Another Crab’s Treasure é uma surpresa agradável em um estilo de jogo que pode estar um pouco saturado atualmente. O título se destaca por seus combates dinâmicos, design de níveis bem pensado e focado em plataforma, além de uma história que, embora não seja profunda, é envolvente devido a seus personagens. As questões de acessibilidade expandem o potencial do título para além do público já familiarizado com a fórmula da From Software, e podem alimentar discussões sobre um “modo fácil” nesse tipo de jogo. Mesmo tendo seus problemas técnicos, já o considero um dos melhores do ano.

Another Crab’s Treasure is a pleasant surprise in a genre that might be a bit saturated at the moment. The game stands out for its dynamic combat, well-thought-out level design focused on platforming, and a story that, while not deep, is engaging due to its characters. The accessibility features expand the game’s potential beyond the audience already familiar with From Software’s formula and could fuel discussions about an “easy mode” in this type of game. Despite its technical issues, I already consider it one of the best of the year.

i generally don't have much interest in soulslikes, as games that base their entire identity around a separate, existing franchise feels kinda scummy to me. there are exceptions (blasphemous, hollow knight, etc) but i don't have much interest in nearly identical drab, gritty worlds and combat despite being a fan of souls. thankfully, another crab's treasure doesn't fall into its camp thanks to its cartoonish world, hilarious writing, and kickass designs. while it definitely takes inspiration from souls combat-wise, it's got plenty of its own gimmicks and feels like a great game without being derivative.

the worldbuilding of ACT is easily my favorite part - the entire concept of a marine ecosystem obsessed with trash, complete with evil CEOs and company (Blight)towns is top notch. more specifically, however, the enemy designs are downright incredible. every enemy and boss simultaneously feels like they were crafted out of hours of careful planning, and slapped together while the devs were drunk out of their minds. mortar-firing seahorses that shoot out those little pills that turn into dinosaurs when you put them in water, executioner lobsters that have guillotines fashioned out of bike locks and razor blades, and an electric eel that attacks you with a vibrator. genuinely, that is some of the most hilarious design i've ever seen in a video game and deserves some SERIOUS props. while the environmental design itself isn't always perfect (a lot of the mid-game areas don't look great since they're literal Garbage Areas), this is still one of the most uniquely-designed games out there.

combat certainly isn't as fleshed out as other soulslikes, but still offers a ton of surprises when it comes to depth. while there isn't a terrible amount of freedom when it comes to your build variety, there's a plethora of different shells that come with their own strengths and weaknesses. having your stats and abilities tied to whatever shell you have on is another genius idea, and adds a huge layer to combat. deciding when to use your ability (and how that ability will impact your playstyle), how you're gonna approach a fight when your shell is close to breaking, and when to sacrifice your shell (either by turning it into a hammer or sacrificing it to do a specific ability) is a big part of combat. and the way you use your shell is gonna be constantly changing depending on which one you have equipped and what other options are available to you! admittedly, though, some of the late-game shells feel like they make the game way too easy - once i got the endgame helmet shell, it was so strong that combat became a cakewalk.

outside of that, though, i don't think i have too many complaints about the difficulty. there was one boss that gave me a decent amount of trouble, but other than that it's in a pretty satisfying spot. the only other issue i had was that both you and enemies can attack each other through walls, and you could target enemies through obstructions too. it wasn't something that came up too often, but it definitely made things a bit janky.

this feels like a bit of a nitpick, but my biggest complaint overall was that there's no way to homeward bone back to a snail shell - which felt like a massive no-brainer. outside of certain areas, traversal wasn't too awful, as the game gives you plenty of shortcuts and runbacks aren't an issue thanks to the respawn system. but there were several times i had gathered some item or traversed to a certain spot and wished you could just warp back instead of backtracking. again, minor in the grand scheme of things, but it's the only thing that really stood out to me as missing.

despite that, i really enjoyed another crab's treasure. thanks to its unique take on design and worldbuilding, it really stands apart from other soulslikes. it's filled with hilarious jokes and dialogue, but still manages to tell a story that's decently engaging despite not being too deep. i think that's all the review buzzword slop i can barf out in one night. elden ring wishes it could be this game