Another Crab’s Treasure review: beyond a mere imitation of Dark Souls

It's hard not to believe in a vast farce when you're interested in Another Crab's Treasure. A tour on the Aggro Crab studio Twitter account allows you to discover the crazy approach of the developers, chaining together puns to “sell” what they present as a Dark Souls, but with a crab. As if humor could be combined with a style of play known for its austerity, and generally drawing on a cryptic universe.

Another Crab's Treasure therefore takes the complete opposite of the genre, with a wacky tone. We play Krill, a young hermit crab who has his shell stolen while he thought he was living his best crustacean life on an uneventful beach. In the depths of the sea, he will discover an entire unknown universe, where the natives have made waste into currency. It's the perfect starting point for a series of quests, in a world full of ideas. Everything is credible in Another Crab's Treasure, from the Duchess fighting with a tea ball to the lighters and trash polluting the seabed. We often smile when we see the design finds.

Another Crab's Treasure is an excellent Dark Souls

At the beginning ofAnother Crab's Treasure, Krill is defenseless and devoid of its shell. But, very quickly, he will have to roll up his claws to defend himself against a horde of enemies, made up of crabs, eels, among other representatives of the local fauna. Fortunately, he will be able to count on a weapon of choice: a fork, which will gain in power as the adventure progresses (by recycling keys from a blacksmith). He can also pick up what he finds along the way and make a shell for himself, from a can to a computer mouse, including a tennis ball or a glass of champagne.

Another Crab's Treasure effectively adds a notion of temporary armor to the gameplay that we already know from the soulslike formula – here rid of the endurance gauge in combat. Seemingly nothing, this greatly changes the dynamics of the gameplay, more focused on parrying with makeshift equipment. Each item transformed into a shell has its own properties, in terms of strength, magical power and weight. This allows you to vary the pleasures, even within the same confrontation – knowing that you can find an ideal shell for your crustacean (for example, the can and its bubble-based attacks adding distance). This element also contributes to the survival of Krill, who is very vulnerable when he has nothing on his back, even against enemies who are more ridiculous than impressive. This armor, which we have the opportunity to change regularly, really rebalances the balance of power.

Otherwise, Krill progresses as in a Dark Souls : by collecting experience points, which are also used to stock up on supplies in the shops. As in a FromSoftware game, dying means that you will have to immediately go to your remains so as not to lose everything that you have previously accumulated. There are also teleportation points and enemies that come back to life when you rest there. In the approach and in the requirement, Another Crab's Treasure is indeed an heir of Dark Souls. Better still, it brilliantly respects everything they brought. This is evidenced by the life bar which does not change if you miss a parry or if you dodge badly. Only the architecture of the levels is not up to the best, except perhaps in the final environments of the game. One of them is a real homage to the Farum Azula zone ofElden Ring (you'll have nightmares about it, it's so convoluted) — there are worse inspirations. We even have the equivalent of the poisonous swamp.

Another Crab's Treasure still offers various options to soften the difficulty. From the outset, you can choose to resurrect near a boss, to avoid getting stuck on a path that can be perilous. Then, in the menus, it is possible to activate a whole range of aids: increasing the durability of shells, reducing damage suffered, extending the parry window or even slowing down time. So much assistance which can allow everyone to appreciate the game of Aggro Crab, which assumes its affiliation with Dark Souls, but does not want to erect barriers too high. At least he leaves the choice: some will want to live the raw experience (difficult as it takes, and far from insurmountable), others will simply seek to appreciate the funny universe – which hides a satire on pollution. Thanks to these multiple approaches, we can advise Another Crab's Treasure to all.

On the other hand, it must be recognized thatAnother Crab's Treasure is not a technical war lightning. On Xbox Series It's all the more a shame since the animations are successful: the way Krill runs is hilarious. Also, if you stay still for a few seconds, the hero will juggle a healing flower — and he may even lose it if you don't catch it. Good point: Aggro Crab has already announced that several updates are planned to make Another Crab's Treasure much more efficient.