I ran into an unfortunate softlock during my review of Another Crab’s Treasure, an adorable but still intimidating Soulslike, that has so far barred me from completing the game. Near the end of the game, you’re prompted to activate an elevator by an NPC that takes players to the final major area and the last few bosses, but I left the area and accidentally despawned the NPC and the interaction. Despite this, I still really enjoyed Another Crab’s Treasure and wanted to keep playing it, so I booted up another file and tried my very best to speedrun the game and get back to where I left off.

At first, I was playing it straight and doing just fine. Having become pretty proficient at the game’s mechanics during the review period, I cleaned up some of the early bosses with minimal issues (fuck you, Royal Shellsplitter), and even used some of the same tricks I did the first time around, but it wasn’t going quite as fast as I hoped. That’s when it hit me, “Gun.”

Another Crab’s Treasure is an absolutely hilarious game, but one of its absolute best jokes isn’t even a written, or spoken, line. Before it was released, the developers joked that they added a handgun as an accessibility feature of the game. Since Soulslikes are often difficult games (sometimes infuriatingly so) Aggro Crab developed a host of smart and careful accessibility features, such as the ability to keep your XP and currency after death, or the addition of another parry window. Some features reduce the amount of damage you take, or nullify it completely when you fall off the edge of the map. But the very best accessibility option in the game simply gives Kril a gun that dwarfs him several times over. Eat your heart out, Remnant 2, there’s a new Soulslike shooter on the market.

The sight of the gun is truly insane and also laugh-out-loud hilarious, yet in practice, it is somehow even wilder. The gun, which sits on Kril’s back like a shell, has the most health of any shell in the game. It mitigates damage so thoroughly that you’re basically invulnerable in it and never have to rely on another shell. When you hold the guard button and hide inside of it, you’re effectively just a walking gun. And its shell spell, which is simply called “Shoot,” does just that, except it doesn’t waste any of your Umami charges (MP) and is a one-shot kill. The gun renders any and every technique, skill, and Adaptation useless, and so I did what any other reasonable hermit crab on a deadline does, and shot my way through the goddamn sea. It was a delight.

Another Crab’s Treasure is 2024’s most surprising shooter

Any tension this second run of Another Crab’s Treasure could’ve had evaporated into thin air. I’ve never cleared rooms full of enemies quicker. Honestly, it was even cathartic to revisit places where I’d endured hardships during my review and wipe the floor with the enemies there. The lock-on feature in Another Crab’s Treasure is so deeply generous that you can perch at vantage points and easily turn a room into a sniping gallery. I was taking out crabs I could barely see on the other side of several arenas. I shot one boss before they could even get their opening line of dialogue out, and put another one down before their animation played out. As a test, I sniped a boss before I even entered the arena. I don’t think I’m playing the game or using the feature as Aggro Crab intended, but by god it’s fun to twist it into something it’s not meant to be.

Plus, the gun looks and feels so damn good to use. Another Crab’s Treasure was already a visual and audio treat, but the work that’s gone into making the gun more than just a cheap trick is admirable. The pop of the pistol isn’t quite as realistic as the SFX you’d hear in a standard FPS, which makes it far more welcoming and cartoonish rather than menacing. As far as I know, no one at Aggro Crab went to a range, aired out a clip, and grabbed a recording of it to implement into the game. When you fire at an enemy, there’s a brief moment where the round catches and kind of freezes them in place. Then boom, their lifebar depletes and they fall back. In short, the gun’s powerful, and a lot of work went into making it look and sound that way.

Despite the admittedly enjoyable power trip, I wouldn’t recommend this approach on a first run of Another Crab’s Treasure. Like any Soulslike, there’s tons of joy to be had in slamming your head into the wall before eventually breaking through. But I am saying that if you want to give it a second pass, or even just crack up at something that is absurd in every possible way, give Kril a gun. For me, it’s been a great way to revisit the game and catch back up to where I left off, which I’ve now accomplished! The gun is now toggled off, I’m ready to well and truly finish the game, and I’m pleased I was able to enjoy this title I love in an entirely new way.

Alternatively, given how wide Another Crab’s Treasure’s reach is, and how likely it is to bring in folks who may not love Soulslikes, fuck it: Use the gun. Blast your way through this side-splitting game and put a few holes in the rotting husk of capitalism for you and me. If the system won’t play fair, why should we? Moreover, games are meant to be enjoyable, and if that’s how you derive your pleasure from this game, who am I to yuck your yums?

In conclusion, crab gun fun.