A little crab going on an epic journey to take back his home, learning about all of the problems in the world, and trying to help? All paired with an amazing combat system that will challenge you with every enemy? Another Crab's Treasure can count me right in!
Story
Any game that uses the word 'schmoovin' gets an A+ for narration in my book. The story of Another Crab's Treasure follows Kril as he tries to get his shell back from a 'shark' that's taken it for tax purposes. The game leans into the silliness so much that I suspended my disbelief about the shark being a puppet on a stick and truly believed it was a real shark for a while. Never mind that all the other animals are just animals; I was as naive as Kril was.
The story is told through dialogue with NPCs, and a lot of the time, it is absolutely unhinged and hilarious. Other than the main story, I appreciated the fact that I could interact with just about anyone, so long as they weren't 'infected.' I loved being called poor any time I tried to buy shell insurance from the Shellfish Greeter.
Related: How to unlock Umami Skills in Another Crab's Treasure
The moment I consider the best in the game was when I broke a Crystal in front of two NPCs. They commented how rude I was for doing it and that they were going to find a different crystal to look at. Details like that truly make a story for me, along with the incredible number of sea puns, of course. I'll only be saying 'Oh Cod,' from now on. Thanks, Konche.
The story isn't just silly, though. While most of it is in a silly tone, the overarching story is much deeper, dealing with topics such as loneliness, trash pollution, abuse of power, etc. I didn't expect all of that from a game about a crab fighting off enemies, but I absolutely loved it.
Score: 5/5
Visual Design
I love the unique art style of Another Crab's Treasure, starting with Kril, who is extremely cute even as he slaughters enemies with his fork. I also love the outfits for him, which you can find exploring or purchasing at the Shellfish Desires store. My personal favorite is the Intern outfit that puts Kirl in a blonde wing and pink pants, but I also love Mr. Kril, who is inspired by the most iconic crab of all, Mr. Krabs.
The enemy design is also great, especially the bosses. They really look the villain part, and they absolutely match their personalities. Another one of my favorite designs is the cowboy shrimp, which has long-range weapons. It only made sense to make them cowboys.
Level design is also absolutely astounding. I love the green colors of Expired Grove but I also love the Flotsam Vale, with gunk as far as your eye can see. And then, as I went deeper into the ocean, the atmosphere changed and became darker, and I was even more mesmerized. It's honestly all about the little details in this game, which are most emphasized when Kril gets shot by arrows and they are still sticking out from him as you keep playing. The visuals of Another Crab's Treasure are top-notch.
Score: 5/5
Gameplay
Combat and exploration are at the core of Another Crab's Treasure gameplay. There were so many enemies and a lot of them had specific fighting patterns that you had to learn to go against. I really enjoyed this challenge and the satisfaction of watching the bosses go down. (More on this below.)
When it comes to exploration, the ocean and all of its levels are vast and open. At some points, the game did well to guide me where exactly I needed to be. However, I did spend quite a few hours going around areas trying to figure out exactly where to go.
Related: All Achievements and Trophies in Another Crab's Treasure
For example, when finding the treasure map pieces, I did the battles out of order. So I defeated Heikea first and then The Ravenous second. However, when I defeated Heikea, I didn't get a map piece. Only after I had defeated The Ravenous and went back to the village gates where I had fought Heikea (as I had no idea what to do anymore) did I find the map piece on the boat. It most definitely wasn't there after the defeat. It might have been a bug in the game for me, but it did waste quite a bit of my time.
Score: 4/5
Combat
I expected amazing combat from a soulslike game, and I absolutely got it. First, the fork that Kril fights with is a funny reference to Ariel's thingamabob. Instead of brushing his hair, Kril is using it for the power of violence. You can only use the fork in the game (unless you give him a gun through the accessibility menu).
However, that's where the various shells come into play. While exploring, you can find 69 different shells that Kril can wear (but none are home). All shells do something, whether healing, attacking, or boosting speed, and so on. The tooth shell is the exception as it's essentially a bear trap (I kept walking into it because I wasn't looking and getting stuck with the most useless shell in the game).
Leveling up the stats at the Moon Snail Shells with Microplastics was pretty easy. While I did boost the stats for physical and Umami skill damage, it's good to put some points in Health and Shell Resistance as well.
The last bit I enjoyed is the Adaptations, which are powerful skills that you can get after defeating enemies. I used the Duchess' Royal Wave as if I were Nero from Devil May Cry, but I definitely enjoyed the Bubble Bullet ability the most. It allowed me to deal with some pesky enemies without interacting with them and breaking my shell.
The one thing I didn't particularly like was how much damage the regular enemies also dealt. I could really survive a boss and then walk into a crab with a drill and get destroyed in two seconds. I get that it's part of the experience, but when you suddenly get swarmed by enemies and killed far away from a Moon Snail Shell, it can get pretty annoying.
When I first compared this game to Dark Souls, it didn't seem too difficult, but it's the bright colors and the silly jokes that have fooled me. While some enemies could be mastered quickly, I found myself dying over and over and over again to others. You can make the game a bit easier for yourself with the in-game settings, but it's a challenge either way. If you want a true soulslike experience, then hard mode is it.
Score: 4.5/5 Stars
Verdict
A colorful world combined with soulslike combat isn't exactly something you see every day, but boy, is it a great combination. I've enjoyed exploring many of the beautifully designed levels, even if I had to fight Roland a million times to finally progress through the story. Can I ask for another crab adventure? I've had too much fun on this one.
[Disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.]
If you want to know how to respawn with the exact shell you choose, check out How to buy shell insurance in Another Crab's Treasure on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Apr 25, 2024 08:14 am