Another Crabs Treasure Prototype Review: Is It Worth Playing?

What is Another Crabs Treasure Prototype?

Another Crabs Treasure Prototype is a publicly available demo for an upcoming 3D action-adventure game with a heavy emphasis on challenging platforming and combat. The game is being developed by Aggro Crab, the studio behind the well-received dungeon crawler Going Under.

This prototype serves as a vertical slice, offering players a substantial early look at the game's core mechanics, tone, and world. The premise is charming and bizarre: you play as Kril, a hermit crab who has had his prized shell repossessed by a ruthless loan shark.

Thrust into a sprawling, submerged kingdom, Kril must don a variety of discarded trash - from soda cans to tea cups - as makeshift shells. He battles through a corrupted aquatic ecosystem to reclaim his home.

Gameplay

In our view, the gameplay of Another Crabs Treasure Prototype is an ambitious and largely successful fusion of 'Souls-like' combat mechanics with vibrant, exploration-focused platforming. The core loop is immediately familiar to fans of the genre.

Combat fundamentals. You explore interconnected areas, engage in tense, stamina-managed combat with aggressive foes, retrieve your lost currency (Microplastics) upon death, and unlock shortcuts. Kril's primary weapon is a discarded fork, with light and heavy attacks that feel weighty and deliberate.

Parry system. The parry system is particularly crucial, requiring precise timing to break an enemy's guard and open them up for a powerful counter.

The shell system

The game's defining mechanic is the shell system. Kril is fragile without protection, but can scavenge over a dozen different shells from the environment. Each shell acts as an extra health bar and grants a unique special ability.

A tin can might allow a ground-pound, while a cardboard burger box could unleash a whirlwind attack. This adds a compelling strategic layer; you must constantly evaluate whether to keep a damaged shell for its ability or swap it for a fresh one mid-combat.

Platforming and navigation. The platforming is expansive and requires clever use of these shell abilities, alongside a grappling hook mechanic, to navigate vertical spaces and hidden areas. The learning curve is steep, as enemy attacks hit hard and patterns must be learned, but checkpoints are reasonably placed.

The prototype shows significant depth, suggesting a full game with a rich array of tools and upgrades to discover.

Who is Another Crabs Treasure Prototype for?

This prototype is squarely aimed at players who enjoy challenging, methodical action games with a heavy dose of exploration. It is a strictly solo experience.

If you are a fan of the structure and combat of games like Dark Souls or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, but wish they were brighter, quirkier, and involved more acrobatic platforming, this will feel like a breath of fresh sea air.

The difficulty means it is less suited for purely casual players, though the adjustable 'assist mode' options in the prototype hint at welcome accessibility for the full release.

It also has strong appeal for those who enjoyed the satirical corporate humour of Aggro Crab's previous title, Going Under. The writing here is similarly witty, using its underwater trash-aesthetic to craft sharp environmental commentary.

In essence, it's for the hardcore player with a soft spot for inventive worlds and clever mechanics.

Graphics and performance

Visual style. The visual style is a major highlight. The game presents a stunning, colourful undersea world that is paradoxically built from human litter. Coral reefs are dotted with bottle caps, ancient ruins are made of styrofoam, and bioluminescent algae glow on plastic bags.

It's a cohesive and imaginative art direction that manages to be both beautiful and pointedly thematic. Character designs are expressive and full of personality, from the menacing fish foes to the quirky NPCs.

Technical performance. Regarding performance, the prototype runs on Unreal Engine 4 and, in our testing on PC, was generally stable. We experienced consistent frame rates at high settings on mid-range hardware, with only very occasional minor stutters during area transitions.

It is a polished slice that bodes well for the technical state of the final product.

Value for money

As a free prototype, the value proposition is exceptional. It offers approximately 60-90 minutes of content, which includes two major explorable zones, multiple boss encounters, and a plethora of hidden shells and upgrades to find.

This is not a shallow teaser but a deep, replayable demo that fully communicates the game's vision. It allows players to make an informed decision about whether the full game's anticipated price point - likely in the standard indie AA range - will be justified for them.

Based on the density and quality of this preview, we believe the foundation is strong for a full-length adventure that could offer 15-20 hours of content, which would represent solid value.

The free prototype offers 60-90 minutes of deep, replayable content that fully communicates the game's vision.

Verdict

In our view, the Another Crabs Treasure Prototype is an outstanding and confident preview of what could be one of the most original action-adventure games of its release year. It successfully marries punishing, satisfying Souls-like combat with inventive shell-based abilities and joyful, challenging platforming, all wrapped in a uniquely gorgeous and satirical world.

Our recommendation is emphatic: anyone with even a passing interest in the genre should download this free demo immediately.

Who should play it

• You will love this game if you crave challenging mechanics paired with irresistible charm and appreciate environmental storytelling with a sharp, humorous edge.
• You might not enjoy it if you have no patience for difficult, pattern-based combat or if you prefer entirely serious, gritty fantasy settings.

Aggro Crab has not just floated an idea here; they have demonstrated a fully-realised and thrilling gameplay loop. The full treasure hunt cannot come soon enough.