| Another Crab's Treasure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Aggro Crab |
| Publisher(s) | Aggro Crab |
| Director(s) | Nicholas Kaman |
| Writer(s) | Caelan Pollock |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | April 25, 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike action-adventure video game developed and published by Aggro Crab. The game was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on April 25, 2024. [1]
Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike action-adventure video game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls Kril, a hermit crab stripped of his protective shell. Shells function as Kril's armor, granting defensive capabilities, statistics, and even unique abilities. By scouring the seabed, Kril can transform discarded trash into functional tools for survival. A rusty can becomes a defensive powerhouse, while a chipped bottle transforms into a ranged weapon. Combat is deliberate and slow-paced, demanding players to dodge enemy attacks, identify openings, and leverage their shell's abilities to survive. [2] Microplastics, remnants of a polluted world, become Kril's currency for upgrades and resources. Unlike most Soulslike games, Another Crab's Treasure allows players to change the difficulty at any time. [3] Additionally, Kril uses the same weapon, a discarded fork, for the duration of the game, although he is able to upgrade it.
The underwater world is a web of interconnected environments. As Kril navigates these treacherous landscapes, he encounters environmental puzzles and gradually unveils the story of the polluted ocean and its history. Similar to the Soulsborne series that inspired it, Another Crab's Treasure offers a challenging experience. [4] Enemies inflict significant damage, death comes with a penalty, and victory hinges on learning enemy patterns and strategizing one's approach. The world itself is designed for exploration, with shortcuts and hidden areas waiting to be discovered. Newfound abilities grant access to previously unreachable locations, encouraging players to revisit areas and delve deeper. Environmental storytelling is emphasized by Aggro Crab, integrating the narrative into the world design, item descriptions, and cryptic messages from fellow inhabitants. [5] [6]
Kril is a misanthropic hermit crab living alone in a tide pool, whose shell is confiscated by a "loan shark" as collateral for the taxes the shark tells him he owes Magista, the duchess of Slacktide. He meets the duchess, who agrees to trade his shell back for a treasure. Along the way, Kril meets the Moon Snail, who unlocks his ability to use Umami. Kril successfully manages to find the treasure, though he discovers that Magista and her guards have succumbed to the Gunk, an affliction that makes sea creatures mindlessly hostile and nihilistic.
Kril follows the loan shark, who appears to have sold the shell to pawnshop owner Prawnathan in New Carcinia, a massive city built out of trash in a nearby reef. While he is there, a garbage patch passes over and rains garbage, including a cereal box whose incomplete printed maze is interpreted by the citizens as part of a treasure map. Prawnathan offers Kril his shell in exchange for the treasure. Kril, agreeing to the deal, joins the other treasure hunters, including the entrepreneur Firth, tavern owner Nemma, museum curator Konche, and Shellfish Corp CEO Roland.
On his quest to recover the missing pieces of the map, Kril meets Chitan, one of Magista's former guards, who tells him the Gunk, caused by ocean pollution, has been progressively spreading. After completing the map, the treasure is revealed to be located in a lake of polluted sludge near a drop-off. Roland, as the only one with the resources to dredge the lake, confiscates the map and resolves to take the treasure unopposed. However, Kril, Firth, Nemma, Konche, Chitan, and a handful of townsfolk are able to follow and board Roland's barge. During the confrontation, Kril accidentally capsizes the barge, causing them to fall into the abyssal depths of the Unfathom.
Firth realizes that the treasure, a chest of paper bills, is worthless and storms off alone in disgust. Meanwhile, Konche identifies nearby architectural ruins as Carcinia, an ancient city located in a bleached coral reef, and enlists Kril to find the Perfect Whorl, a shell crafted by the ancient hermit sorcerers capable of conferring godlike powers. Upon finding the Whorl, they are ambushed by a Gunk-afflicted Chitan, who kills Konche. Chitan is revealed to be under the control of Praya Dubia, an enormous siphonophore comprising the souls of all ocean life that had succumbed to pollution. Praya Dubia's attempts to convince Kril to use the Whorl to destroy the world are unsuccessful, and it puppets Chitan to fight him.
