by Enzo Levati
Our world is in constant peril. As rich entrepreneurs expand their ventures and fill their pockets, the rest of the world is plagued with poverty, homelessness, starvation, pollution, and other systemic maladies. Environments have been destroyed and continue to be trampled on, the poor are exploited to provide for the wealthy, and it often feels as if the desires of the people are never heard by those in power. With a world filled with pain, sadness, and anger, it may not be surprising to simply wait for the end of it all. The day when society collapses in on itself due to greed and ignorance, and as a result, everyone pays a price for it. But with such a miserable outcome, should we really just do nothing and accept it? Another Crab’s Treasure refuses to accept defeat, and instead, asks us to fight for a world worth living in. It is a call to action for future generations, building resilience in its story and gameplay to encourage persistence in bleak circumstances.
Keeping It Shrimple: Context and Overview
Another Crab’s Treasure is a standalone single-player game developed and published by Aggro Crab, a game studio of 13 people based in Seattle, Washington. It was released on all platforms on April 25, 2024 and, as of writing, will be receiving an update on April 21, 2025 to add new content to the game. Despite taking place in a bright and colorful ocean environment, Another Crab’s Treasure proves to be surprisingly difficult as a souls-like, 3D platformer, and action RPG game. In other words, the player takes on the role of a crab protagonist and must claw their way through various enemies and tough bosses, and navigate perilous environments using the combat and movement abilities provided to them.
Even though this game is part of a genre known for being difficult, it makes one thing clear: it is trying to lure in a younger audience. With an ESRB rating of T for Teen (12+), cartoonish character designs, and cheesy ocean puns, Aggro Crab is appealing to an audience that would not be attracted to other games in the same genre. The Dark Souls series, the foundation of the souls-like genre, is known for its gloomy, medieval atmosphere and rather cryptic plot that is not easily understood by a new player. In order to understand why this genre was picked, the player must first understand the background behind Another Crab’s Treasure.
The game starts with a cutscene prompting the player about what they think about the Earth, and how the best word to describe the Earth is “resilient.” The creatures of Earth have adapted to take on different roles ranging from predator to prey, but as the narrator states, some creatures “prefer to be simply left alone”. The player is then introduced to Kril, an introverted hermit crab who lives in a quiet tide pool next to the ocean. He is quietly hiding in his shell when a toy shark on a stick (a “loan shark”) knocks on his shell and explains that the shell will be repossessed if Kril does not pay his taxes. Kril, being completely isolated from oceanic society, has no idea what the shark is talking about and tries to offer “heart kelp,” a natural resource and eventual healing item for Kril. The loan shark explains that the ocean no longer values natural resources and instead uses trash as a currency. Unfortunately, Kril lacks trash and fails to bargain with the shark, so the shark takes his shell and heads for the ocean. Kril follows suit with him diving into the ocean completely defenseless, focused on the goal of getting his shell back, no matter the cost.
A Trashy Foundation
Players gain control once Kril enters the ocean and must do a bit of platforming to get used to the movement abilities in the game. After jumping and swimming over walls and pillars, Kril finds a crab and tries to ask them about the shark that took his shell. Instead, the crab does not respond and instantly tries to attack Kril. Although not made clear to the player right away, this is Kril’s first encounter with “gunked” enemies. Gunk is an infection that has spread due to the increasing pollution and turns affected individuals into hostile, non-sentient zombies. Gunked enemies typically wear trash or even use trash in battle, and will target Kril if they see him.
Kril is forced to swim through until he encounters a rusty fork in the sand, which he picks up and uses as his main weapon for the remainder of the game. Moving further along, Kril enters The Shallows, the introductory open, explorable area. The Shallows displays the spread of pollution as trash is littered everywhere and even guides Kril by forming a path of microplastics to his next destination. However, the atmosphere of the area is bright with upbeat, relaxed music playing in the background. A snail, Duchess Magista welcomes Krill and explains she has been collecting taxes. However, the taxes are only being used to enhance her own security and castle. Kril mentions that he wants the Duchess to drop his taxes, and the Duchess turns hostile, calling Kril a “freeloader” and attacking Kril. This short interaction introduces a central issue that is challenged yet persists throughout the story: the hypocrisy of defending a system that actively harms the local citizens.
