Another Crab’s Treasure is an upcoming Soulslike game, but on the surface, it looks very different from others in the genre. Instead of the grimdark often associated with Soulslike games, Another Crab’s Treasure is more colorful, more whimsical, and altogether brighter than any Soulslike game by far. However, under the surface, there is a dark story at the heart of it not unlike its predecessors in the genre. This, in a way, translates to combat and how players will approach it. Players should expect a challenge, but whereas a lot of other games rely on parries or dodges, the core combat mechanic in Another Crab’s Treasure is blocking.
In Another Crab’s Treasure, players take on the role of Kril, a hermit crab, as he fights his way across the underwater world. Players are able to equip a variety of different shells in the game, utilizing them as shields against opponents or utilizing their inherent shell magic. Game Rant recently spoke with Aggro Crab’s studio head/art director Nick Kaman and creative director/narrative lead Caelan Pollock about Another Crab Treasure‘s shell design, including the number of shells available in the game: 69.
Every Soulslike Boss Seen in Another Crab’s Treasure So Far
Another Crab’s Treasure players will be facing a variety of Soulslike bosses in the game, a few of which have already been revealed.
Shell Design in Another Crab’s Treasure
Another Crab’s Treasure features 69 shells for Kril to equip and use in the game, which required a lot of conceptual work. Kaman explained that, over the course of about two years, he essentially had to sit and think about things that a crab could stick its butt into. With its focus on pollution and trash, there were some obvious contenders like soda cans, but after that it gets dicey. As Kaman said,
Honestly, the approach was just: “Okay, what’s a piece of trash that this crab could fit its butt into?” You know, that gets pretty difficult. You’ve got soda cans and other types of beverage containers. Then you run out, and you have to get really creative.
From there, the team would consider what kind of move, or Shell Spell, the shell would have. These are sometimes obvious, but just like deciding on a shell, it gets dicier the weirder the shell is. Of course, Kaman and Pollock are not the only ones at Aggro Crab, and other folks within the team would share ideas. Pollock explained ideating possible shell designs and Shell Spells is a lot of fun and that it’s “ultimately pretty challenging to decide on a shortlist.” Players will get to see the results of this decision-making process when Another Crab’s Treasure releases on April 25.
Another Crab’s Treasure’s Shells Are Incredibly Varied
The end result is the main thing players will see, the result of years of work. Some of the shells in Another Crab’s Treasure have been confirmed already, including the following:
- Soda Can Shell
- Shell Spell: Depressurize
- Coffee Mug Shell
- Shell Spell: Morning Buzz
- Party Hat Shell
- Shell Spell: Party Time
- Tin Can Shell
- Shell Spell: Shellshock
- Water Valve Shell
- Shell Spell: Unknown
During our interview, Kaman also acknowledged that there are shells that can explode, be used as a decoy, or have other stipulations. Glass shells, for example, are pretty weak and break in one hit. However, its ability shoots out glass shards, and as long as that ability is active, the shield doesn’t break in one hit. It instead breaks the shards and the enemy takes damage as a result. Overall, the sky’s the limit when it comes to Shells, almost literally since they are created from trash that has fallen from the “sky” in Another Crab’s Treasure, including handguns.
Another Crab’s Treasure
Aggro Crab’s Another Crab’s Treasure provides a maritime twist on the Souls-like formula. Using the trash around him as armor and weapons, Kril must travel across an underwater kingdom while fighting off all sorts of impressive threats.
- Released
- April 25, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Publisher(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Genre(s)
- Adventure , Soulslike , RPG
- Engine
- Unity
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
