To face out as a Souls-like today, a recreation must both attain comparable heights because the style’s namesake in relation to gameplay, or have a compelling new spin on the style. Whereas One other Crab’s Treasure will get shut on the fight entrance, its wonderful 3D platforming are what assist distinguish it. Combining these gameplay parts with a real, if maybe gradual to begin, story a couple of crab named Kril, who begins as a loner simply desirous to get his shell again and go dwelling, however as a substitute finds a higher understanding of the huge ocean, makes for a enjoyable tackle the style.
The sport kicks off with Kril’s shell being repossessed as a tax by a rich monarch, however this setup is principally used as an excuse to ship him on a treasure hunt throughout the ocean. Kril’s story throughout One other Crab’s Treasure is a very sturdy facet of the sport. Whereas initially framed as a story about Kril breaking out of his routine and discovering renewed objective, it will definitely tackles the ocean’s ongoing air pollution issues, taking the narrative to a spot that’s bleak but additionally real. The place Kril finds himself by the tip is not a type of overdone completely satisfied endings, however as a substitute a much more difficult place that feels true to a few of the recreation’s extra dour themes.
The sport is damaged up into giant ranges, stuffed with each enemies and platforming challenges, that it’s essential discover to seek out an goal, reminiscent of a bit of a treasure map, or attain a far-off construction. The degrees are well-designed, with fight and platforming flowing collectively seamlessly. There are a number of locations the place the brutality of One other Crab’s Treasure does overdo it–such as throughout platforming sections neglected by ranged enemies–which ends in unwelcome problem spikes. Making an attempt to navigate these areas whereas not getting blown up by ranged assaults that take away a 3rd of your well being goes from troublesome to irritating, however this solely occurs in a handful of situations.
One other Crab’s Treasure gives little or no steerage in these open ranges. There isn’t any goal marker, nor a spot the place you possibly can see what your present goal is at a look. The one path comes from cutscenes through which characters clarify your subsequent aim, or by talking to characters within the degree, which is ok more often than not. Nonetheless, there have been a number of situations the place one thing so simple as seeing the present goal would have saved a headache.
Within the manufacturing unit space, for instance, you will discover a puzzle that results in the subsequent part of the map, and when you can work together with it in the event you discover it early, you possibly can’t really remedy it. However, as a result of I could not verify my present goal, it wasn’t clear that I wanted to go elsewhere. One other puzzle has you utilize a magnet for platforming. Naturally, a metallic shell is required to do that, however you even have to carry the block button for it to activate, which a close-by NPC takes pleasure in not telling you, a mirrored image of the aloof characterization of characters discovered all through One other Crab’s Treasure, though it loses some appeal right here as a result of frustration of unclear mechanics. These small hiccups take away from degree design that’s in any other case sturdy general and usually guides you with out the necessity for goal markers.
The platforming, nevertheless, sings because of a simplistic strategy. You’ve got a restricted toolset that allows you to grapple between factors, hover leap over perilous falls, and climb nets, all of that are launched early within the journey. The platforming challenges as a substitute come from the addition of more and more tough obstacles and size of the platforming sections, with the calls for constructing alongside your individual platforming ability. There’s additionally some good leeway in relation to platforming, as falling solely takes a piece of well being as a substitute of immediately killing you, offering simply sufficient of a security internet that you simply aren’t pressured to take it gradual and might as a substitute let the motion actually construct momentum. There have been a number of situations of objects within the setting catching or stopping my motion in a manner that felt unintentional, nevertheless it wasn’t a prevalent subject.
The place Kril finds himself by the tip is not a type of overdone completely satisfied endings, however as a substitute a much more difficult place that feels true to a few of the recreation’s extra dour themes
The fight ought to really feel acquainted for anybody who has performed one in every of these exhausting 3D motion video games. It has mechanical mainstays, reminiscent of dodges, blocks, and parries, however the place One other Crab’s Treasure distinguishes itself is thru the usage of shells. Since Kril has misplaced his shell, he can use miscellaneous objects discovered all through the ocean as a substitute, so he is in a position to equip something from soda cans to sushi rolls and even occasion poppers. Every shell has its personal protection worth and different varied stats, like elevated bodily or ability injury, together with a particular transfer that you need to use in fight. These particular strikes is usually a projectile assault, just like the fizz from a soda can, or a standing impact like an electrically charged can, which offers injury while you get hit. Crucially, these shells break steadily, forcing you to adapt primarily based on which shells can be found close by.
Every shell has an armor meter of varied sizes, which is diminished every time you block or take injury. Except you unlock and execute the parry, your shell will all the time take injury throughout fight and break. This additional layer provides some depth to the fight, forcing you to all the time be looking out for a recent shell when exploring ranges. Even in the event you actually like a shell, it is solely briefly obtainable to you, forcing you to adapt and preserving you from turning into complacent. Not with the ability to lock myself into a particular construct let me expertise much more of the choices at my disposal, which stored fight recent over the dozen hours it took to beat One other Crab’s Treasure. When you can insure a shell later within the recreation to ensure you’ll respawn with it, this feature comes late enough–and is dear enough–that it does not disrupt the dynamic or develop into a crutch but additionally appears like a welcome possibility when it arrives.
One other Crab’s Treasure falls quick throughout fights in opposition to more durable enemies and executives. Whereas errors will be extremely pricey in video games like this, right here they’re most of the time deadly. Lacking a block can simply get you caught in an enemy’s assault string, and with more durable enemies, you possibly can nearly by no means take greater than two hits with out dying. This resulted in shedding many, many fights due to one mistake. Dropping since you did not execute a single block or parry will be extraordinarily irritating, particularly the third or fourth time it occurs in opposition to the identical boss. The overwhelming majority of my deaths got here with most of my heals unused, as a result of I misplaced all of my well being with out the chance to treatment the error. Whereas usually the problem within the recreation comes from there solely being a little bit room for error, there are many fights that really feel like there isn’t a room for error in a manner that’s unfair and irritating.
Gallery
One other Crab’s Treasure additionally has a number of situations of pointless friction in relation to quality-of-life options. New expertise can solely be realized by quick touring to a particular place, as a substitute of simply at any checkpoint, placing a number of loading screens between unlocking a brand new ability and getting again to the motion. There’s trash to gather all through the sport that may be offered for extra microplastics (the equal of XP), however as a substitute of with the ability to rapidly use this stuff, you’re as soon as once more required to quick journey to a particular location to money them in. The abilities vendor and junk vendor are additionally in numerous areas, so doing each without delay takes even longer.
Whereas not all the things in One other Crab’s Treasure is as easy appropriately, and a few unforgiving enemies take away from the enjoyment of the extraordinary fight, the sport is a stable tackle the Souls-like style however. It brings in recent concepts with the shell system and a deal with platforming–traditionally an afterthought within the style. And whereas Kril’s journey takes an act or two to seek out its footing, the locations it goes make the ocean value exploring.