Beyond the snail, Kril follows the microplastic path in the sand to reach the Duchess’ castle, where he meets a guard named Chitan. Chitan speaks in Shakespearean riddles but explains, with the useful translation provided by the other guard, that Kril must obtain a shell because the Duchess will not meet with a naked civilian. Although Chitan is not a significant character in this moment, she returns throughout Kril’s journey. Kril grabs a soda can as a makeshift shell, kills the captain of Magista’s guard, and enters the castle.
Magista’s castle is brimming with cartons, boxes, and jewels, reinforcing the value of trash in underwater society. Kril meets with her and sends him off to find more treasure for her in exchange for delaying his taxes. Kril sets off for the cave and once he arrives, he meets the Moon Snail, a mysterious creature that teaches him the magical power of “Umami.” Through Umami, Kril is able to use new magic abilities and even take in new powers from major bosses he encounters throughout the story (also known as “adaptations”). Although his abilities are not fully developed, players by this point now have access to all combat mechanics that are present in the game.
Kril battles through gunked crabs using his new Umami powers, slays a stronger variant of the regular enemies, known as a mini boss, and obtains a pearl for the Duchess. With the pearl in claw, Kril leaves the cave to return to the Duchess’ castle. However, upon returning, Kril finds the castle in utter disarray with all guards and residents inside being gunked. The area around the castle is now a murky gray, the colors of the area are now washed out, and the music sounds grim and menacing. Chitan is nowhere to be seen, but the other guard is now gunked and his dialogue shows how he is tired of the work and adopts a nihilistic view: everything is worthless.
After fighting his way through the now dilapidated castle, Kril encounters the newly gunked Duchess (see figure 2) who now views all of her treasure and even her own life as worthless, and is determined to take Kril down with herself. She is the first major boss of the game, and after her defeat, the shark reappears and forces Kril to traverse another area called Slacktide in order to reach New Carcinia, a central hub and bustling city for the ocean’s residents. Kril’s adventure in The Shallows and the rise and fall of Duchess Magista gives us some foundational context as the player progresses in the game: trash is central to everything in this game. Trash isn’t just currency, it also serves as Kril’s weapon, Kril’s shell, and Kril’s potential downfall if he gets infected with gunk. From what is understood from the interaction between Kril and Magista, not everyone knows about the gunk and some of the sea creatures could care less since trash is purely money for them. Due to this obsessive greed for trash, this spreads the gunk faster since gunk originates from trash. Future areas are littered with garbage, and with the knowledge of how harmful trash can be, this is the beginning of a bleak path for Kril. Despite these grim circumstances, Kril pushes onwards with the determination of getting his shell back, even if he has to fight the world for it. Greed rears its ugly head once the player enters the bustling, classist city of New Carcinia, a central hub for underwater creatures of all kinds.
A Shellfish Hunt for Power
Upon his arrival in New Carcinia, the player learns about the deep divisions of underwater society and the ever-important role of trash in the city. New Carcinia is split into two layers: the Upper Crust and Lower Crust. The Upper Crust hosts the ocean’s bourgeoisie, the wealthy and frivolous residents who look at those literally below them with disgust. It’s in the Upper Crust where the player meets Firth (see Figure 3), another hermit crab and small business owner who yearns to make a ton of money and make it big in the city. The player is also introduced to Roland, the isopod CEO of Shellfish Corp, Firth’s idol, and mayor of New Carcinia. He puts up a friendly facade but later on, makes it clear that he will eliminate any threats to his authority and profit in order to stay on top.
Meanwhile, the Lower Crust is home to the poorer and less fortunate residents, and is in a much poorer condition compared to the Upper Crust. In this layer of the city, the player meets Nemma (see Figure 4), a local restaurant owner and mother of two who just wants to provide as much as she can for her family. In contrast to Nemma’s positive and persevering attitude, the Lower Crust is ominous and shady-looking. Residents are in poor shape and the rough shape of the buildings (made of cardboard boxes) indicates that people of the Lower Crust are living under difficult circumstances, a clear contrast to the light-hearted and well-organized Upper Crust.
