Summary
- Shell-swapping is a crucial mechanic in Another Crab's Treasure, offering unique abilities and stats for players to strategize with.
- S-Tier abilities like Fortify and Probiotic stand out as the most useful, providing invincibility and healing benefits.
- Lower-tier abilities like Pop Off and Shards may not be as effective, requiring careful consideration before use in combat encounters.
Generally speaking, Another Crab's Treasure really nails the core fundamentals of Soulslike combat, from its rhythmic attack patterns, to its satisfying parry mechanic. But Another Crab's Treasure also has a fair few tricks of its own, with its shell-swapping mechanic being one of its most impressive.
Put front and center of the game's pre-release marketing, shell-swapping is an integral feature of Another Crab's Treasure, and by far one of its most unique qualities. Taking on the role of a hermit crab, players can equip a wide variety of shells, each coming with their own unique set of statistics, and a special ability. These abilities range from devastating attacks to incredibly useful support powers, and players are encouraged throughout to carefully choose the right shell ability for the job, and there are plenty to choose from.
Another Crab's Treasure's Best Easter Eggs Explained
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Every Shell Ability in Another Crab's Treasure Ranked
S-Tier
- Fortify - Gives shell invincibility for three strikes
- Probiotic - Slowly regenerate health over time
While the vast majority of shell abilities in Another Crab's Treasure are useful, few are quite as all-round effective as Fortify and Probiotic. Both support-type abilities, Fortify gives the player's shell invincibility for three strikes, and Probiotic slowly heals the player over time. With these powerful abilities also usually being paired with shells that have good stats, they easily become the most useful in the entire game.
Another Crab's Treasure also features a Gun shell, with its own "Shoot" ability that one-shots most enemies. This is obviously the most powerful shell ability in the game, but it doesn't quite count as it's only available via the game's Assist Mode.
A-Tier
- Party Time! - Blasts confetti to deal damage and interrupt enemy attacks
- Another Chance - Get revived after being killed in battle
- Cleanse - Remove all negative status effects and slightly heal the player
While they might not be quite as effective as those in the S-Tier, these A-Tier shell abilities are still incredibly useful in many scenarios. Party Time! Allows the player to blast their enemies with confetti, dealing quite a bit of damage and interrupting most attacks, even during some boss fights. Another Chance is a simple but effective "Get out of jail free" card, and Cleanse makes Another Crab's Treasure's poison "Gunk" mechanic a bit less frustrating.
B-Tier
- Munch - Consumes shell durability to heal Kril
- Juggernaut - Can't be interrupted or staggered by enemy attacks for a brief duration
- Decoy - Drops the shell and attracts enemy attacks
- Squash - Launches Kril into the air to deliver a hard-hitting blow from above
- Twist Top - Damages enemies with a spinning attack
While these shell abilities are all still more than worth picking up, they do come with their own handful of drawbacks. Munch, for instance, allows the player to gain back a bit of health, but each bite drastically reduces the durability of the shell, making it a little ineffective during boss battles. Decoy is another solid shell ability, but it's only properly effective when the player is being swarmed by large groups of enemies, which doesn't happen all that often if they're playing carefully.
C-Tier
- Fizzle - Fires projectiles that push enemies away
- Shellshock - Imbues shell with lightning that stuns enemies
- Morning Buzz - Increases attack speed briefly
- Bombs Away! - Launch into the air and detonate the shell from above, damaging enemies in the blast radius
- Twinkle - Fires a slow-moving projectile
- Freeze - Slow enemies for a brief duration
- Rollout - Launch into the targeted enemy at high speed
The best word to describe these shell abilities is "fine." All of the abilities listed here are still helpful, but they're vastly overshadowed by everything ranked above them. These abilities will do in a pinch, but no player should be building their playstyle off one. For instance, Fizzle is a good way to keep enemies at bay in the early game, but as players get more confident, the ability has little purpose, only dealing minimal damage. The same can be said for abilities like Twinkle, Rollout, Freeze, and Shellshock. When it comes to Morning Buzz, the increase in attack speed is definitely helpful, it's just not quite worth the Umami it needs to activate.
D-Tier
- Pop Off - A strong attack that launches smaller enemies into the air
- Shards - Explodes upon being hit by an enemy
- Smokescreen - Emits a burst of ink that briefly makes enemies lose track of the player
- Drunken Claw - Increases attack but lowers dodge roll and makes movement worse
- Ring-a-Ding - Interrupt enemy attacks in a large radius
Unfortunately, these shell abilities aren't overly useful, at least in most encounters. Pop Off doesn't deal enough damage to justify its wind-up window. Shards deals a nice bit of damage but shatters the shell instantly, which can be detrimental. Drunken Claw is actively harmful to the player, drastically affecting movement controls and decreasing the effectiveness of Kril's dodge roll. In the vast majority of combat encounters, these shell abilities should be actively avoided, never really being worth the precious Umami that they require.
Another Crab's Treasure
- Released
- April 25, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
As Kril the hermit crab, you’ll need to wear the trash around you as shells to withstand attacks from enemies many times your size. Embark on an epic treasure hunt to buy back your repossessed shell, and discover the dark secrets behind the polluted ocean.
TRASH OR TREASURE?
In this undersea society, trash is not only a way of life, but a valuable resource, used for everything from fashion to firearms. But with the presence of trash comes a mysterious infection known as the Gunk, which could spell doom for the entire ocean.
LEARN FROM NATURE
As Kril explores the ocean, he'll gain a variety of Umami Techniques—powerful attacks learned from the denizens of the seas. Punch your enemies with the overwhelming might of a Mantis Shrimp, ensnare them with the horrifying Bobbit Worm, and much more.
UNEXPLORED DEPTHS
The ocean goes deeper than one can imagine. Fight your way through kelp forests, coral reefs, sand castle cities, and even the unfathomable darkness of the deep-sea trenches, all in the name of getting back your prized shell.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Publisher(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
