Another Crab’s Treasure Review – Bubbling Soulslike Goodness

Another Crab’s Treasure on PlayStation 5

The souls-like genre has always tended to veer towards the dark and moody, forcing players to confront the things that go bump in the night and are capable of leaving nightmarish impressions in the psyche for years to come. While gameplay is perhaps the most important aspect of the adventure, having the right aesthetic can also do wonders. This is why Another Crab’s Treasure from Aggro Crab is such a breath of fresh air, even if the core ideas remain familiar.

Transporting players into an underwater world, it will be up to players and the meek hermit crab named Kril to make things right again. In this case, venturing across the seabed to get back the shell that was wrongfully taken away from you and slicing and dicing all who stand in your way into sashimi. It is clear that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it makes for an entertaining jaunt that is full of charm and fun from start to finish.

After all, it is not often that a hermit crab goes up against lobster knights and crustaceans wielding human trash as formidable weapons. The focus of combat is purely on reading your opponents’ moves and mastering that parrying timing, opening up windows of opportunity to dish out some hurt from your end of the claw.

Think of it like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but with everything looking much more cheerful and taking place in the water. In fact, that’s not where the comparisons stop. For Sculptor’s Idols and bonfires, Moon Snail Shells take their places. Find yourself becoming fish food? Your progress gets pushed back and resources get dropped. It is all endearingly familiar, yet, it is also a testament to the effort put in by the developers to help make Another Crab’s Treasure its own thing.

Being able to count on a variety of Umami Techniques to deliver powerful attacks increases the enjoyment of combat further, but the outstanding feature brought to the table by Kril is the ability to equip over 60 different kinds of shells, which in turn affects your armor and how you move in the world. This can manifest in a variety of ways and helps players to discover playstyles that suit them, alongside vibrant and eye-catching visual elements.

You could become a ranged hermit crab warrior with the help of a soda can, shooting bubbles at your foes. Or become a true tank with the Matryoshka doll shell that offers heavy protection, and as it gets broken down, going to medium and then light armor in exchange for increased mobility. Having options is always a good thing, and when the various shells introduce interesting new mechanics into the proceedings, all the better. The way the game goes beyond its combat with platforming and puzzles speaks to that same benefit as well.

It would be hard not to be impressed by the effort in environmental storytelling and the fleshing out of the cast of characters that will appear in Kril’s journey. Granted, there really isn’t anything quite like Another Crab’s Treasure to compare it to when it comes to the areas ripe for exploration, but it is still a delight to see how items that are insignificant to us can become the building blocks of another world. Memorable characters do their part in keeping players engaged too. Not only are these sea creatures enjoyable to look at, but their distinct personalities shine through as well even as they are fulfilling certain tropes and concepts.

The way the team has built-in accessibility within Another Crab’s Treasure should also be highlighted. It’s not just a marketing spiel when the game is said to be approachable for new souls-like players, there are plenty of assist options available to tailor the experience to your liking. If you want to give Kril a gun to take revenge, it is hilariously possible to do so.

However, there is still some turbulence in the water that occurs from time to time, but none too significant to impact the moment-to-moment enjoyment of the adventure. The camera can get wonky from time to time, clipping behind objects and environment and reducing your ability to see and fight properly. Certain interactions may also cause our hero to be stuck and unable to move, with the in-game option of instant death to restart things a nod to this potential problem.

And while the tale of Kril probably has enough to keep players bubbling along, the combat can be a tad too easy for hardcore players looking for their next fix. There are only so many enemy patterns to observe and counter, and the game’s more than happy to be more forgiving when it comes to the idea of perfect defensive timing.

After diving into Another Crab’s Treasure, it’s hard to understand why hasn’t more been done to expand beyond the foundational souls-like element. There’s clearly room for thinking outside the box, and Aggro Crab mostly nails it with this unique take. With colorful characters and an even more vibrant world, jump in for the feel-good vibes and partake in mostly satisfying underwater combat. Despite the occasional hiccups, this is still one shell of an adventure that works great for genre veterans and newcomers alike.