Despite being a huge fan of Soulslikes, the constant maudlin worlds and screaming nightmarish creatures can become a little overfamiliar. So, when Another Crab’s Treasure first appeared on my radar, the prospect of something with a more light-hearted story and cheerful aesthetics was appealing, especially if the combat still provided a tough challenge. Does it completely deliver? In short, no. 

It gets off to a great start. We join our hero, Kril, minding his own business in his tide pool. That is, until a plastic loan shark demands payments after breaching the water. When Kril can’t muster up the Microplastics needed, the shark swipes his shell and makes off with it. With little other choice, Kril pursues, diving into the wider ocean. There, many crabs are waiting to crush him between their pincers. To protect himself, he grabs a fork, and his adventure begins from there. 

While that all sounds quite dramatic, the early parts chug along with a delightfully silly sense of humour. Nautical puns like “Shuck you,” or “Oh, crab” replace swear words. Meanwhile, the NPCs you meet on your journey all possess likeable, if one-dimensional, personalities that lend everything a warm and fuzzy charm. Likewise, the underwater cities boast an almost-but-not-quite Pixar vibe

Making use of the garbage that gets dumped in the ocean, every city and town is made from leftover cardboard boxes, pencils and six-pack rings. Not only is it wonderfully creative, it also gives everything a sense of scale. Climbing up a seemingly tall ladder is actually nothing more than fishnet tights on the leg of a discarded mannequin. Of course, there’s an underlying bleakness to this. The homes these crustaceans are building slowly poison them over time, infecting some individuals with the Gunk. This affliction drives them insane and makes them incredibly aggressive.

It’s all breezy until it’s not

However, the eco aspect is largely left unspoken, and Another Crab’s Treasure is better for it. We all know that we need to look after the ocean. It doesn’t need to be shoved down our throats at this point. Instead, letting it bubble under the surface leaves a stronger impression. It shows the detrimental effects it has on the environment rather than telling. This allows the Saturday morning cartoon hijinks to persist while subtly highlighting a bigger issue, which is commendable by developer Aggro Crab. That is, until there’s a flip in the final act.

Another Crab’s Treasure lost me narratively after the hunt for a treasure map. Kril reveals he’s battling some inner demons, and everything becomes overly serious and a touch too miserable. Now, that’s not to say you can’t tackle serious topics in a game. It’s possible and should be done, I believe. The issue here is the tonal whiplash. Everything is a bit silly, including numerous references to other games and media. Then, suddenly, it’s super serious, taking me out of the story completely. I can’t go from a goofy, whacky time to battles with depression. It’s far too jarring. 

The same applies to the environment and, by proxy, the gameplay. Once the residents of New Carcinia fail in their treasure hunt, they’re plunged into an inky black area called The Unfathom. The previously colourful locales are replaced with an abyss where you can’t see properly. Sure, you can hit glowsticks to provide some light, but it makes the area a chore to navigate, particularly when there are incredibly annoying enemies to contend with. 

Before that, the gameplay is a largely enjoyable experience. While pitched as Soulslike, Another Crab’s Treasure specifically has a lot more in common with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. And yes, while that’s part of the From family, it’s also quite different. Sure, there are Bonfires (Moon Snail Shells), Souls for levelling up (Microplastics) and a challenging combat system to master. There’s also platforming, grappling, a skill tree, and only one weapon at your disposal: the aforementioned fork. Seemingly, that would limit your attacks to a few swipes of cutlery. However, the de facto prosthetic arm equivalent helps keep things interesting.

Another Crab’s Treasure’s tactical options include the pincer manoeuvre…

Being a hermit crab, Kril is no stranger to swapping homes throughout his life, and in Another Crab’s Treasure, anything that fits on his back counts. That means you can equip all manner of junk as a shell that not only defends you from incoming attacks (and performs parries if your timing is on point) but also provides various abilities. A can of fizzy beverage can spawn dozens of bubbles that home in on enemies, while a tennis ball can build up a burst of speed to ram into your foes. This uses up Umami charges that are regained by swiping your fork. 

There are over 60 of these shells to discover, though there are far fewer abilities. The valve still has the fizzy bubble spell; it merely has different stats. Regardless, it keeps combat interesting. Desperately scutting around to retrieve a new one adds a sense of tension. Early on, anyway. With certain upgrades in the skill tree, buying Shell Insurance and getting better at the game, you can pretty much use your favourite over and over if you wish. I’d recommend trying them all out, though, to see what works best for you and to simply enjoy the creativity on display. Personally, I loved the bubbles popping against my enemy, so I stuck with that. 

Alongside the shells, you also acquire adaptations during your adventure. Much like the abilities, these use up Umami charges and have the potential to deal a lot of damage if you spec your Kril a certain way. Unlike shells, they are predominantly acquired by beating certain bosses. Once defeated, Kril essentially takes on one of their signature attacks for himself. You can have two equipped at a time, but honestly, once I’d unlocked Mantis Punch and upgraded it to level three, I saw no reason to deviate from it. It made several potentially tough bosses a heck of a lot easier. 

And that brings us nicely onto the combat itself. Though slightly more straightforward and notably less difficult than most Soulslikes, it’s still good fun and provides a solid challenge. Each swing of Kril’s fork feels substantial, and the Adaptations in particular pack a satisfying punch. The enemies are a mixed bag. There are schools of fish that mostly flop around with weird attack patterns that feel a little off. Crabs, however, are a lot more enjoyable to fight, defending and attacking in equal measure. Anything long-ranged is the only crustacean exception. Apparently, everyone’s an SAS sniper under the sea, and it becomes incredibly frustrating when they’re landing hits from across the map with ease. Fortunately, they’re few and far between. Ultimately, as you’d hope, the bosses are where it truly shines. 

In a pinch? Use your shell as a shield

Often casting an intimidating shadow on our hero, they test your timing with an array of visually intriguing attacks. There’s a decent variety, too. You won’t just be battling giant crabs with big hammers. There are nimble bosses, where most of the difficulty comes from learning their attack patterns, alongside some that summon hordes of enemies to do their bidding. By and large, they’re enjoyable to bring down, with only the odd overly long grab attack animations causing any real frustration. 

And if frustration is a big problem you face in Another Crab’s Treasure, there are a ton of accessibility options to tweak if you’re struggling. Switching off fall damage can make platforming sections less of a pain, and if you’re tired of losing your Microplastics, you can stop that from happening, too. Or, if enemies are proving too tough, give Kril an actual gun that one-shots everything. That might be too far, in my opinion. Still, it certainly makes mopping up the few remaining trophies a breeze once you’ve seen the credits roll. Still, we should applaud Aggro Crab for an impressive suite of accessibility options.

Ultimately, Another Crab’s Treasure has many small issues that prevent it from being an easy recommendation. Even so, there’s plenty to enjoy here. It’s bursting with character, even if the switch to gloomy in the third act didn’t quite land for me, and the combat is thoroughly enjoyable, as long as you can avoid those irksome grab attacks. 

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Score: 7/10
Time Taken: 17 hours (20 for Platinum)
Played On: PS5

• If you’re looking for something a little shorter, check out my Crow Country review