The player also meets Prawnathan, a pawn shop owner (aptly named “The Prawn Shop”) and the true identity of the loan shark Kril has been chasing (but this detail remains hidden from Kril for the entirety of the game). Prawnathan is wearing Kril’s shell and during their confrontation, trash begins to fall on the city. Floating well above New Carcinia is a massive conglomerate of trash, and when pieces of it break apart and fall upon the city, it is called “Trash Day.” It might sound fictional, but there is a real trash mass known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between the US states of California and Hawaii, and it spans 620,000 square miles. Scientists have discovered that this mass is so impactful that local aquatic creatures have adapted to grow and reproduce through the plastic debris floating in the area (Kottasová). Even though it sounds disgusting, the residents are in absolute ecstasy when Trash Day because for them, it is practically money falling from the sky.
What makes this Trash Day special is the landing of a cereal box with a treasure map on the back (see Figure 5). The residents believe this is a true treasure map and it marks the beginning of a treasure hunt. Nemma, Firth, and other residents begin planning what they will do with the treasure before Roland interrupts and intimidates all of them by emphasizing the dangers of the open ocean outside of New Carcinia. As the mayor and richest man in New Carcinia, his authority and wealth puts him in a powerful position to control and belittle those under him. As a heavy silence falls on the crowd, Prawnathan promises to return his shell if Kril is able to secure the treasure and hand it over to him. Kril then consequently announces that he’ll find the treasure to Roland’s dismay, and although fueled by a selfish desire to get his shell back, Kril has inadvertently started a rebellion against major corporations and more specifically, Roland and his overwhelming domination over New Carcinia.
This treasure hunt starts in the Expired Grove, a marsh-like area with trash and algae scattered all around. The music is slow and mystical in a way, conveying a sense of whimsy that contrasts with the dull green water. Chitan shows up here and explains how she is on a journey to understand what happened at Magista’s castle. She speaks of a “master” here who could help her gain power, who the player learns is a mantis shrimp named Topoda. Kril must fight off a new set of enemies that have adapted to this environment, and eventually faces Heikea, a crab that wields chopsticks like a katana. By killing Heikea, Kril is able to obtain the first piece of the map and pushes this hunt towards Flotsam Vale, home of Roland’s company and a perfect example of the consequences of greed.
Flotsam Vale is much bigger than the previous areas, with a large sea of gunk covering most of the map. It’s grim with the water around here being a faint toxic orange, accompanied by unsettling, off-key music. The remaining sentient workers here are constantly in fear and suffering under poor working conditions, but most have succumbed to the gunk by the time Kril arrives. Kril must navigate across the gunk-filled swamp by jumping on floating debris, fight his way through the gunked workers, and face off against a pair of gun-slinging shrimp sisters (known as the Ceviche Sisters) before reaching a mailbox with the second map piece inside. From the environment to the workers, Aggro Crab makes it blatantly clear that Flotsam Vale is a criticism of late-stage capitalism. The sea of gunk is reflective of the negative environmental impact that major corporations cause by dumping their contents in nearby waters. With the workers, they represent the often overworked and underpaid employees that work for these big companies. Dialogue between Kril and some of the NPCs reveal how difficult it is to live in Flotsam Vale, with the horrid water and utterly miserable labor Roland puts them through. It is unsustainable for most of the underwater creatures, so it comes as no surprise when the player encounters most of the workers as gunked enemies. Yet, the player sees some creatures continue working for Roland because there is no other choice. In a way, the society that Kril finds himself in is willingly choosing to go down a path of self-destruction.
After leaving the noxious Flotsam Vale, Kril discovers that the final map piece rests with a cannibalistic crab named Pagurus in The Sands Between. The Sands Between is an intermediary area that has guided Kril to the Expired Grove and Flotsam Vale through paths of lifebuoys. It is very similar to The Shallows as it’s simply a flat, open ocean area with trash scattered about and no significant structures. When Kril strays away from the lifebuoy paths, Pagurus emerges and at this point, Kril kills him in order to obtain the final map piece.
With the map finally completed, it is revealed that the treasure lies off the coast of Flotsam Vale in the sea of gunk. As Kril and the others get excited at this prospect, Roland takes the map and declares that they have no chance as he prepares a salvage rig to pull the treasure out of the gunk. With no time to spare, Kril, Nemma, and Firth set off to Flotsam Vale once again. Once there, Nemma discovers that the boat they need to use has no power and Kril must explore Scuttleport, Roland’s trash scavenging facility, to find a source of power.
