Another Crab’s Treasure

Another Crab’s Treasure is still the feel-good experience of the year to beat. In a year that’s bound to be dominated by talk of that other big Souls thing, I want to take up space and shout at the top of my lungs about what a great game Another Crab’s Treasure is. I have rarely playeda funnier game, but just because it lets me have a laugh every now and then doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be recognized for the real-as-hell soulslike that it is.

I had a (comically avoidable) hard time with Another Crab’s Treasure to begin with, and it only alleviated because I finally unlocked the mechanics that tapped into its (ahem) poten-shell. It’s also the only game that makes me want to write god awful puns, so take that for whatever it’s worth. Anyways, it’s soft exterior and comedic demeanor only complement this finely tuned souslike that is fathoms deep, and coming up with different shell combinations for my armor and weapon never stopped being a good time up until the very end of the journey.

In true Souls fashion, ACT’s story is also a cutting critique of the decay of our own society. At the heart of your struggle is the death spiral of the ocean, brought about by the incessant carelessness and literal pollution that unchecked capitalism spawns. It turns that rot and decay into a literal force eating crustacean society alive, and the bad guy at the end is an opportunist who thinks he can be the one good rich person but actually makes things a million times worse instantaneously. It’s a fable for our times, wrapped up in one of the most appealing packages you can find in 2024, and is almost assuredly one of the year’s best offerings, full stop. —Moises Taveras