CHENNAI: What is a soulslike game? Ask anyone who has played their fair share of games, and they’ll all probably tell you the same thing. “Extremely difficult”, “dark, grisly, and cruel”, and “it made me question my self-worth” will be the top responses. Kind of throws you off ever wanting to play one, no? I played Elden Ring, and I knew instantly that soulslike games were absolutely not my thing. I don’t have a choice though – playing a soulslike game is a trial-by-fire initiation to becoming a “true gamer”. And so, I try Another Crab’s Treasure.
This weird crab game immediately makes me feel very comfortable. I meet Kril, a sweet, mild-mannered hermit crab, who has his shell forcibly removed off him by a loan shark. The loan shark asks him to go meet the duchess and make his tax payments.
He also receives the slight shock of sea trash now being dubbed as the new currency by her Majesty, not something he has a lot of. Kril jumps into the ocean. Everything is light, flowy, and relaxed. Kril always makes sweet conversation with the duchess’ castle soldiers and the tiny trainee crabs. Even when rabid sea eels and weird crab come to attack Kril, the music is always mild, and the vibes thrown out are quite anti-soulslike. What makes this a soulslike game then? Well, the combat is definitely not easy. It has the trademark shield, dodge, roll and attack mechanic that all these soulslike battles seem to have. There are also complex skill and combat trees.
It brings in the element of magic through Kril’s temporary shells — he could use a soda can which releases shock waves, a shot glass, and unleashes shards, or just wear a banana peel (It’s light and it gives him some health perks). Most importantly, the game has designated respawn points in the form of Moon Snail Shells. A soulslike gamer would be familiar with this feature — Kril’s collected perks remain at the location of his last death; it’s like the game dares you to go back to the spot of your last failure.
Right – so let’s summarise what we know about this crab game. Mechanically, crab game and every other soulslike game are similar. It’s just the vibes that couldn’t be more different. And that changes everything. The world built around the crab, the lead character himself, and the inherent silliness of the story makes this game a lot more approachable, which brings me to the thesis of my review. Worldbuilding is always as important as gameplay.
Elden Ring, for example, has wastelands of undead monsters and a convoluted high-fantasy story as part of its world. Another Crab’s Treasure, a little more grounded, a lot more simplistic. It shows us how the life of a young hermit crab is thrown upside down because microplastics have now been dubbed as the reigning currency of the seabed. Tin cans and bottle caps are his new shells, and he can’t go pass through gates unless he can show them a shiny shard from a degrading water bottle. To make matters worse, sweet sea creatures are also turning rabid because of the “gunk” from the plastics. The crab game is a lot more relatable with its metaphor on trash and the polluted oceans. A rather friendly entry into the more difficult type of videogame. Another Crab’s Treasure is currently available on the PlayStation, Windows, Nintendo, and Xbox.