Scuttleport is quite industrial with the main buildings being made of metal, electric cables, and magnets. Piles of trash lurk at the bottom, and since it’s still in Flotsam Vale, the toxic orange color still remains. The music is now fast, gritty, and metallic as Kril fights his way through more gunked workers, hitches rides on magnets using a metal shell, and ultimately fights an eel named Voltai to gain electric powers. With his newfound powers, Kril returns to the boat to power it up and the main cast of characters gather up as they head towards Roland. Nemma, Firth, Chitan, and Kril are riding on the boat when they begin to discuss what they would do with the treasure (see Figure 6, 4:22:13 – 4:24:57).
This scene is brief, but it encapsulates some major philosophies that people tend to embody when faced with the opportunity for power. Firth represents a somewhat greedy and ignorant point of view, with him initially claiming to use it to build up his business. However, after following Kril through Scuttleport and learning about how awful it is to work there, he shifted his idea to give it all to charity. Although it sounds kind-hearted, Firth is known to be flakey with his statements and rather inconsiderate of others when it comes to his own pursuits. He even states that it would go to “sad urchins in need” when no urchins work for Roland, so his donation would not even help those that he says he wants to help. Konche, museum owner and the hermit crab that has been providing clues for the treasure hunt, says he would want to renovate the museum to preserve history and share the ocean’s beauty with others. Nemma claims that she would use it for her bar and save some for her kids so they won’t have to struggle in the future. Then, Knoche, Firth, and Nemma agree to split the treasure, but Kril refuses to split the treasure because he needs all of it for his shell. This disheartens Nemma because she expected Kril to be more selfless, but Firth settles it by saying that if Kril finds it, then Kril has every right to keep it to himself.
Many people often look towards the obscenely wealthy in society and believe that they could do all sorts of good things with that kind of money. Yet, the amount of people who would truly give it all to the people is likely very few. This is because many people also have things they treasure and prioritize over supporting random strangers in the world. Nemma implies that Kril should be more selfless, but her prioritizing her own business and kids if she got the treasure is a form of selfishness. This is not to say that Nemma is an awful character with this bit of hypocrisy, it merely represents the selfishness that tends to seep through when there is the opportunity to do more. Morally, it is hard for us to unanimously agree whether any of these characters’ actions are right or wrong because they each have ideas and goals that are important to them. Especially when all of these characters are living through a time where the ocean as they know it is taking a turn for the worst.
Even with these differences, the one thing that unites all of them is the motivation to keep going. Roland’s horrendous treatment of the city folk in New Carcinia, the utterly awful working conditions in Flotsam Vale, and the disparaging attitude towards those who aren’t as rich or powerful would wear down anybody. But the player still sees characters surviving even under these poor circumstances. The desire to live outweighs all of the negative events happening around the ocean, and most of these characters show a persistence to create better conditions for themselves and for others. Prior to having his shell taken, Kril got to live a life of blissful ignorance by isolating himself from everything involving the ocean. Now, he has had a chance to witness how rough some of these crabs have it and whether he likes it or not, it involves him too. From this journey to the treasure, he has made it clear that it’s frustrating having to deal with everything when he just wants his shell back. What Nemma tries to make clear is that the people living in New Carcinia have had to deal with this mix of rage and frustration the entire time they have lived there. Having his shell taken is what has allowed Kril to witness the pressure of living under rich and powerful people who don’t care about the wishes of the general public, but Kril does not seem to reciprocate the level of sympathy that Nemma is looking for.
As Nemma begins to share her rage about Kril’s narrow-mindedness, she is interrupted as they begin to arrive at The Mouth of the Drain, marking the edge of a ravine that leads to the deeper ocean. Kril and the others anchor on the side of Roland’s scavenging rig (see Figure 7), which is a pinball machine with a crane attached to it. They climb the machine and Kril faces off against Roland in a battle for the treasure. As he commands his workers to exterminate everyone on board, Kril lashes out about how he has earned that treasure while Roland gets to just sit around and wait for things to come to him. He then jumps on the treasure, which unfortunately, sends the rig over the edge and sinks everyone into The Drain.
