It all depends on your definition of a Souls-like, but Another Crab’s Treasure places itself among the pantheon of imitations despite lacking one of the defining traits of the genre. Released early in the year, Aggro Crab’s second game takes place down where it is wetter, down where it is better, and where a sex joke sits that I can’t say. A Souls-like in almost every sense of the phrase, though lacks that stamina-based management that we’re used to throughout the genre. In fact, one of my go-to comparisons wouldn’t be Dark Souls or anything FromSoft, it would be Hollow Knight.

You play as a tiny little hermit crab called Krill, who’s got this whole thing about wanting to stay alive. Well, at least one of us wants to. The trouble is, Krill lives in a small bay which comes under the jurisdiction of a new ruler looking to impose a tax and the tax man/loan shark comes knocking; the Loan Shark being a literal shark-themed litter picker. With your shell stolen for tax purposes, you begin to explore the shallow depths in search of the shark that stole it – and thus, the adventure begins.

From here you explore the waters filled with the detritus of our lives: Cigarette butts, colorful plastic sunglasses, lots of glass and plastic bottles, food and condiment containers, and other pollutants we pretend to ignore. Yes, it is one of those ultra-“woke” games that actually gives two tin cans of Sardines about the planet, how horrible! Though with that comes a unique opportunity with the setting and the character, as Krill needs a shell and we’re not using that plastic that chokes several fish and other marine life anymore, so why not use discarded tennis balls as shells?

From here it is a rather predictable tale of Souls-like patterns, from friendly people becoming enemies following a quick quest, sinister tones revealed to be the prelude to really getting genitals ripped off, and all the usual things. However, Another Crab’s Treasure does another thing that is fairly unique, it offers accessibility options. It even features a preset that tells you how difficult the game will be, with “hard” being the default. Though let me sell Another Crab’s Treasure to you instantly: Krill can use a loaded gun as their shell.

From extending dodge and parry windows, preventing Souls (Microplastics) being lost on death, as well as other minor things, this is the most detailed accessibility option I’ve seen in a Souls-like to boot. I always hold that if there isn’t a level cap, the RPG-style leveling system is a good enough accessibility option – if you can kill, you can grind up a pole until you kill Gilbert Gottfried. That said, Another Crab’s Treasure doesn’t have as dark a theme as Elden Ring or Dark Souls (aside from the usual “We Kill Our Planet” thing), so making not only a disabled-friendly set of accessibility options but child-friendly too is great.

The colorful and very often inviting environments are stunningly appealing, minus a few dead crustaceans laying around. Oh yeah, and that first boss you can find with the guillotine on the bike lock… that’s pretty dark and uninviting. Otherwise, the world down where Ariel wants to escape from is where I want to be as my fishy friends make homes and entire towns out of what we leave in their world. Though aside from the colorful exterior and refined gameplay into something much more accessible and enjoyable, the story itself is… I want to say serviceable. Being told in text boxes, some of which go on for a little, my eyes are a little too willing to glaze over.

The broad-strokes definitely work, and I’d go as far to say aside from Lies of P, Another Crab’s Treasure is one of the easiest Souls-like stories to understand. All the other crabs are being turned into mindless crustaceans, turned mad by The Gunk, which results in them all turning hostile due to pollution. Told you, woke! I’m obviously abusing that to make fun of the people who do misuse the phrase, but all the same, Another Crab’s Treasure is exactly what those types of people do call “woke.” Later there are questions about further pollution, greed, “free-market” capitalism, and so on.

Defeating certain major bosses results in Krill (the game’s lead, which I’ve been grossly neglecting to remind you repeatedly) getting some powers from those bosses. Particularly the electric eel power, but if I’m honest, I want the power of that third thing Voltal, the Accumulator had. Just don’t ask your mum what it is. While for the most part Another Crab’s Treasure is very kid-friendly, there certainly are references that will go over a kid’s head, including references directly to Dark Souls or some stupid show about a yellow sponge that’s never been funny. Yeah, I said it.

The metaphors throughout Another Crab’s Treasure aren’t subtle, and at no point am I saying “unfettered capitalism and its by-product of pollution” are subtle. However, the way Krill himself goes about it is actually the most honest and interesting way of telling this story. Before the loan shark stole his shell (his home), thus kickstarting the adventure, Krill didn’t understand the point of currency, microplastics, and the greed that comes with monetary value. Krill is the most honest a character can be. Telling the story in this way, using the world of crustaceans, you have a sincerity to the message of “stop trying to kill the planet with your complicity.”

Finally, after several years, I think we have a contender for everyone’s first Souls-like in Another Crab’s Treasure. The story isn’t too complicated, the gameplay is more refined for the 3D Souls-like, and the accessibility allows more than enough room to make sure it isn’t just the “get gud” crowd playing it. Ultimately, Another Crab’s Treasure has been my favorite Souls-like of the year, though outside of Black Myth Wukong which I hardly had interest in to begin with, the year has been scant of properly interesting Souls-likes.

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Another Crab’s Treasure

$29.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• GUN!
• Such an important story that couldn't be told any other way.
• Such a beautiful and depressing setting.

Cons

• The ending might fall a bit flat.