If there is a trend in the world of video games that everyone imitates, it is that of From Software. Everyone wants to make their own soulslike. The game that is like a Dark Souls, but with a little twist of their own. The reality is that it seems that no one knows how to do it gracefully. Practically all attempts so far have been disappointing, showing that From Software has something special. Unique. That, or other studios have limited themselves to copying where they should be inspired.
Because, recently, a small indie study has shown that it is possible to make a soulslike with personality and that truly feels satisfying. Not as a mere copy, but something else. Because at Aggro Crab, when they decided to make their indie soulslike, they decided to follow the path that no one had followed: that of parody.
Another Crab’s Treasure puts us in the shoes of a hermit crab, named Kril, who one day is told that he has a huge debt with the baroness who controls those lands. Because he has been unintentionally evading taxes, his house and shell are expropriated, and Kril decides to go to the ocean to discuss with the baroness the possibility of recovering his house. But between the baroness’ refusal to return his shell and the environmental pollution that is destroying and driving the other animals crazy, Kril will become the unlikely hero that the ocean needs.
One of the main charms of Another Crab’s Treasure is that it is a delightful game with a great sense of humor. It has constant wordplay, visual jokes, and a fair amount of slapstick, making it an excellent comedy game. But all of this is enhanced when we accept that, in addition, it is a parody of the Souls games. It looks at them with as much admiration as affection, not allowing itself to be trapped by their influence.
By parody here we don’t mean satire. A parody doesn’t have to be mocking; it can simply imitate what is being parodied, giving it a twist. Which is the case of Another Crab’s Treasure. A game where deranged knights attack us from so far away that it takes almost ten seconds for them to reach us. Huge shells allow us to level up or travel between them. Or in general, characters give us cryptic references and the game invites us to think about it through the environmental narrative that Dark Souls integrated so well into the collective unconscious.
In fact, Another Crab’s Treasure, at its core, is a soulslike. If you know the button configuration of any From Software game, you know the one of Another Crab’s Treasure. Instead of souls, there are microplastics, instead of bonfires, there are magical shells. But there is one thing that sets the game apart. The shells.
As Kril is a hermit crab, it doesn’t wear armor, but different shells. To protect ourselves, we will have to hide inside it, which will cause structural damage. If it suffers too much, our shell will break. In addition, each shell has its own associated magical power, which we can use by spending umami, making the selection of the shell an important strategic element. We not only want the shell with the most defense for its weight, but we also have to consider how we are going to play and what spells each one offers us.
Another thing that sets it apart from From Software games is its platforming. With many jumping sections, with a Sekiro-style grappling hook, in the game we will have to do a lot of platforming throughout its 12-15 hours. The problem is that the jumps are usually very tight and the controls are not always perfect, making some of these sections a bit more complex. Although never anything so important as to be serious.
In addition, this is a game by Aggro Crab. An indie studio of 12 people. It is normal for it not to have the same finesse as a game by From Software, a studio of 288 people with 28 years of experience. Its small control frictions and slightly crazy jumps are a logical price to pay for the wonderfulness of the rest of the game.
Because Another Crab’s Treasure can say something that most soulslikes can’t: it has personality. It wants to talk about capitalism, the environment, what it means to have a home. It wants to have a dark touch, but it wants to be a cute, fun, and funny game; sometimes even with a quite dark humor, reminiscent of Monty Python. Because it’s not just another attempt to be Dark Souls. It’s something else. And something that any Souls fan, who wants a true twist on the concept, should try.
Another Crab’s Treasure is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PC, and GamePass. And it is the perfect game to alleviate the wait until the arrival of the Elden Ring expansion.
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