There’s a concept in evolutionary biology called carcinisation, which is where non-crab crustaceans all start to present crab-like features as they evolve. I can’t help but think about that here, in the aptly named Aggro Crab's Another Crab’s Treasure (ACT). Instead of becoming crabs, though, the sea dwelling creatures you encounter are all going through a different evolution, as they’re all pushed closer and closer together by brightly coloured capitalism.
In ACT you play as Kril, a hermit crab who lives out his days in a very nice, secluded tide pool. Unfortunately his idyllic life is cut short when he’s told by a literal loan shark (one of those shark heads on a stick you’d get from a fair as a kid) that he’s overdue on rent he didn’t even know he had to pay. Go figure. Kril’s shell is taken as payment and, armed with a small olive fork, he begins a long adventure into the deep waters beyond the tidepool to earn enough microplastics to buy back his home.
If only it were that easy...
...You’ve probably heard, but yes, Another Crab’s Treasure is definitely a soulslike; it comes with all the deaths and dodge rolls you’ve likely come to expect. But the way it differs from its surface dwelling counterparts the most is that its world is quite pleasant, actually. Where Bloodborne or Ashen are in dire need of some sunshine, ACT shows a bright, colourful and, frankly, alive world, brimming with things for you to see and do. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a soulslike embrace a very different tone but still keep all of the mechanical trappings of its dingy contemporaries.
I had a great time exploring in ACT as a result. From New Carcinia to the Unfathom, I tried to explore every nook and cranny because this world really had its hooks into me. There were always items to collect, creatures to fight and characters to speak to that exploration never felt like a waste of time, and as you progress through more of the main story, more of this delightful world will open up to you. It happens in small ways, but they were enough to keep me trawling the depths.
Being a hermit crab without a shell sets up ACT’s big mechanical lure - shell swapping. Throughout the cities and landscapes of The Sands Between (yep!) you’ll find discarded tin cans, bottle caps and even party hats that will all lend you various defensive stats and special abilities. Each is part of a weight class that indicates how much damage it can take before it breaks and needs replacing. There’s a merchant in New Carcinia that will offer home insurance for your shell, so if it does break and you die, when you respawn or fast travel you’ll start with that shell from the jump - super useful if you have a favourite. I spent most of my game using the “Lil’ Red Cup”, a small house party style disposable cup that gives you a drunken claw swipe that was a lot of fun. As you can tell, the developers really committed to the puns and wordplay and I loved it. It made the more story focused parts in between the combat as much of a joy to play through.
Combat has 3 main parts - the olive fork, a parry, and the umami powers. I’m gonna start with the umami powers because they’re probably my favourite part of this game. Not long into the adventure, fresh out of the tidepool, you’ll discover the lair of the Moon Snail. The Moon Snail will see something in Kril and give him the ability to access the magical umami ocean currents, allowing you to fast travel. This also unlocks the skill tree, letting you upgrade Kril how you see fit. A little further on you’ll gain your first adaptation - powerful abilities that use umami to do various things in and outside of combat. A couple of these abilities can make combat a little trivial once fully upgraded so if you’re in the fish market for some real power, this is where you’ll find it. For example, there’s a giant, insatiable crab that wanders the sands between who’ll pop up if you stray from the path. ACT does a great job of building him up and making him frightening, but when it came time to fight him, my umami powers made him a bit of a cakewalk. This may well put some people off but I loved the feeling of power ACT managed to create. It could easily have felt a little boring, but it's so satisfying to demolish Kril’s opponents I really didn’t mind.
The other parts of combat are… fine. Kril’s olive fork can be upgraded and it feels nice enough to swing. It’s snappy and responsive as you’d expect; a perfectly serviceable weapon for a little hermit crab. The parry, however, not so much. I found it to be a little finicky at times and I never really got the timing of parrying on releasing the button instead of pressing it. Enemies have a poise bar, similar to Sekiro, where once they've taken enough poise damage they'll be stunned, offering some free hits. This is where the counter really comes into play. I think people's mileage will vary with it though, as it works, it just feels a little strange.
In another refreshing break from tradition, Another Crab’s Treasure has a nice, easily digestible narrative. In an attempt to get his shell back, finds himself on a hunt for legendary treasure. Following the direction of an elder hermit crab and a map from the back of a cereal box, Kril enters a race against Roland, the isopod CEO of Shellfish Corp and mayor of New Carcinia.
The race takes Kril and his companions, which include the elder hermit, nemma (a friendly shopkeeper) and Chitan (a lobster guard you meet early on) to the far corners of the Sands Between and some places beyond, introducing you to the many different ways that the sea creatures are suffering under capitalism. Along the way, Kril begins to realise that burying his head in the sand helps no one, and armed with a prodigious fighting ability becomes slowly radicalised by who and what he sees. It creates this great contrast to the light, colourful vibe the rest of the game has going on that really kept me engaged with the story from start to finish.
It certainly helps that all the characters are so endearing. Kril is delightfully fed up with the whole ordeal, and Roland plays a convincing capitalist oligarch but the game really shines in its supporting cast. Chitan is a vengeance obsessed lobster who slowly realises perhaps anger isn't enough and Firth, a younger hermit crab, idolises Roland and is more interested in climbing the social ladder than helping anybody else survive. These are just a few of the people you'll meet and they were all so so fun to get to know, it made the third act of the story all that more intense for me when I played it.
All in all, this was a delightful experience from start to finish. From the characters to the combat I have very few negative things to say about Another Crab’s Treasure. It does just enough new things with the souls formula for it to feel fresh and has more than enough depth to its narrative to create a memorable addition to a very packed genre. If you’ve looked at Dark Souls and perhaps been put off, this might be a good jumping off point. It’s far more accessible than its counterparts, but still provides that amazing feeling of succeeding against a foe much greater than yourself - be that a giant, cannibalistic crab, or capitalism. My roughly 20 hour experience had me grinning from ear to ear and there was one particular creature I encountered in the Unfathom that I'll be thinking about for a while. I really can’t recommend this enough, and I think you’ll find it well worth your hard earned sand dollars.
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