Steam Next Fest is upon us, and the spectre of Dark Souls is hovering firmly over your complete affair. There aren’t any fewer than 20 demos sitting underneath the Souls-like tag, from 2D, Salt and Sanctuary-esque efforts like The Last Faith to traditional-yet-catgirlified games like Kristala. But there’s one game that I’ve had my eyes on for some time already, and having now performed its demo, I’m extra excited for it than ever.
Another Crab’s Treasure places an underwater spin on Dark Souls, casting you not as a Chosen Undead however as a homeless hermit crab making an attempt to purchase again their repossessed shell. I’ll admit that it was the parodical method to the style that first drew me to the game, however I used to be instantly impressed by the demo. There’s shocking depth to this underwater affair that runs by means of its complete world; despite Another Crab’s Treasure’s apparent humorousness, plenty of the thriller that Elden Ring and Dark Souls thrive on is right here, and whereas the fight would not fairly maintain as much as the industry-leading efforts that FromSoftware has spent many years perfecting, there’s are plenty of instruments to play with.
At the core of fight is your shell. You can scavenge human detritus from the seafloor to supply a little bit of safety, and maybe a serving to hand in a battle. Duck into your ‘shell’ to dodge an assault, and it will take in harm, maybe with an additional impact. A bottle cap will tank a single hit earlier than breaking, as will a shot glass, however the latter will depart shards of glass round when it breaks. An previous tin might be electrified to deal harm to close by foes, whereas a fizzy drink container might be depressurized to create a minefield that slows advancing enemies. I’m but to nail the timing that enables me to soak up a success each time, nevertheless it’s a sensible system that permits you to mess around to develop your personal benefit in opposition to totally different enemies.
It pales compared, nonetheless, to my favourite factor about Another Crab’s Treasure: the grappling hook. Initially, I assumed it was only a traversal instrument, a method for leaping from place to position in a handful of prescripted areas – an admittedly entertaining exercise given your hermit crab’s potential to swim a short distance by means of the air, however not precisely heavy on the improvisation.
I could not have been extra incorrect. During the second a part of the demo, I inadvertently hit the grapple button and located it locking on to a close-by enemy. I launched my harpoon and rapidly discovered my once-formidable foe yanked in direction of me, crab legs flailing as he turtled on the bottom in entrance of me. From there, it took little time to complete him off and to safe Another Crab’s Treasure as a spotlight of Next Fest. My new toy appears so highly effective that it might need barely unbalanced your complete game, however you may be glad to know that not each foe might be grappled, and boss fights preserve a very good degree of grapple-free problem.
I’ve solely seen a small slice of Another Crab’s Treasure to date, however I’m more and more eager to take a look at the total game. For now, you’ll be able to comply with up on my misadventures by downloading the demo, accessible as a part of Steam Next Fest till the top of the week.
Source: gamesradar.com