Hell for a Shell: Imperfection in Heroism
A brief cutscene begins, showing how Kril has been with his original shell since he was a baby and has always stayed by the tide pool through the good times and the rough times. Once it ends, Kril wakes up surrounded by glowing anemones that light up the incredibly dark area he finds himself in. Then, a dissonant voice begins to echo the question that was asked at the beginning of the game: “What word comes to mind when you think of the Earth?” The voice continues, asking if Kril thinks the Earth is beautiful. Kril, in turn, answers that it isn’t. Instead, Kril states that it’s “mean, it’s rude, and scary” with everything nice eventually being ruined. As if foreshadowing the next few moments, Kril finally finds the treasure chest open with Firth gloomily standing in front of it. Ironically, it’s a chest full of dollar bills, which is completely useless for a society that uses trash as money. Firth yells at Kril for his recklessness at putting everyone in danger for something that ultimately serves no value, a meaningless endeavor and the final straw for Kril.
Continuing on the walk into the unknown, the dissonant voice implores Kril to fight against this world’s inherently cruel and twisted nature. The voice speaks once more, telling Kril that he will die if he does not fight, but Kril has already given up. He walks forward, allows himself to be attacked by a horde of little crabs, and blacks out before Nemma comes in and kills the crabs attacking Kril. Nemma understands Kril’s hopelessness because she too feels that way often, she explains. Despite the world being so cruel to her, she still decided to have two children who will likely struggle like she has. Yet, she continues to live because to her, that’s all anybody can do in the face of adversity.
In such a short amount of time, Kril went from the peak of finally obtaining the treasure, to an absolute low with no hope of getting his shell back. Everybody loses, with everyone being sent into the dark depths due to the desperation of the weak and the greed of the powerful. To Kril, the burden of living in such a world knowing that he put so many lives at risk with his decision of claiming the treasure is too great at the moment.
What point is there to live in a world where friends and loved ones are potentially dead, and simple goals are squandered under the feet of the powerful? To Kril, there isn’t any and so, he gives up. It may seem extreme but this is reality for some people. With the cost of living being so high in some places, rich and powerful people making decisions contrary to what the people want, and the laborious monotony of day-to-day living, many people find themselves in the same shell as Kril. Giving up under the pressure of it all. However, there are also people who find themselves in the shell of Nemma. Even through the harsh, bitter conditions of living, some people find hope and love as a place of reprieve. Surviving and persisting is hard, but it is fulfilling, especially when choosing to live for others.
Nemma brings Kril to a safe space and lets him rest. Once Kril is back in action, Nemma asks him to push forward as none of the others can fight like him and even if he doesn’t want to continue for his own sake, she wants him to persist for the sake of everyone else. Kril agrees and the player is now able to explore this ominous area called The Unfathom. As the player ventures into The Unfathom, they’ll encounter places where the dissonant voice will speak to them. This voice explains that this world is close to apocalypse and that it all must come to an end due to the harmful decisions of the ocean’s residents. During his exploration, Konche explains that there may be an ancient treasure called The Perfect Whorl. It’s a shell crafted by hermit crab sorcerers and allows the user to have full control over the ocean’s currents. Temptation takes over Kril as he realizes that this may allow him to get his shell back if he’s able to make money off The Perfect Whorl.
Going further in while bashing all sorts of new deep sea enemies, Kril encounters Roland and Inkerton, Roland’s bodyguard. Roland exclaims how worthless Inkerton is for not being able to defeat Kril and that he should’ve never hired him (see Figure 9). Inkerton, who has faithfully obeyed Roland throughout the story, shoots Roland dead before spotting Kril in the distance. Succumbing to gunk, Inkerton fights and loses to Kril before whispering that he’s just as worthless as Roland as he dies. With Roland and Inkerton dead, the future of New Carcinia is uncertain but Kril continues pushing onwards. Defeating Inkerton opens up a path with an elevator that descends to the final explorable area of the game: The Old Ocean.
In contrast to the dark and unsettling vibe of The Unfathom, The Old Ocean is eerily bright with bleached coral as far as the eye can see, and subtle, melancholic music playing. According to Konche, this is the home of The Perfect Whorl and where the old capital of Carcinia used to reside. As the player finds their way to Carcinia in The Old Ocean, Chitan appears once more. She has been in pursuit of the Whorl too in hopes of exacting revenge on the powerful individuals of the ocean. However, she recognizes that her and Kril do not share the same goal and that they will likely fight when they encounter the Whorl unless Kril comes to acknowledge his “original goal”. Eventually, the player fights their way to the throne room in Carcinia, where Konche reveals that he was here when the city fell to ruin. The king of Carcinia was greedy and kept The Perfect Whorl in the throne room where only he could use it. In short, New Carcinia has made the same mistakes as the original Carcinia, and Konche hopes that Kril can obtain the Whorl in order to stop New Carcinia from befalling the same fate.
