Right out of the gate I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t tend to be a fan of most Souls-like experiences out there, in part because I’ve never been into Dark Souls and also since the label has been over-used for unbalanced or nearly-broken games. Another Crab’s Treasure absolutely has that sort of feel to it, and there’s no question that it’s very much a game where biding your time, carefully dodging, and then hitting on the counter-attack is a key to success. What helps it rise above most others in this class though is that you don’t need to merely accept perpetual misery, as it has many accessibility options that can make the game dramatically more approachable, so walking in I’d consider it off to a good start.

In terms of design, this feels like an experience that has been intelligently planned and implemented with care. The character design is distinctive and even a bit cute, your skills though perhaps a bit minimal as a base can be effective, and in general the stage design and traversal using your grapple are well-implemented. What really shines through is tied to the name though, and that’s your choice of shell to wear. Initially this is more a matter of base practicality, as it affords you added defenses, which you’ll need. However, the further you go and the more types you encounter, the more it’s about leaning into your desired play style. Do you value a stat boost that may raise your attack for melee action? Are you looking to capitalize on a specific umami attack that may be great for easier damage or complimenting your preferred attack style? Or do you make your choice simply based on what makes you look good? The choice is up to you and there are ultimately a load of options you’ll encounter.

Getting into the downsides though, unfortunately not everything about the experience is so… claw-some. I think my biggest complaint is a combination of the stage design and the camera implementation. It isn’t unusual to need to fight in either tight spaces or on smaller platforms, and in those situations it can be tough to keep track of where you are, so falling off the side, or even getting sort of trapped in stage geometry happens more often than I’d have liked, and that can be aggravating. The fact that even with some of the accessibility options enabled you’re still capable of getting wrecked very quickly and easily helps to contribute to that frustration as well, as it can sometimes feel like you’re being beaten by design and technical issues rather than a lack of skill. I’d say that if the controls had felt just a little more crisp and responsive that could have helped, but since you’ll need to get into a groove to dodge and counter specific enemy attacks in general you should be able to compensate for that discrepancy pretty easily on your own.

Despite my usual tendency to dislike Souls-like experiences I must say that I found Another Crab’s Treasure to be quite charming and a blast. Of course it helps that when I found myself in a tough situation I was able to just turn on some accessibility options to get an edge, and then I may have just forgotten to turn them off as well. Don’t be fooled though, unless you turn them all on, the game won’t ever become easy, you’ll just be able to take more damage or buy yourself a little more time to counter more effectively… so it can only get so easy. Still, matching its friendliness to players of all skill levels, its very cute overall look, and some refreshingly-different underwater platforming and combat, it’s still worth a look for most audiences who like some sort of a challenge.