Another Crab's Treasure (heretofor known as ACT) is a souls-like from developer Aggro Crab. Blending parrying mechanics from Sekiro, load mechanics from various souls games, and a little sprinkle of its own magic as well, it successfully mimics (and slightly iterates) on a successful formula that From Software has popularized in the past decade and a half.

The story is mosty filled with crab puns and touches briefly on (and mocks) capitalism, individualism, ecosystems, and some more personal discovery as well. I wouldn't suggest you play this game for the story itself, however, it's an above average mechanism for both progressing the game and getting quite a few smiles out of the player both from some clever puns, and callbacks to various video games. Kril (the main character) is likable enough, and I appreciated how the character was portrayed for the entire story.

The combat itself is very simple, and souls-veterans will likely have very few issues adjusting to the needs of the game. Still, you have a single weapon with a small combination of moves, and later on you can unlock an ability to slightly modify your weapon to a hammer. The combat is defintely tuned on the more difficult end at the beginning of the game, and it took me some time to get used to both the 'fork' moveset, as well as the defensive abilities you've been given.

Speaking of, you have two main defensive tactics, a shell (bound to your block button) and a dodge. Your dodge effectiveness is predicated by your shell weight, and heavier shells will make your dodge akin to fatrolling in Dark Souls. However, the real star of the show is your shell. Of course, one could likely dodge through the entire game, but since ACT really pushed the shell emphasis, I also suggest giving it a go! Your shell will block most forms of damage but will also deplete its durability when blocking. This is definitely the weirdest resource to manage, and I admit, I found it tough to want to block in the beginning, but the game litters areas with shells for you to block with, so after a few hours of practice, it certainly drove home that it was intended for these bad boys to be used, not protected. Somewhere in the early game, you will unlock the ability to 'parry' with your shell by *releasing* your block button as an attack connects. This will both increase an enemies' stun bar and also keep your shell from taking any block damage. It's a clever iteration on the parry mechanic and very addictive once you start mastering the timings on various bosses and general enemies.

Finally, there is a magic system that is connected to your shell as well. Various shells will have various abilities, like a ranged attack, increased defenses, and other things I won't spoil in this column. It's a passable system, but I did not find myself engaging as much with the offensive options as I did the defensive options that shells could provide. One particular shell would make blocking for 5(ish?) seconds not take durability damage, and this ability felt nigh-on overpowered for quite a few early game battles, but as my proficiency in the battle system grew, I found myself relying on this specific tactic less and less.

There is a small progression path as well to upgrade Kril's abilities, and the game truly opens up as you unlock abilities such as getting an extra shell on break, an execute (for massive damage!) as well as the ability for your shell to regenerate durability after having absorbed damage (akin to Bloodborne's system of rewarding aggressive play). Truly, these abilities really make the game feel quite fleshed out.

I do want to take a moment to pause here to comment on both the general floatiness of the game, and the developers desire for a decent amount of platforming. I found the platforming to be servicable, but often wondered if this was an attempt to add length to the game that may not have been completely necessary. There was only 1 optional platforming area that was truly a challenge, and the rest did not feel very meaningful or that they added to the design of the game in any way.

The level design of ACT was genuinely enjoyable, and for more than one moment evoked a smile or a reaction of how much bigger a zone was than I expected. It's a vibrant and beautifuly designed game, and I hope the developers continue to focus on their artstyle. I also look forward to them working a little more on hiding secrets in the game, and examining how they could further utilize verticality, which is generally where I feel FromSoft games shine above a typical souls-like. Still, there is no section in the game that I disliked, and I'd call that a compliment!

The sound design of the game is acceptable, I noticed a lot of inconsistencies both with the scoring (likely an intentional choice?) and the ambient sounds (such as walking, not intentional?) and I felt like the game did not help or hurt itself in the musical department. I will note one song near the end of the game was a delightful easter egg for crab fans, so hopefully you find a way to get to the end and pick up on it yourself.

The boss design of ACT is a mixed bag. Early on, you will find their relentless attacks oppressive, and very punishing, but as most souls-games go, there will be a pivot where you have gotten enough abilities and practice in their combat systems that bosses go from quite challenging to a very medium challenge. I certainly died more at the beginning of the game than the end (and in several cases, I killed a boss with 0 deaths, which I do not believe is a testament to my skill as much as it was to how powerful Kril had become through upgrades).

Still, as I look back on ACT, I can't help but feel a certain fondness for the puns, the combat's floaty precisenss, the different styles of bosses, and the overall vibe. I would give this game a solid 8.5 out of 10, and it comfortably rests on the same pedestal as Lies of P as a souls-like I would happily recommend to a FromSoft veteran who might want to try something a little different.