Kril enters the throne room and faces off with the king of Carcinia, Camtscha, who wields an unwieldy toilet scrubber as a weapon. Throughout this battle, echoes of the past mistakes in Carcinia can be heard in the background. Camtscha is Carcinia’s version of Roland, an individual who is all-powerful but lets their greed drag everyone else into a state of doom and despair. Prevailing over Camtscha, Kril descends the throne (a toilet) with Konche and finds The Perfect Whorl sitting on a pedestal. Before they can claim it, Chitan appears and stabs Konche to death. She explains how it is too late for this world and that it must be torn apart, and before Kril’s eyes, a mysterious creature appears around Chitan. Chitan has been possessed by an ancient creature called the Praya Dubia, which is also the identity of the dissonant voice that has been speaking to Kril since The Unfathom. The Praya Dubia has been a vessel for the ocean’s collective anger and agony, and from all the horrible events that have repeated between Carcinia and New Carcinia, they have decided that they are too far gone. With no other choice, Kril must regretfully raise his fork against Chitan to break her from the Praya Dubia’s control and claim the Whorl for himself.
From this intense battle of ideals and philosophies, Kril reigns supreme but at the cost of Chitan being gravely wounded. As she lies wounded, Chitan explains that although the Praya Dubia possessed her body, the anger was hers and hers alone (see Figure 10). She wanted to exact revenge on the powerful, but had changed her mind after the battle. Instead, she pleads with Kril to carry her anger and use it to protect the ocean with the hope that things can improve. Kril comes up with the last-minute idea of using the Whorl to heal Chitan, but as he turns around, Firth has already equipped it. Begging Firth to spare the Whorl so he can save Chitan, Kril becomes frustrated as Firth refuses to listen, and instead drags both of them to the island of trash that resides above New Carcinia. Floating on the trash, Firth explains his 3-step plan to “saving” New Carcinia: dumping all of the trash on the city, using the wealth to invent new technology, and then make things slightly more sustainable over a long period of time. Kril counters by pointing out how harmful the trash is to the residents and continues to beg for the Whorl back, but Firth decides that Kril must fight him for it.
Despite being all-powerful with the Whorl, Kril defeats Firth and equips the Whorl. Unfortunately, in a blind fit of rage, Kril uses the final bit of the Whorl’s power to punch Firth, and the punch was so powerful that the abomination of trash breaks apart and falls on the city as Firth wanted. Kril goes unconscious and wakes up to a trash-filled New Carcinia, where the rich are joyous at all the wealth while the poor are devastated by having their homes crushed and the gunk spread inside the city. Kril has a bittersweet reunion with Nemma, who can offer very little solace for Kril’s mistake, before meeting Prawnathan once again. Kril angrily bargains for his shell back for dragging all of this trash down on the city, and Prawnathan refuses because he’s rich now and “operates on a different level.” The player is then allowed to kill Prawnathan and can finally reclaim Kril’s shell, marking the end of the game.
Prior to The Unfathom, Kril had a straightforward goal and managed to help others regain autonomy in a place ruled by an insatiable need for more. He was somewhat apathetic towards other people’s concerns, but to some degree, was worried about the current state of the ocean. His lack of care is not surprising considering how long he was isolated from society without a need to actually acknowledge any of the societal issues that the ocean folk have faced for their entire lives. Trash was not initially brought about by the ocean creatures, but by people who have polluted the ocean over time. What became problematic were the adaptations around the trash. Using it as a basis for currency, fashion, housing, technology, and weaponry even though it actively infects the wildlife with gunk created an unhealthy reliance on it. It became so ingrained that everyone had no choice but to use it since they had discarded natural resources in favor of trash. Kril did not grow up around trash, so this issue did not impact him as much and therefore made him think that it was alright. The player is encouraged to think the same with the game forcing players to use microplastics to level up and purchase equipment. Kril simply got to enjoy living a carefree life in blissful ignorance of the problems that plagued the ocean folk.
