7 Reasons Another Crab’s Treasure Is the Ideal Soulslike for Soulslike Haters

Not everyone likes being punched in the face by a grotesque man with five arms, one of which is also the head of a dragon. Yeah, we know, it’s a strange thing to come to terms with for those who love Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and pretty much every masochistic soulslike birthed from the twisted mind of creator Hidetaki Miyazaki.

But there’s hope yet for these wayward souls! Because Another Crab’s Treasure does things a little differently, and a whole lot brighter. So if you struggle to appreciate the beauty of Bloodborne or know someone who felt exhausted by Elden Ring, here’s why developer Aggro Crab’s arthropod adventure may be the ideal (and adjustable) soulslike starting point.

1. It stars an adorable crab confused by plastic pollution

Soulslikes typically set the opening tone by killing you. Sometimes they even go for broke and do it twice – just so you’re fully prepared for the fun times to come. By contrast, Another Crab’s Treasure kicks off with you scampering after a sarcastic plastic shark toy that’s nabbed your shell. The stakes are just a little bit lower.

From there, you’re unleashed into a colorful underwater world, albeit one corrupted by pollutants like microplastics and capitalistic greed. Think about that for just a moment – and you’ll be forced to confront it by the game’s end – and it’s still a grim concept, but the themes are overlaid by an adorable aesthetic and upbeat soundtrack, both bursting with vibrancy and character. That deviance from the genre’s typical tone and look alone will likely be enough for some to give it a shot.

It also helps that fork-wielding, hermit crab protagonist Kril is endearingly naive to the waters beyond his rock pool. It’s far easier to root for a confused little crustacean than some forgotten nobody like Elden Ring’s Tarnished.

2. There’s plenty of humor

The closest you’ll get to comedy in Dark Souls is a set of spikes hidden at the top of an elevator shaft. Its NPCs aren’t afraid of a laugh, but they’re usually of the unsettlingly long and exquisitely deranged kind. What we’re saying is, you wouldn’t want to hang out with many of them at a party. Not so, in Another Crab’s Treasure.

Gags litter the writing with almost the same frequency as trash across the seabed, and most are aimed squarely at adults. Think early ‘90s cartoons in tone, but with a whole lot more shucks to give. Genre stalwarts, too, will find plenty of humorous nods – Elden Ring fans are guaranteed a giggle upon reaching The Sands Between – should they brave the waters. It turns out soulslikes don’t even have to be miserable! Who’d have thought?

3. It’s a platformer as much as a fighter

Crustaceans aren’t best known for their jumping skills. Despite this, Another Crab’s Treasure boldly breaks up its claw-clashing combat with platforming sequences. Now, soulslikes and precise jumping do not, historically, gel. Even those who love the combat are likely to be pushed over the brink – both in-game and out – with a single trip through Dark Souls’ Blighttown.

Thankfully, leaping about in Another Crab’s Treasure is more akin to classic platformers of the N64 and PS2 eras. Kril can hover briefly, bouncy sponges appear on the regular, and you’ll swiftly unlock a grappling hook which lets you zip to marked points.

There’s even a rolling mechanic to let you tuck into your shell and tear down slopes. And if you’re still finding the platforming punishing? A quick trip to the Assist menu will let you disable damage from any tumbles into the abyss.

What Chris said in his review...

Recommended

"Another Crab’s Treasure will provide surprising depth for those lured in by its cartoonish and comedic premise, and it manages to balance both tones well despite occasional dissonance."

Read the review

4. Experimentation is encouraged

Dark Souls and Bloodborne reward commitment. If you find a weapon you like, you should probably funnel all of your resources and time into it for a given playthrough. In Another Crab’s Treasure, all you’ve got to swing around is a fork. Flexibility comes instead through the shell your hermit crab scuttles into.

Each shell comes with its own special ability – activated at the cost of umami charges – and, crucially, also has limited durability. When a shell breaks, you’ll need to scrabble for the nearest one available, adapting your playstyle to its power and stats. It’s a great concept that, fittingly for the lead star, encourages you to try new equipment on the regular.

Save up enough microplastics – the in-game equivalent of Dark Souls’ souls resource – and you’ll later have the option to purchase shell insurance, ensuring you always respawn with your favorite. Even then, its durability will only last so long before you’re forced to trade it out for a new home and new powers.

5. No stamina stress or confusing stats

Managing a pesky energy bar is a fundamental part of fighting in most soulslikes. It’s also one of the most punishing aspects; overstretch and you’ll be left unable to block or attack when the moment demands it. Another Crab’s Treasure ditches this concept entirely. You’re free to roll, sprint, and swing that fork about as often as you like.

For newbies, this omission is a literal lifesaver. Not having to check what percentage a pesky green bar is sitting at before you strike means you can focus fully on the assault that towering terror of a lobster shrimp in front of you is preparing. You might even manage to avoid it.

Also neatly snipped is the soulslike genre’s fondness for a baffling array of stats. Sadly, most folk don’t want to understand the difference between Vigor and Vitality, or Arcane and Insight. Even fewer want to sift through wiki pages in the hopes of comprehending the nebulous concept of Poise. Another Crab’s Treasure upends the bulk of the stat sheet into the trash. Instead you’ve got four simple choices: Health, shell durability, attack power, and special attack power. The game even makes clear what difference each point spent will make.

Best of all, there’s no need to worry about weight load. The speed of your rolls is determined entirely by which class of shell you don. Heavier options will make your dodging sluggish but come with massive pools of health to let you block attacks with impunity.

6. A generous Assist menu

There’s difficulty, and then there’s deterrent. Another Crab’s Treasure doesn’t shy away from the former, but it doesn’t want that to be a barrier to a good time, either. Claw your way over to the Assist menu and you’ll find a selection of options which let you tailor just how “souls” you like to play.

The array of options includes basic stuff like reducing enemy damage, but also the ability to increase dodge and parry windows, disable resource loss on death, or slow down the game speed.

Oh yes, and courtesy of an April Fool’s joke-turned-reality, you can also straight up give Kril a gun. So if repeated deaths to a single boss or enemy type are tilting you dangerously close to quitting altogether, there’s the last resort of strapping a to-scale pistol to your hermit’s back and blasting away. Kril, buddy, would you mind taking on Elden Ring’s Malenia for us next time?

7. It’ll still teach you soulslike fundamentals

At the end of all this, you’d be fair in questioning whether Another Crab’s Treasure is a soulslike at all. But even after so many sharp edges have been shaved off its shell, the beast inside is still a spiky one. Basic enemies stagger and delay their attacks, punishing overzealous mashers and forcing a focused attention. If you’re not willing to learn, you’ll almost certainly drown in the deeper waters.

Bosses are especially brutal. Their health pools are kept low enough that victory always feels within reach, but they won’t hesitate to flatten your life bar given a moment’s distraction. There’s no need to stress about boss runs though, as you’re always given the option to spawn back directly in front of the fight.

Still not convinced? There’s even a toxic swamp! You can’t tell us this game doesn’t know what genre company it keeps. Sure, you can grapple over the majority of its rotten riverways, but we’d probably consider that a positive in Souls games too.

Another Crab's Treasure

Release Date: April 25, 2024

Digital Only

• WindowsBuy
• Nintendo SwitchBuy
• PlayStation 4Buy
• PlayStation 5Buy
• Xbox Game PassBuy
• Xbox OneBuy
• Xbox SeriesBuy