The Arcane Kids, a video game collective from Los Angeles, have a manifesto that I think about all the time, but particularly when I find art that surprises me, or approaches traditional formats in new and exciting ways. The second line simply states: “The fastest way to the truth is a joke.” Another Crab’s Treasure, the second offering from Seattle indie studio Aggro Crab, is full of truth and jokes – and something else, something rarer, too.
Another Crab’s Treasure is ostensibly a combat-oriented adventure game, in which you play a tiny hermit crab whose shell has been stolen. You must explore the depths of the ocean to find a way to retrieve it from the Loan Shark, so you can return the wee crab to his peaceful life in the tide pools on the shore. Unexpectedly for such a welcoming, colourful-looking game, it has intense, complex, Dark Souls-style battling – and the juxtaposition is really refreshing. Our hero, Krill, may only be armed with a tiny fork, but with a little concentration and practice he can face down the enormous, grotesque crustaceans he comes up against time and time again.