Once in The Unfathom, the player can see Kril beginning to reflect on his journey so far but still remains ignorant. Once he realizes that selfishness at this point isn’t being rewarded, with the treasure being worthless in regards to getting his shell back, he decides that he does not want to confront the issues that have been his main obstacles. He remains selfish and does not care about the others until Nemma forces him to fight for everyone else’s survival. Kril isn’t even happy to fight for the others, he fights through The Unfathom begrudgingly only because no one else can fight like he can. Compared to a traditional hero, Kril shows little character development even though he had defeated Roland. He doesn’t change his morals, his decisions have put others at risk, and he believes that the world is cruel and unfair. All of these traits contrast with the typically positive perspective of a hero.
The Perfect Whorl was another example of Kril being selfish once again. When Konche offered the idea of being rich once they found the Whorl, Kril was suddenly motivated to continue his journey. It isn’t until the final battles with the Praya Dubia and Firth that the player begins to see Kril fight against the greater issues at hand, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade his inner desires. Konche helps Kril realize that New Carcinia will fall down the path of destruction just like Carcinia, but yet when Kril finally got his claws on the Whorl, he focused on his anger and accidentally trashed New Carcinia as a result. His motives were well-intentioned but in the grand scheme of things, he pushed New Carcinia closer to destruction. The hero of the story, who traditionally should bring about a happy, satisfying conclusion, has instead left the player with nothing but an ambiguous ending about the future of their city. What draws the story, characters, and design choices of Another Crab’s Treasure together is what it represents: the perfect example of unchecked greed and mismanaged power.
The Consequences of Complacency & Raising Resilience
A final cutscene plays before the credits roll, with the narrator returning with a description of the Earth. The planet is resilient but resilience doesn’t last forever, and as Earth moves towards an ambiguous future, each person will take their own approach. Some will fight, some will support others, and some will wander to find a purpose. Regardless of the approach, no one can afford to be complacent, and that small acts of kindness are what make the world worth fighting for.
Reminiscent of Nemma’s attitude in The Unfathom, the narrator emphasizes the importance of small, positive moments in individual lives. The ending in Another Crab’s Treasure is far from ideal. Trash all over the city means more citizens will be gunked, there’s no sense of authority around with Roland and Firth dead, and who knows what will happen to their economy with all of the “money” in the city. Still, the player sees Nemma helping others and Kril still wielding his fork during the final cutscene. To truly embody the message, the player also sees Kril’s shell next to a homeless hermit crab, implying he donated it to someone who needed it more. These small scenes imply how these characters still find value in surviving not just for themselves, but for others as well, and this overall culminates as a form of resilience. With so much in disarray, Nemma and Kril have decided to push onwards for the greater good. If Kril had remained complacent and stayed at the tide pool, things would be worse in some ways. He likely would have perished to seagulls without a shell for protection, Roland and Inkerton would remain in control of New Carcinia, Firth or Chitan would have had full control of the Whorl for their own destructive goals. Although the ambiguous state New Carcinia is in by the end isn’t great, it’s clear that the status quo of the ocean prior to Kril’s entrance was awful for most creatures. Kril’s involvement in underwater society may not have been handled well, but he tried to change things for the better and in small ways, he succeeded.
The world of Another Crab’s Treasure is quite similar to the world in real life. Rich and powerful people are often in control, plenty of systemic issues burden the masses, and a variety of issues quietly culminate as nothing is done to counter them. Unfortunately, actions of the current generation will cause ripple effects and consequences for future generations. For the kids of the future, they will have to learn to live in a world where issues like pollution and climate change have already had adverse effects on the planet. This game aims to help kids make that adaptation in various ways, not only through the story but also with the design of the game.
Alongside the story, the choice to make this game a souls-like is a representation of overcoming tough challenges and persisting through defeat. Common elements of souls-like games include challenging combat, detailed stories, and the heavy penalty with death. In this genre of games, all currency held by the player drops where the player dies and the player can reclaim it, but all enemies in the area respawn when the player dies as well (Pan et al. 758). This forces the player to adapt and improve by constantly repeating sections of the game and boss fights so they avoid the frustrating consequences of dying. In a way, this encourages resilience since players are encouraged to face this cycle of life and death, and persevere through their anger to eventually overcome an obstacle. Of course, these aspects can be particularly infuriating for children who might not like being killed over and over. Thankfully, Another Crab’s Treasure has other factors that encourage children to keep playing.
