your shell is incredible, and Krill’s weapon of choice is no different, as he brandishes a worn-down metal fork, which makes a brilliant stand-in for a traditional sword. It’s not just Krill, however, as each enemy and boss is likely wielding some form of waste as a weapon or armour. Lobster guards utilise lances made from the lid and straw of a takeaway coffee cup, one boss combines a bike-lock and a razor-blade into a makeshift guillotine, while other bosses use plastic cutlery, nut-crackers, glass bottles and even chopsticks. The most gnarly creature-pollution combo, however, comes from an electric eel boss who seems to have fused with an extension cord. Its exposed sockets mean it can utilise a handful of discarded household appliances, such as a hairdryer, a toaster, and most unfortunately, a vibrator.

It’s not only enemies you’ll encounter in the deep blue, as you’ll meet a wide array of friendly faces throughout Krill’s journey, such as the Moon Snail, who awakens the ability of Umami, and in turn, gives access to the Shell Spells. Citizens of New Caricinia, the game’s biggest civilisation, take the form of shopkeepers, traditional NPCs and even a classic souls-like blacksmith. Some key figures pop up regularly throughout the game, entwined in a treasure hunt that runs alongside Krill’s goal, and each has their own ambitions. Konche, a historian and Museum curator, looks to the past, hoping that the preservation of history will aid the future. Chitan, a former guard, seeks to dispel the malicious gunk that infected the minds of her lost kingdom. You also have Nemma, a business owner, who quite simply wants a brighter future for her children, wondering if the world they’ll inherit will even exist. Each character’s views and beliefs are directly related to the impending and seemingly unstoppable degradation of the sea. When you detach from the game and focus on how real that concept is, the game’s humorous nature takes the form of a coping mechanism, laughing in the face of extinction.

Aggro Crab doesn’t stop there, as throughout the game, themes of corporate greed and wealth divide become increasingly prominent. The main antagonist for the second act of the game, Roland (subtitled Adventure Crabitalist), is the richest crustacean in the sea, and steps into the role as mayor of New Carcinia, thanks to his position as CEO of a junk scavenging corporation. His ignorance towards the ever-present effects of pollution directly leads to dangerous working conditions for his staff, and his charismatic way of taking control of any situation, thanks to his wealth, is a bit too real. Roland’s actions directly mirror real-world “villains” whose choices contribute towards income inequality, unfair “democratic” processes, and, of course, pollution.

To step away from the rather dire and ever-important message that Another Crab’s Treasure champions, we’ll focus on the many fun, small additions that make the game even more enjoyable. There are a few FromSoftware homages, with an area named “The Sands Between”, after Elden Ring, as well as direct Dark Souls cameos with the Sunlight costume and Knight’s Helmet. A few SpongeBob references are appreciated, Krill can dress up as Mr Krabs, and other costumes and shells are collabs or references to other games, like the suspicious Imposter shell. You can probably guess which game that’s from. If you’re a fan of OfflineTV, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find Michael Reeves voicing multiple characters in the game, including the final boss. Elden Beast isn’t voiced by an insane YouTuber, so that’s a one-up on Elden Ring. The final small thing I’ll mention is genuinely one of the best features of the game. Krill will do keepy-uppies with his flask if left idle, and will fumble and drop it if you return to the controller. Incredible.

The comedic dialogue and fun moments ease the serious message for sure, but what about the boss fights? This is a Souls-like after all. The many bosses featured throughout the game fit the bill by being challenging enough to be worthy of the sub-genre, while also being designed to fit the stylised world perfectly. Many fights will test your patience as you’ll end up dying a few times, with some later game bosses having multiple phases. While I enjoy the design of every boss in the game, this is unfortunately where I’ll mention the first gripe I have.

Another Crab’s Treasure may be the easiest Souls-like there is. Is that necessarily a problem? No, quite the opposite, as I think the game is a great entry point for people who may have been put off by other games in the sub-genre, due to their notoriously unforgiving reputation. The issue I have starts around one feature that I’ve yet to mention, which is perhaps the tipping point in making the game just a bit too easy, that feature being Adaptations.

Adaptations are basically ultimate moves that cost Umami to use (Like Shell Spells), and can be upgraded using crystals found throughout the game. While the act of upgrading them is locked behind a boss, once upgraded, you’ll find that boss fights become much, much easier. This trivialises some of the late-game bosses, which sometimes feel easier than those found in the first act.

These crystals are also used to unlock skills in a fairly underwhelming skill tree. Quite a few of the moves don’t feel too necessary, with the ability to parry and riposte being the most useful. If you’re collecting all the crystals you can, this skill tree will quickly be maxed out, earlier than perhaps intended. It’s a shame because the game becomes a cake-walk once you’ve upgraded both an adaptation and your skills. It’s a difficult balancing act, as rewarding the player for discovering these crystals is the right thing to do, but I think to veteran souls-like players, this may feel a bit too much of an advantage.

As the game has only one weapon, there is no attribute scaling, and in turn, only five different stat options to level up at bonfires (Moon Snail shells). That’s Vitality (health), Resistance (shell strength and increased resistance to status effects), Attack (fork damage), Umami (spell and adaptation damage), and Defence (reduced damage from attacks). An issue here is that you can collect items to permanently increase both health, fork damage, and skills that increase Umami, so upping defence and resistance seem like the only two sensible options, as it doesn’t really feel like you need to upgrade damage output. I suppose the option is there if you want to. I stopped levelling up my attack at a point because I found myself a bit too overpowered, which is a rare feeling to have in a Souls-like.

There are a few other issues with both deliberate choices and unintentional quirks of the game’s design. Ragdoll physics in a Souls-like is a little bit insane, but I can look past the occasional deaths. What’s clearly not a conscious choice, however, is that some ranged enemies can hit you through walls and objects, and in later areas where certain enemies can one-hit you, that can be a bit rough. The lock-on camera can be a bit annoying when it comes to movement, but that’s a common issue for a lot of these games, so again, I can look past it to an extent.

In spite of my issue with collision, I absolutely love the game’s individual areas. They don’t go on for miles and make great use of the space they’re allotted. I particularly like the last two areas of the game (whose names are spoilers) when it comes to platforming and traversal. The secret paths you can find throughout the game present a difficulty-jump which can pay off in useful upgrade material, and even secret bossfights. Although again, they lead to collecting a large amount of the aforementioned crystals, which you don’t need a lot of to gain a significant combat advantage.

I’d also be a fool not to mention the bangin’ soundtrack by feasley. Brighter areas, such as Reef’s Edge or The Shallows, have tracks that are calm and uplifting, while the darker areas of the game have an edgier tone, such as Fort Slacktide’s second track. The common ground with all tracks is that I could happily listen to the majority of the soundtrack in my day-to-day life, and have been as of late. I also cannot forget the bossfight tracks, which utilise synths and drum machines to create these intense yet groovy backdrops for the hardest fights in the game. Some favourites being The Crab Who Stole The Whorl and Diseased Lichenthrope. There is also a dramatic rendition of Crab Rave towards the end of the game, which made me laugh quite a lot, and also made me realise that perhaps that meme’s energy is something which heavily inspired the soundtrack, if not the entire game.

All in all, I absolutely adore Another Crab’s Treasure, despite the glitchy issues and easier difficulty. I intend to go back and run through a New Game+, which will no doubt end up destroying me after my comments on the game’s ease. The clear message and narrative structure of the game reinforces its importance and elevates Another Crab’s Treasure from not just the funniest Souls-like I’ve ever played, but undoubtedly the most poignant one too.