Players looking for a new type of Soulslike experience might be apprehensive aboutAnother Crab’s Treasureand its underwater setting given the infamously frustrating nature of water levels in games. Soulslike games can already be challenging enough due to their emphasis on precise combat, so adding the physics associated with being underwater might seem like a recipe for a rough time. However,Another Crab’s Treasureavoids falling into this common pitfall by taking a page from another aquatic franchise’s book, creating a physics system that follows a logic similar to that of theSpongeBob SquarePantsuniverse.
TheSpongeBobfranchiseis well-known for its bizarre underwater logic, where physics don’t operate how one would realistically expect them to given the overwhelming amount of water. As a result, the world ofSpongeBobdoesn’t always feel like it’s underwater, freeing the limitations placed on it by an underwater setting. In an interview with Game Rant,Another Crab’s Treasurecreative director and narrative lead Caelan Pollock details the developer’s justification for the game’s underwater setting, including howSpongeBobinspired the game’s physics and underwater logic.
Another Crab’s Treasure’s Underwater Physics Feel Straight Out of SpongeBob
BothSpongeBobandAnother Crab’s Treasurebeing set primarily underwater creates a world that operates on its own set of physics, separate from what one would expect from a traditional underwater environment. For example, a game likeSpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottomis a 3D platformer set inSpongeBob’s underwater world, but the mechanics and physics of the game still mostly function like a traditional 3D platformer set on dry land. When discussing how the team tunedAnother Crab’s Treasure’s underwater physics to feel natural, Pollock notes:
“When we’re entirely underwater and we’re just focused on whatever physics we decide feels good to experience underwater, I don’t feel like it’s nearly as much of a problem. You also don’t swim vertically in this game. Your swim is just like a flutter, so it’s not really like it’s an underwater game in the sense of ‘Oh, this is likeSubnautica.‘It’s a platformer first and foremost, so the water physics of it all kind of operates on SpongeBob logic”
The decision to ignore traditionalwater physics should helpAnother Crab’s Treasurefeel natural to players and itsSpongeBob-inspired logic still gives the game a sense of immersion within an underwater setting. As the various pieces ofSpongeBobmedia have shown, breaking the immersion of underwater physics can help enhance the charm of a game and make it more user-friendly.
How Another Crab’s Treasure Avoids the Trope of Annoying Underwater Levels
Although many underwater levels are some of gaming’s most infamously frustrating, likeThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Water Temple,Another Crab’s Treasureflips the script on this trope in a major way. The majority of the game takes place underwater and the team at Aggro Crab has adjusted the game’s underwater physics to make this underwater movement feel natural. However, Pollock mentions that there are segments ofAnother Crab’s Treasurethat take place out of water, saying:
“…there are out-of-water mechanics in the game. They’re used pretty sparingly because underwater turned out to be a bit more fun, as far as you have the ability to swim a little bit.”
Additionally, studio head and art director forAnother Crab’s TreasureNick Kaman believes that:
“If anything, I think people will find our out-of-water sections more frustrating.”
Much of the source of frustration with water levels likeOcarina of Time’s Water Temple orKingdom Hearts’ Atlanticacomes from the fact that they break with the movement physics players have become accustomed to. However,Another Crab’s Treasureturns this trope on its head by making underwater traversal the baseline, leading to the potential for the few dry land segments in the game to be the real source of players’ struggles.
Another Crab’s Treasure
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 NATUREAs 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 DEPTHSThe 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.
