5/5 ★ – wsasaki's review of Another Crab's Treasure.

I am so unbelievably impressed by this game. Another Crab’s Treasure is an instant indie classic and stands head and shoulders above every other Soulslike I’ve played. People aren’t gonna agree with that, but I don’t care for the genre’s characteristic cryptic writing and dense lore, and character customisation simply doesn’t interest me. What’s left, then, is tough combat, thrilling bosses and the discoveries you make while exploring the world. And ACT has these aplenty. In the first half, the game introduces so many new mechanics, and all of them are either brilliant interpretations of the genre’s staples, or some genius feature that ties to the narrative and main character so beautifully - one of which works so seamlessly that I’m still in awe of it. Then the last act just keeps going and going, constantly surprising and pushing the game’s concept further. And that concept is simply one of the most well-rounded and developed concepts I’ve ever seen in a game. It’s one thing to market your game as “the funny Crabslike,” but Aggro Crab go far above and beyond in developing this idea and infusing it into every single thing in this game - every weapon, every location, every joke. It’s not even preachy. It toes the line between irony and sincerity so subtly. I laughed out loud so many times at everything from the dumb crab puns to the various shells you find scattered across the world - I also felt a pit in my stomach when I looked out across some areas and suddenly realised what I was looking at, and what that meant. Plenty of Soulslikes have gorgeous vistas that instil awe and excitement to explore; ACT is no different, but ties it to a fun and emotionally resonant narrative and the real world. But most importantly, like Going Under previously, it never takes itself too seriously. It’s utterly charming, hilarious, and inviting while still being tough as nails and surprisingly scary sometimes. Aggro Crab bursts with a creativity unlike any other studio working right now, but crucially brings the gameplay chops to match it. While Going Under was maybe a little too janky at times to support its wealth of genius ideas, Another Crab’s Treasure is more polished and fully fleshed out, its gameplay elevating its concept and vice versa. This is it - truly, I hope to make a game even half as good as this someday.