One factor would be the visuals of the game. As mentioned previously, the game series responsible for generating the souls-like genre, Dark Souls, is uniquely known for its rather dark, medieval atmosphere paired with complex dialogue. It’s gritty, bleak, and can be depressing in some areas. Another Crab’s Treasure stands as a stark contrast with its colorful, cartoonish aesthetic and simple, humorous dialogue. Silly looking characters and ocean puns help kids stay engaged with the game without having to get sidetracked or lost on what to do next. The choice to follow a cartoonish aesthetic is notable due to well-founded relationships between video games and other forms of media. Animation studios such as Pixar and Dreamworks have been known to have some of their content adapted to video game form due to the large overlap in the audience between the different forms of media (Wolf 4). With this in mind, a video game that is aiming to bring in an audience of children should try to implement graphics similar to animations targeted towards games, and that is what Another Crab’s Treasure does well. With its underwater atmosphere and silly characters, it shares connections to classic animated movies like Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Another factor would be the adjustable settings for difficulty in Another Crab’s Treasure. Pan et al. mentions how less skilled players are likely to face barriers quicker, leading to quicker frustration and ultimately, negative views towards the game. Another Crab’s Treasure counters these issues by providing a variety of difficulty options for players. There are a wide variety of settings under the game’s “Assist Mode” (see Figure 13), ranging from simply taking less damage to giving Kril a gun that instantly kills enemies. It also has a button for instantly recovering the microplastics that are lost on death in case the player cannot access it or does not want to deal with getting it back. Some players may argue that this defeats the purpose of a challenging game because all of these options make it easier to progress. The argument carries some merit but these options are completely optional, and it also allows for accessibility. Some players may not be able to react quickly or engage in fluid combat, especially children who lack experience with more challenging and complex games. Managing multiple buttons can be confusing, so having these options present allows players to create an experience that is manageable and fun for them without excessive stress and anger.
With all of these factors together, Another Crab’s Treasure allows players to challenge themselves on their preferred level of difficulty while maintaining engagement with a younger audience. These factors minimize the brutal nature that is inherent in souls-like games, therefore promoting resilience in a way that is enjoyable yet difficult. In an ever-changing world, a game that can build resilience while not being overly demanding of the player is crucial. To highlight the increasing impact of climate change, Bustamante looked at papers based on climate change over three decades in Brazil, and she notes the extreme impacts climate change has had on children. With climate change, natural disasters like floods and wildfires have become more frequent, which then negatively affects children due to the exposure from these events. They’ll also be exposed to these events more frequently over the lifetime since they are young and will have to live alongside the increased frequency of these disasters (Bustamante). Although this is just based on one country, climate change and natural disasters involve the whole world and could have implications for kids all over.
Similar to the conditions of New Carcinia, the real world is facing increasingly harmful environmental issues that future generations will have to grow up with and confront. On one hand, people can think like Kril in The Unfathom and be prepared to give up under the pressure and burden of living in a degrading world—simply accept the fate that those in power give to the people, and ultimately forcing those people to pay the price for what they decide. On the other hand, people can encourage resilience in future generations, showing them the value of helping others and surviving for something more than just yourself. It’s easy to give up and do nothing, but the one thing no one can afford in a spiraling society is to be complacent.
Works Cited
Another Crab’s Treasure. Aggro Crab, 2024.
Bustamante, Mercedes Maria da Cunha. “Climate Change and Children’s Health: Resilience Challenges for Brazil.” Jornal de Pediatria, vol. 101 Suppl 1, Mar. 2025, pp. S3–9. 39581564, EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2024.11.002.
Kottasová, Ivana. “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Now so Huge and Permanent That a Coastal Ecosystem Is Thriving on It.” CNN, 17 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/world/plastic-pollution-ocean-ecosystems-intl-climate/index.html.
Pan, Sicheng, et al. “Cultural Insights in Souls-Like Games: Analyzing Player Behaviors, Perspectives, and Emotions Across a Multicultural Context.” IEEE Transactions on Games, vol. 16, no. 4, Dec. 2024, pp. 758–69. IEEE Xplore, https://doi.org/10.1109/TG.2024.3366239.
Wolf, Mark J. P., editor. The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond. 1st ed., Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.5040/9798216032106.
