Another Crab's Treasure: An Amazing Soulslike With A Terrible Ending
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Overall, this is the best soulslike. Period.
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Why hello you lovely little peppercorns, my name's Noa Lee, God of game criticism, and Another Crab's Treasure is the latest soulslike action RPG from developer Aggro Crab and is one that, overall, has managed to rise far above the typical soulslike crowd, nearly rivaling the level of quality and artistic achievement of From Software's Souls Series. Another Crab's Treasure also uses the soulslike formula to deliver a poignant environmental message that's at the heart of the game and in a way that isn't the least bit preachy or pretentious... well, almost, as the game has one major issue that taints the rest of the experience.
Is it Another Crab's Treasure's difficulty? Is it the game's bosses? No, it's a thematic issue that comes about from a forced design that abandons the path of heartful game design and following the artistic muse in favor of forcing the developer's political belief's and worldview down the player's throat with Another Crab's Treasure ending. Still the game is, overall, amazing, but it could've been that much better had the developers not jumped the shark at the finish line.
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Created by: Noa Lee
#NoaLee
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Good video. Haven’t played it yet (not sure if I will) Personally I think Lies of P is great, but to each their own.
I honestly loved the ending even if it did come out of nowhere, and its probably from personal experience as to why I like it so much. Nothing to the level of what Firth does, but for someone to just show up, take control and not listen is something I'm all to experienced with. The ending didn't feel like it was talking about how people with big ideas are just full of hot air wanting to stroke their ego and need to stop, its the impact they have on the people who are openly expressing their needs and being ignored. I can see how it doesn't hit the same way for everyone, and it is a jarring tone shift after the immense tragedy we just experienced, but it just feels exactly like what happens in the real world, when a position of power is open, the people who take them aren't interested in any of the messages they're repeating to the people who need real help, they just want to look good without ever confronting the needs of the people they're taking advantage of.
I love your take on the ending and I totally agree with your interpretation. Firth is very much the "power abhors a vacuum" type of person and the ending absolutely alludes to that and is exactly how something like that feels in real life; I've been there in my younger days, but it's been a while (damn I'm getting old lol). I'm not convinced that that works in a narrative or artistic sense, and even taking it into consideration I still think the ending is pretty bad, but you picked up on something I had overlooked and how it might resonate with some people more than others. Great stuff! :D
@@ThusSpokeNoaLee My main takeaway was also the fact that the scene after you beat Firth highlights something important not to us but to Krill: Chitan is wrong. Anger -while justified- should not be a part of solving a problem. Considering Krill screws things up yet again by getting angry when he could have pointed his attention somewhere else first. Now idk if that is true but it was certainly something that Krill's character was moving towards.
I'm surprised how good the production considering how small the channel is. Keep up the great work man!
Now now… Lies of P at least runs 60 frames and not buried very deep by Sony.
I also love the little fun facts they add to loading screens sometimes, like the VAST MAJORITY of plastic and ocean pollution comes from the fishing industry. Which isnt something most people are aware of, plastic straws and plastic bags are bad but are nothing compared to fishing.
YES! That's a big deal that I don't think most people get: the vast majority of waste is not on the consumer side of things.. it all happens waaaaayyy before that. Like sure, you can recycle your grocery bags and be as environmentally friendly as you want, but the damage has already been done by the time the product gets to you.
That's why we need systemic change and laws.. we aren't going to fix this ourselves. Even if we always recycled literally everything we used, it wouldn't even put a tiny dent in the damage :/
@@idontwantahandlethough the best thing we can do as consumers is to not support the fishing industry, it operates in a supply and demand system. The more fish people buy the more fish they will provide. We must put pressure on corporations to change by not giving them money, as they will never do it out of the kindness of their hearts. It's mostly their fault, but it's also our fault for buying it.
