Another Crab’s Treasure is Even Better Than I Could Have Hoped For
By Moe Revel
If you follow me on X (Formerly Twitter) or have held a conversation with me for any length of time during the past month, then you have undoubtedly heard me gushing about my excitement for Another Crab’s Treasure. Since the game was first announced at a Nintendo Indie World Showcase in 2022, the developer, AggroCrab, has provided consistent updates regarding the game’s development. With the game having finally released this past week on April 25th, I want to take this opportunity to give some of my initial impressions after playing on both Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch.
Dubbed a “souls-like” game, Another Crab’s Treasure takes a genre known for inducing rage and makes it entirely its own. From the playful art style reminiscent of the Nicktoons games of the early 2000s and Legend of Zelda: Windwaker to the rousing yet often therapeutic soundtrack, there is no overstating the level of talent behind this game. The fact that a small team of eleven people brought this incredibly unique idea to life tells me how much passion there is behind the project, something that is lost in many modern releases that chase mass appeal instead of creativity.
I pre-ordered the game on Nintendo Switch after the Indie World Showcase a couple of weeks ago before learning that the game would also be coming to Game Pass on Xbox, so I decided to use this to my advantage and compare the different versions of it.
After a solid six hours of playtime split between the two consoles, it is clear that while both versions are phenomenal, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from the somewhat outdated hardware. I noticed significantly more frame rate issues on Nintendo’s system in both docked and handheld modes. That said, something about the OLED screen in handheld mode has me choosing this version over the Xbox one. The art is incredibly crisp looking, reminding me of the bloom effects of the GameCube era, hence my earlier reference to Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. While the game overall may run better on the Xbox, there is something about Another Crab’s Treasure’s charming aesthetic that feels right at home on the Switch.
The game’s story has a strong balance of real-world issues and perfect comedic timing that has drawn me in just as much as the art and sound direction. Without getting into major spoiler territory, you play as a crab, Krill, who has to find a way to pay taxes to the newly empowered Duchess of the sea where he lives. From there, you embark on your quest, cleaning up microplastics from the ocean around you and fighting bosses that will inevitably have you pulling at your hair as most souls-like games do. The overwhelming burden of taxation, the environmental decay of our world caused by microplastics, and the struggle to find your sense of identity without your “shell” (barriers that you put up to protect yourself) are all issues that you work through in this game. Even with such serious topics at hand, AggroCrab does an extraordinary job of maintaining their commitment to the humor that is as endless as the water of the ocean where Krill resides.
If you are a fan of the souls-like genre or you are looking for a challenging game that does not take itself too seriously then I cannot recommend this game enough. The stability issues that I mentioned earlier are already on the developer’s radar to be fixed so those should not deter you from this game. I may come back and write a lengthier review once I finish the game, but as it stands, I give Another Crab’s Treasure a well-deserved 9/10.
Do you plan to pick up this game and test your underwater battling skills? Is the promise of a crustacean crusade enticing to you? Let me know, and as always, game on friends!