Another Crab's Treasure

Another Crab's Treasure is a 2024 Soulslike game made by Aggro Crab, who also published it. It came out on April 25, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

In this third-person action game, you play as Kril, a hermit crab whose shell gets taken by a loan shark for unpaid taxes. Unlike most Soulslikes, you can change the difficulty whenever you want, though it starts on Hard. Kril uses the same weapon—a discarded fork—throughout the whole game, but can upgrade it with Stainless Relics. The main combat involves dodging attacks from polluted enemies and striking when they're open. Trash-based Shells act as armor, giving different levels of defense. When Kril hides inside a shell, all damage except Grab attacks is blocked, but the shell takes damage and can break. Each shell also has a unique Shell Spell that costs Umami (mana) to use. Filling an enemy's Balance meter makes them Capsize, leaving them open for a critical hit.

The underwater world is a network of connected areas, some linear and some open. Microplastics, left over from pollution, are the currency for upgrades and items. Dying makes you lose all Microplastics, but you can get them back by returning to where you died—unless you die again before retrieving them, which makes them vanish. Early on, the Moon Snail unlocks a skill tree that gives new offensive and defensive options. Kril can also learn Adaptations, powerful abilities that cost Umami. He has better platforming moves than most Soulslikes, including a short swim after jumping, climbing netting, and using a fish hook to grapple to marked spots. Moon Snail Shells act as bonfires where you can spend Microplastics and fast travel. Dying to most bosses lets you respawn at a floating Moon Jelly instead of the nearest shell. Some Adaptations, like the Mantis Punch, open up previously unreachable areas. Aggro Crab emphasizes environmental storytelling, weaving the narrative into the world, item descriptions, and cryptic messages from other creatures.

Kril is a misanthropic hermit crab living alone in a tide pool. A loan shark takes his shell as collateral for taxes he says Kril owes to Duchess Magista of Slacktide. Kril meets Magista, who agrees to trade his shell back for a treasure. He meets the Moon Snail, who unlocks his ability to use Umami magic.