Developed by the team behind the satirical sinking crawler, Crab’s Treasure feels like an April Fools’ Day prank come to life. Set in a vibrant underwater realm, it separates itself from the sea of other Souls-like games that have flooded the market in recent years, with a more whimsical tone and plenty of funny points to hit. – into it. After gaining attention at the recent Nintendo Indie World Showcase, the game is now available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
In Crab’s Treasure, you play as a grumpy little crab named Kril, whose life changes drastically after a “loan shark” takes away his shell. As Creel struggles to pay his taxes, he alone loses his most valuable possession and must scour the ocean to find it. Overrun by ferocious crabs, spiny puffer fish, and other deadly crustaceans, Kril finds himself stranded in a troubled ocean and must fight to survive.
Unlike standard Souls games (before Elden Ring, at least), Another Crab Treasure is more open in its level design, allowing for more freedom of exploration. During your journey, you’ll find yourself crawling through kelp forests, coral reefs, and sandcastle cities.
This prevents frustration if you get stuck, as you can always go off the beaten path and get some much needed grinding. There’s more emphasis on platforming here too, and there’s a more pronounced sense of verticality to the levels. Kril has a limited time limit to propel himself through the water, bounce on sponges, and use fishing line to reach a hook far away.
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Combat is where things feel familiar, however, as you have to study your opponents, dodge their attacks, and punish them when the time comes. When you kill enemies, you also collect microplastics (the in-game equivalent of Souls), which can be used to upgrade your health, resistance, damage output and other attributes. You can equip up to three different items to enhance your attributes, and these items can be changed at any time.
Kril can wear things on the ocean floor like shells to protect you from the many evil sea creatures you encounter. From thrown tennis balls to badminton balls and shot glasses, each of these shells has individual protective properties and unique capabilities to consider. For example, soda shoots bubbles that allow you to attack at a distance, while a teacup increases the speed of your attack so you can land an extra hit.
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You can also hide in your shell and absorb damage, but if you’re not careful you’ll be looking for another one. If you take too much damage, your shell may break, but if you see a nearby shell on the ground, you can easily jump to another one. Switching between shells in the heat of battle helps keep combat fresh, and there’s an incredible sense of danger as you wander around naked looking for a new home.
Another area where Alternative Crab Finance succeeds is in being a very accessible entry point into an otherwise very punishing species. When you lose a boss battle, you can choose to be teleported outside the area, saving you a lot of tedious backup. There is also a set of different access options that you can get to slow down the game, for example, increasing the parry window. Funny, if you’re still having trouble, you can even spawn a gun at an enemy with one hit.
Another Crab Treasure emerges from its shell as a refreshing and whimsical addition to the often intense and mysterious realm of Souls-like games. Its accessibility options make it a great entry point for newcomers, while veterans will appreciate differences such as its open-world design, more platforming focus, and many equipped shells. If you’re looking for a unique twist on this saturated genre, we definitely recommend checking it out.