After Praya Dubia is defeated, Kril resolves to use the Perfect Whorl to heal Chitan; however, he is interrupted by Firth, who takes it for himself and flees to the surface. Kril follows and confronts Firth, resulting in the Whorl being shattered and New Carcinia buried in trash. Back in the city, Kril finds that the citizens are actually excited about the new influx trash for the wealth it will bring them, completely ignorant of the dangers of the Gunk. He then finds Prawnathan and kills him when he refuses to return his shell.
An epilogue reveals that New Carcinia began cleaning up its trash, Chitan survived and began training again, and that Kril, ultimately dissatisfied with his old life in the tide pool, decided to remain under the sea as a traveling adventurer. A final shot reveals that he left his shell to a homeless hermit crab.
Another Crab's Treasure was announced during a Nintendo Indie World presentation in 2022. Aggro Crab showcased the game's Soulslike concept. [7] Following the announcement, details about the game emerged throughout 2023. Information regarding the core mechanics like the "Shell System" – where discarded trash becomes Kril's customizable armor – and the emphasis on exploration and environmental storytelling were revealed. Additionally, the developers confirmed the game's release platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox One and Series X/S. The confirmation of Xbox availability, including its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass on launch day, came in June 2023. Aggro Crab announced that the game would be released on April 25, 2024. [1]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 65/100 [8] PC: 78/100 [9] PS5: 77/100 [10] XSXS: 82/100 [11] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 7.5/10 [12] |
| Digital Trends | 3.5/5 [13] |
| Game Informer | 7/10 [14] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 [15] |
| IGN | 8/10 [16] |
| Nintendo Life | 5/10 [17] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 80/100 [18] |
| PCMag | 3.5/5 [19] |
| Push Square | 7/10 [20] |
| Shacknews | 9/10 [21] |
Another Crab's Treasure received "generally favorable" reviews from critics according to Metacritic. [9]
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game - Self Published | Won |
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' soft (non-calcified) abdominal exoskeleton means they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless.
Ikaruga is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It is the spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun (1998) and was originally released in Japanese arcades in December 2001. The story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation using a specially designed fighter called the Ikaruga which can flip between two polarities, black and white. This polarity mechanism is the game's key feature and the foundation for its stage and enemy design. All enemies and bullets in the game are either black or white. Bullets which are the same color as the player are absorbed while the others will kill the player. The game features both single-player and cooperative modes.
Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face – an example of the phenomenon of pareidolia – which is interpreted to be the face of an angry samurai, hence the nickname samurai crab. The crabs are named after the once powerful Taira clan which dominated medieval Japan, commonly known as the Heike. It is believed that these crabs are reincarnations of the Heike warriors defeated at the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura as told in The Tale of the Heike. While the crabs are edible, they are not eaten by most Japanese.
Puyo Pop Fever is a 2003 puzzle video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It is the fifth main installment in the Puyo Puyo puzzle game series and the second Puyo Puyo game to be programmed by Sonic Team after Puyo Pop. This was the start of what can be considered a reboot of the Puyo Puyo franchise, with this entry's plot revolving around Professor Accord losing her flying cane.
Where the Wild Things Are is a platform-adventure video game released in 2009. It is based on the movie of the same name, released the same day. The game is available for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 as well as Nintendo DS. It was developed by Griptonite Games, except for the Nintendo DS, which was developed by WayForward Technologies. All versions were published by Warner Bros. Games.
Just Dance is a rhythm game series developed and published by Ubisoft. The original Just Dance game was released on the Wii in 2009 in North America, Europe, and Australia.
