The appeal of soulslike games is one I'd somehow avoided. Then the other morning I was mindlessly scrolling TikTok instead of falling asleep and came across a short video. I watched a small crab get fed up with dodging, blocking, and occasionally getting a hit in against a big boss crab, give up, and pop a cap in his face. It just pulled out a gun and blew him away. That game was Another Crab's Treasure by Aggro Crab which currently has a limited time demo up on Steam as part of this year's Next Fest.
I woke up the day after and, as soon as I had the chance in the morning work meeting, I pleaded with PCG's editors to let me explore this exciting new avenue for soulslike games. So here we are.
Another Crab's Treasure has you exploring the litter-filled ocean while trying to best the many dangerous sea creatures that appear around every corner as a small crab named Kril. The trash is more than a set dressing as the many pieces of wearable rubbish provide a broad selection of shell options, each with an ability known as a shell spell. A few of my favourite shells include the legal brick (a piece of Lego), and the thimble, simply because of how adorable they look sitting on Kril's back. The shell spells range from special attacks, to defensive buffs which will charge up as you fight enemies. You also get a grappling hook which is always a plus in my book.
We should probably get to the elephant-sized pistol in the room. This game has an assist mode. Love it or hate it you can increase your shell durability, reduce damage taken, lower enemy health and slow down the game speed… or you can just whip out a humongous pistol and one-shot everything like John Wick. This is as goofy as it sounds, especially since the size difference
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