Another Crab's Treasure is a game about crabs - but it's not just that. Protagonist Kril will encounter a wide variety of sea creatures as he journeys to clear his debt, find his shell, and save his tide pool home from the Duchess of Slack Tide. As players journey through Another Crab's Treasure, they will encounter allies and enemies ranging from shrimp, eels, and fish to the nightmarish Bobbit Worm. Deciding which sea creatures to include, developer Aggro Crab Games revealed, involved considering both their abilities and how they worked as Dark Souls- style enemies.
Creative director/narrative lead Caelan Pollock and studio head/art director Nick Kaman of Aggro Crab recently spoke to The Best War Games about the process of deciding which sea creatures to include and which to cut. "We wanted to partly do creatures that were immediately super obvious and partly do weird creatures we saw on Blue Planet," Pollock explained. The team wanted to feature some of the ocean's most iconic denizens but also have some Easter eggs for "people who are a little more into niche marine life to see and get excited about."
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The Creatures Chosen Have Valuable Abilities for Kril to Use
Many of the enemies fought in Another Crab's Treasure have special abilities, called Adaptations, that Kril can use after he defeats them. Umami, the life force that runs through the ocean community, allows him to do this. Many creatures were chosen for inclusion because they had abilities that the team wanted Kril to have. Examples included the electric eel, which Pollock described as "obviously a very cool creature to fight and use its ability," the mantis shrimp, and the pistol shrimp. Creatures that had naturally combat-focused enhancements, like electricity and powerful punches, were a shoo-in - or would that be a shell-in? As Pollock explained,
We don't have as many spells as Elden Ring, so making sure each spell and each adaptation has its own place in a potential play style or move set was really important to us. There's not a lot of fat in that particular feature that could have been cut. They're all pretty important.
The "Dark Souls" Nature of Sea Creatures Was Also Considered
Some sea creatures made it into the game because they reminded the developers of Dark Souls enemies. A prime example of this is the Bobbit Worm, a seafloor- and rock-dwelling predator that lies in wait before ensnaring prey with its feelers and then snapping it in pieces with its powerful jaws. Pollock described the worm as "some sort of weird alien creature" and "a nightmare creature coming to kill you," citing it as an example of a creature that was obvious to include.
The Aggro Crab team ultimately drew the line at including mythical creatures or fusions of existing sea creatures, deciding to focus on "what is really horrifying in the ocean." However, the game does feature a few real creatures that are "anatomically incorrect in some way because it's cooler." It seems very likely that many of the enemies Kril will encounter as he journeys through the ocean will soon join lists of iconic, memorable, and terrifying Soulslike bosses, mentioned for years to come alongside such luminaries as Elden Ring's Malenia and all the horrifying creatures fought in Bloodborne. As the Aggro Crab team said, the ocean is absolutely full of horror and nightmares, and Another Crab's Treasure will introduce those nightmares to gamers when it launches later in April.
Another Crab's Treasure
- Released
- April 25, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
As Kril the hermit crab, you’ll need to wear the trash around you as shells to withstand attacks from enemies many times your size. Embark on an epic treasure hunt to buy back your repossessed shell, and discover the dark secrets behind the polluted ocean.
TRASH OR TREASURE?
In this undersea society, trash is not only a way of life, but a valuable resource, used for everything from fashion to firearms. But with the presence of trash comes a mysterious infection known as the Gunk, which could spell doom for the entire ocean.
LEARN FROM NATURE
As Kril explores the ocean, he'll gain a variety of Umami Techniques—powerful attacks learned from the denizens of the seas. Punch your enemies with the overwhelming might of a Mantis Shrimp, ensnare them with the horrifying Bobbit Worm, and much more.
UNEXPLORED DEPTHS
The ocean goes deeper than one can imagine. Fight your way through kelp forests, coral reefs, sand castle cities, and even the unfathomable darkness of the deep-sea trenches, all in the name of getting back your prized shell.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Publisher(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