Another Crab's Treasure (heretofor known as ACT) is a souls-like from developer Aggro Crab. Blending parrying mechanics from Sekiro, load mechanics from various souls games, and a little sprinkle of its own magic as well, it successfully mimics (and slightly iterates) on a successful formula that From Software has popularized in the past decade and a half. The story is mosty filled with crab puns and touches briefly on (and mocks) capitalism, individualism, ecosystems, and some more personal discovery as well. I wouldn't suggest you play this game for the story itself, however, it's an above average mechanism for both progressing the game and getting quite a few smiles out of the player both from some clever puns, and callbacks to various video games. Kril (the main character) is likable enough, and I appreciated how the character was portrayed for the entire story. The combat itself is very simple, and souls-veterans will likely have very few issues adjusting to the needs of the game. Still, you have a single weapon with a small combination of moves, and later on you can unlock an ability to slightly modify your weapon to a hammer. The combat is defintely tuned on the more difficult end at the beginning of the game, and it took me some time to get used to both the 'fork' moveset, as well as the defensive abilities you've been given. Speaking of, you have two main defensive tactics, a shell (bound to your block button) and a dodge. Your dodge effectiveness is predicated by your shell weight, and heavier shells will make your dodge akin to fatrolling in Dark Souls. However, the real star of the show is your shell. Of course, one could likely dodge through the entire game, but since ACT really pushed the shell emphasis, I also suggest giving it a go! Your shell will block most forms of damage but will also deplete its durability when blocking. This is definitely the weirdest resource to manage, and I admit, I found it tough to want to block in the beginning, but the game litters areas with shells for you to block with, so after a few hours of practice, it certainly drove home that it was intended for these bad boys to be used, not protected. Somewhere in the early game, you will unlock the ability to 'parry' with your shell by *releasing* your block button as an attack connects. This will both increase an enemies' stun bar and also keep your shell from taking any block damage. It's a clever iteration on the parry mechanic and very addictive once you start mastering the timings on various bosses and general enemies. Finally, there is a magic system that is connected to your shell as well. Various shells will have various abilities, like a ranged attack, increased defenses, and other things I won't spoil in this column. It's a passable system, but I did not find myself engaging as much with the offensive options as I did the defensive options that shells could provide. One particular shell would make blocking for 5(ish?) seconds not take durability damage, and this ability felt nigh-on overpowered for quite a few early game battles, but as my proficiency in the battle system grew, I found myself relying on this specific tactic less and less. There is a small progression path as well to upgrade Kril's abilities, and the game truly opens up as you unlock abilities such as getting an extra shell on break, an execute (for massive damage!) as well as the ability for your shell to regenerate durability after having absorbed damage (akin to Bloodborne's system of rewarding aggressive play). Truly, these abilities really make the game feel quite fleshed out. I do want to take a moment to pause here to comment on both the general floatiness of the game, and the developers desire for a decent amount of platforming. I found the platforming to be servicable, but often wondered if this was an attempt to add length to the game that may not have been completely necessary. There was only 1 optional platforming area that was truly a challenge, and the rest did not feel very meaningful or that they added to the design of the game in any way. The level design of ACT was genuinely enjoyable, and for more than one moment evoked a smile or a reaction of how much bigger a zone was than I expected. It's a vibrant and beautifuly designed game, and I hope the developers continue to focus on their artstyle. I also look forward to them working a little more on hiding secrets in the game, and examining how they could further utilize verticality, which is generally where I feel FromSoft games shine above a typical souls-like. Still, there is no section in the game that I disliked, and I'd call that a compliment! The sound design of the game is acceptable, I noticed a lot of inconsistencies both with the scoring (likely an intentional choice?) and the ambient sounds (such as walking, not intentional?) and I felt like the game did not help or hurt itself in the musical department. I will note one song near the end of the game was a delightful easter egg for crab fans, so hopefully you find a way to get to the end and pick up on it yourself. The boss design of ACT is a mixed bag. Early on, you will find their relentless attacks oppressive, and very punishing, but as most souls-games go, there will be a pivot where you have gotten enough abilities and practice in their combat systems that bosses go from quite challenging to a very medium challenge. I certainly died more at the beginning of the game than the end (and in several cases, I killed a boss with 0 deaths, which I do not believe is a testament to my skill as much as it was to how powerful Kril had become through upgrades). Still, as I look back on ACT, I can't help but feel a certain fondness for the puns, the combat's floaty precisenss, the different styles of bosses, and the overall vibe. I would give this game a solid 8.5 out of 10, and it comfortably rests on the same pedestal as Lies of P as a souls-like I would happily recommend to a FromSoft veteran who might want to try something a little different.