Shovel Knight is a platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in September 2014, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in April 2015, Amazon Fire TV in September 2015, and Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Shovel Knight is inspired by gameplay and graphics of platformer games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Donut County is a puzzle video game developed by American designer Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive in 2018. The player moves a hole to swallow objects, which makes the hole increase in size. The concept originated in a game jam based on pitches from a Twitter account parody of game designer Peter Molyneux and later added a mechanic similar to that of Katamari Damacy. Other inspirations for the game included Hopi figurines—a theme Esposito later relinquished—and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs. Donut County was released in August 2018 for iOS, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows platforms, while versions for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in December 2018. It was also released for Android in December 2020.
Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations is a 2015 action adventure video game developed by Vicious Cycle Software and published by Little Orbit. It was released on Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2015. This is the fourth game based on the animated television series Adventure Time following The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, and the first action-adventure title in the series presented in full 3D graphics. The game was first announced on April 21, 2015, and released on October 20, 2015, in North America, and on November 6 in Europe.
Death's Gambit is a side-scrolling action role-playing game developed by White Rabbit and published by Adult Swim Games. It was released for Windows and PlayStation 4 in August 2018. An expanded edition of the game titled Death’s Gambit: Afterlife released in September 2021 for Windows and Nintendo Switch, in November 2021 for PlayStation 4 and in May 2022 for Xbox One.
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is an action role-playing game developed by indie studio Dark Star and published by Another Indie. It was released on October 18, 2018, for Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The game forces the player to fight bosses representing the seven deadly sins one after another, while removing one of the player's abilities for every fight. It received mixed reviews from critics, who cited its mechanics as a strong point but criticized its environments, music and story.
Mortal Shell is an action role-playing video game developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack. The game was released on 18 August 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. A remastered version titled Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition was released on 4 March 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and on 18 November 2021 for Amazon Luna. A port for Nintendo Switch with all the DLC included titled Complete Edition was released on 19 December 2022. It received positive to mixed reviews from critics and has sold one million units as of September 2023.
Hellpoint is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Cradle Games and published by tinyBuild. It released for Windows, Linux, MacOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on July 30. The player takes on the role of a nameless humanoid stranded on derelict space station Irid Novo, and must battle vicious creatures in order to solve the mystery behind the events that happened there. Irid Novo orbits a massive black hole; the station's position in relation to the black hole affects the strength of enemies. Versions for Stadia and Nintendo Switch were released in February 2021, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions released in July 2022.
Bayonetta is an urban fantasy action-adventure video game franchise created by Hideki Kamiya. It is developed by PlatinumGames, owned by Sega, and, since the release of Bayonetta 2 in 2014, published by Nintendo. The franchise was introduced in 2009 with Bayonetta, which was followed by two sequels, Bayonetta 2 (2014) and Bayonetta 3 (2022), as well as a spinoff, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023). The games follow the titular character, a witch who wields dual pistols, shooters in her high heels, and long, magically transforming hair which becomes a supernatural weapon.
Going Under is a 2020 roguelike video game developed by Aggro Crab and published by Team17. The game follows an unpaid intern as she travels beneath her workplace to explore the ruins of failed startups. Going Under was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows on September 24, 2020.
The Gunk is an action-adventure video game developed by Thunderful Development and published by Thunderful Publishing. The game was released on December 16, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S.
Thymesia is an action role-playing video game developed by Taiwanese developer OverBorder Studio and published by Team17 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S alongside a cloud-based version for Nintendo Switch on August 18, 2022. Another cloud-based version for Amazon Luna was released on September 15, 2022. The game borrows mechanics from the Dark Souls series with both critics and the developers referring to the game as a Soulslike.
Moonscars is a 2022 platform game developed by Black Mermaid and published by Humble Games. The game was released on September 27, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. In the game, players control a warrior named Grey Irma, who searches for her maker, the Sculptor. The game received generally positive reviews on release.
Tails of Iron is an action role-playing video game developed by Odd Bug Studio and published in 2021 by United Label. Players control an anthropomorphic rat who must kill frogs that have invaded his kingdom.
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is a 2022 Soulslike video game developed by Over the Moon and published by Coatsink. It parodies other role-playing video games, especially FromSoftware games.