i found you by your penny review, your channel is criminally underrated, keep up the great work noa, cause if you do, ill be here :)
Thanks mate! I'll be doing this as long as I can! Cheers! :D
I strongly disagree with your take on the ending. I think it's important to be more critical of Neoliberalism than capitalism because it often tries to mascarade as a solution when it's just as tied to benefitting from the problem as far more naked capitalism. Kril has to have something to direct his anger at to drive home the point that he needs to act with purpose towards a world he wants and not just returning things to "normal". When you consider this game tied more to character action games, I think having an ending that feels inspired by Revengeance is very very fitting. I don't envy having to make a satisfying boss feel fair off of a very unbalanced game. It needs to give you something to have to learn, hence the cheap shots, but can't be so hard that it turns people off. And I think having it be like Krill and purposely cheesing you is fitting. The boss fights were not the games strongest element unlike Lies of Ps excellent bosses, but your take suggests that most will be more soured by the ending which I don't think will be true. Loved what you had to say, regardless. Thanks for spending time on a smaller game that most might not even see pitched past the first major boss. This game really saves all it's most interesting parts for the middle onwards.
I think I agree with what you're driving as, again, it's not the message of the ending I'm taking issue with, just that I don't believe it draws naturally from the rest of the game; we can disagree on that, but to me it feels forced. I think you're on to something with Firth purposefully cheesing you during the fight as that's very much how it feels and, in a different context, I could see this boss having a much greater impact. However, I don't think the game, taken as a whole, is a critique of neoliberalism/capitalism--the ending absolutely is, and those elements are sprinkled about throughout the game, but the rest of the experience delivers a more hopeless, resigned to a fate of our own making, message that is more about personal growth and moving forward in a world that's crumbling around us. I feel the game is more about taking action in general, rather than that action having to be directed toward anything in particular, which is why I think the ending doesn't follow. Still, I appreciate your take on the ending as well and love the thought of this being a sort of low-key Metal Gear Rising homage. Good stuff mate, cheers!
I really appreciate this comment and as someone with no real access to academic journals / textbooks / lectures Ive been thinking back to the sentence about neoliberalism over and over again and trying to draft a response. I love that and I appreciate this channel overall for the good food. ༄🪐🚀𓇼🎧 ⋆₊
My reading coming from how much I absorbed of A Crabs Treasure was, I admit, a totally-Twitch-broadcast-based reading.... but I still think of it as kinda cool to discuss ? o((>ω: But we stay silly :3 Thanks for reading this ⋆₊ if you got to the end and cool commentary op + insert my usual commentary on the kickass visual 'audial` ludonarrative intellectual cuteness as per usual. 🍀🌱Just cleared the other channels backcatalog and weird sonic dudes aside (sarcasm here, obviously, because that IRL sonic was awesome) the scripts were [chefs kiss]
I apologize for any ranting lol had ☕☕☕ and this news-y & newest video by Jessie Earl ⋆₊ 🩵makes me feel energized as hecc after feeling "the weight of the world" to quote her vlog
I don't think what distinguishes games like Another Crab's Treasure or Hollow Knight is that they're purposefully trying to buck the soulslike lable; They just take inspiration from one or two more places. Hollow Knight from games like Super Metroid and Tim Burton, and Another Crab's Treasure... I mean, you can't tell me you don't see Stephen Hillenburg's ghost in the water. I could make a case that it's a canon sequel to Battle For Bikini Bottom (and arguably is a better one than The Cosmic Shake).
It's kinda like how you never like the cover of a song more than the original but when you hear a bit of The Manhattans in Silk Sonic, it feels more like the torch has been passed than oh, this is just Brendon Urie showing us all the things Freddie Mercury had the he lacks.
Oh no, I don't think these games purposefully buck the soulslike trend at all; I think they follow the path of heart and naturally evolve beyond the label drawing from the subconscious inspiration/muse of the developers. Part of that is obviously other works of art they've experienced, for sure. Certainly there's some Super Metroid in Hollow Knight and some Spongebob in Another Crab's Treasure, but I don't think these were intentional choices either, just that the developers weren't afraid to allow those sources to color their own work when they came about naturally through following the muse.
the second I jumped in the water, my brain went "I'M READY! I'M READY! I'M READY!!"
If you want a game that brilliantly defies its genre in a similar vein to hollow knight, I thoroughly recommend my favorite game of all time, Rain World. Absolutely brilliant little atmospheric game with a very powerful story told almost exclusively through environment. It's a truly magical experience; if you have a chance, you should play it.
I really do need to get around to playing Rain World, it's been in my library for years. Looks amazing.
@@ThusSpokeNoaLee Be warned: It'll piss you off. My advice is to respect it for that.
@@cptcaty2895 As long as it's artfully done, I'm all for it.
@@ThusSpokeNoaLee Oh, absolutely. Rain world does a beautiful job at making the pain apart of the world. There's a reason the camera isn't centered on the slugcat; you're just a victim of a world, not the main piece. It's VERY artfully done imo.
@@cptcaty2895 I'm so in.
Your thoughts about the ending tell me that you wish they had pulled their punches...
Quite the contrary, I want their punches to have the weight of the full game behind them for maximum effect, the ending doesn't have any of that which is entirely my problem with it. The penultimate fight absolutely has that weight, which is why it hits like a freight train. I want more of that.
exactly how I feel about souls likes... they don't get it...
exploration and environmental story telling is the key, and FROM does it better
Incredible review! An instant subscribe for me. I very much look forward to future uploads.
One note: please include spoiler warnings in the future! I was planning on buying this game immediately after watching this video but much of that wind has disappeared from my sails after being robbed of the emotional impact of that penultimate battle. I feel like my shell was repossessed before i even got a chance to unpack!
Thanks mate! So glad you liked it! Sorry this ended up spoiling things for you, but I think there's enough meat on the bones that you'll can still get dem feels when you play it for yourself; I did leave quite a bit out actually including several other spoilers. And, to be honest, I'm never going to include spoiler warnings in my videos. Not being spoiled is up to the individual IMO. That said, I do try to hint when a spoiler is about to occur which is why I mentioned the final boss without showing anything before I talked about the ending. Still, I feel bad I took that from you. My bad. :)
Okay first, love the outfit 😂
Great video Noa. Always enjoy your takes on games and the art behind them.
My younger brother sunk hours into Elden Ring and that other FromSoft game that was set in Feudal Japan or something (I forgot the name) so this may be something he’d be into. Not sure if the cartoony art style is to his taste tho.
I’ve tried to get into Soulslikes and RPGs but never really did. Games like Elden Ring I personally find a little overwhelming mechanically. I know you gotta “get good” but that’s just me. From the sounds of it, Another Crabs Treasure seems to ease you into the combat much more than most Soulslikes so I might check this one out when I can. The art style and characters are enough to pique my interest and as an avid fan of platformers, the inclusion of that kind of level design is definitely a bonus
Haha, thanks!
Sekiro's the game you're thinking of and your bro has good taste. lol
Breaking through the Souls wall is certainly a challenge, but once it clicks it becomes second nature. In a lot of ways Another Crab's Treasure is easier and it has more traditional tutorials and the like to explain it's mechanics whereas the Souls series just kinda expects you to figure things out for yourself. Give it a try bud, might be the jumping off point you need to get into the Souls series.
@@ThusSpokeNoaLee That’s the one haha. He’s been playing Stellar Blade lately. Not sure if it’s a Soulslike or just an open world RPG but games like that and NieR Automata are the kinda games he gravitates toward these days. That and Car simulators haha.
Haha well anything’s possible. I’ll give it a shot when I can. Just getting through a bit of a back catalogue at the moment. Just finished the campaign for Spider-Man PS4 for the first time since I bought it at launch 😂 I get distracted easily haha.
This game looks great! Definitely need to give it a shot some day
cough breath of the wild
hahahahah i laughed so hard!
When will you review Mullet Mad Jack
Oh man, I totally overlooked that one; thanks for bringing it to my attention cuz it looks awesome! Not sure if I'll get around to critiquing it cuz I've got two other games in the production pipeline already, but I'll definitely be playing it and will probably include it in my end of year recap vid.
@@ThusSpokeNoaLee Personally Its good, but it doesn't seem like it has a lot of replay value
Has he not seen Lies of P?
I talked about it a couple times and said it was pretty good, did you not watch the video?