Image via Odd Dreams Digital
There are dozens of Roguelites currently available on Steam, and many of them focus on battle abilities and gear level-ups in traditional fantasy or sci-fi settings. That is what makes Everything is Crab such an exciting option for roguelike fans looking to try something new. In this adorable, pixelated game, you take on the role of Darwin, a pre-evolved blobby boy who fights for survival in a harsh world. To do that, you are going to need to get crafty and evolve into something scarier than what is trying to chase and eat you.
Everything is Crab doesn’t bog players down with overly complicated mechanics. Each round through the ecosystem takes between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on how long your newly evolved Darwin lasts. Throughout the game, Darwin will gain new abilities by eating food to level up. The longer you last, the more points you will get toward starting-game boosts in the next round.
While some Roguelites can be intimidating to jump into, Everything is Crab offers a system that is great for new players, seasoned roguelite veterans, and players of all ages. A lack of gore and dark themes makes it a delightful and funny family game, and one that my five-year-old son got a real kick out of while we played together.
Key Details
- Developer: Odd Dreams Digital
- Publisher: Secret Mode
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Price: $9.99
- Copy For Review: Yes, for PC
Jump Into the Action
Everything is Crab doesn’t bog gameplay down with extensive cutscenes or setup. To get playing, you will select a buff from the main selection screen, and then a newly minted Darwin is released into the wild. As you complete rounds in the game, additional starting difficulties will unlock. Regardless of the difficulty, the first five minutes of the game are fairly forgiving while getting the first few upgrades.
To upgrade Darwin, players will need to smack some fish and eat fallen fruit to gain their first proper attack abilities. While Darwin comes equipped with a little, blobby smack – it won’t stand up against the other creatures lurking in each biome. This makes the first few evolution abilities critical to a successful run.
Eating will help recover health, and the faster players scavange and snatch from other creatures on the map, the better their chances of survival will be.
As Darwin grows, the difficulty of enemies will also increase, leading to “heats” where players will face off against highly evolved bosses. The type of boss is randomized, meaning players could get something different from their previous run each time.
If you survive the boss fight in Everything is Crab, you will continue to explore new areas, fight harder enemies, and evolve new abilities. However, bosses aren’t the only way to get turned into kibble for other monsters. It is possible to get attacked by fruit that becomes a monster, or even knock yourself out due to poor aim. I have taken myself out twice, and not during a particularly difficult area in the game.
The World Is Definitely Dangerous
Everything is Crab has created a world that is simple to explore, but vast in its effects. There are multiple biomes that can be explored, and each offers as many dangers as rewards. Players will have to pay attention to the weather to avoid drowning in the rain or baking in the sun. Interacting with points of interest in certain areas can help make Darwin more resistant, but staying too long in one place can spell disaster.
My favorite touch on the ecosystem structure of Everything is Crab is the day and night cycle. During the day, the world is bright and easy to navigate, but at night, Darwin’s immediate visibility drops to just a small circle. This makes it easy to be taken by surprise or accidentally end up in a biome you didn’t intend to explore while in the dark.
The exploration element of Everything is Crab can get lost in the fast-paced evolution process, but that is what makes it so dangerously sneaky. It is easy to get comfortable in the grass as a big, slow Darwin, only to get soaked to death in the rain because you weren’t fast enough to get to a dry area.
The Gameplay Loop is Almost Addictive
I have always had a bit of a hard time getting into the loop with Roguelites. Except for Hades, which encouraged players to keep going thanks to a developing narrative between runs, the “start from scratch” approach of these titles can feel a bit tedious.
Unfortunately, I did run into this in Everything is Crab. There is nothing worse than developing the ultimate Darwin, only to knock yourself out accidentally and have to start over. With nothing between rounds to help you reset, it’s easy to let the frustration of the loss interrupt the flow of the game.
When I died in Everything is Crab, my first thought wasn’t, “Okay, let’s go again,” but “Dang, now I have to start again.”
Setting up the next round, starting from scratch again, and building back up through the early evolutions can become tedious, especially several dozen plays into the game. Even with the starting bonuses, I found myself closing the game instead of wanting to stay and keep pressing on. This is a game where I play a round, take a break, and then come back for another try later in the day.
Final Score – 8/10
Everything is Crab is a delightful, funny, family-friendly roguelite with a fantastic premise. It is so nice to see a game in this genre that lacks the grit and gore. Gameplay is fast-paced, enjoyable, and easy to pick up. It would be incredible to see some tweaks to the time spent between rounds, or additional options for setting a new game up, as right now it can lean close to tedious when starting a new playthrough.
At only $10, it is a steal of a game, and great for anyone looking to try a roguelite for the first time. If you like a lot of story, Everything is Crab may not be the best pick, but if you want a good time as a gooey little buddy, this is an awesome choice.
**Bonus Action was provided with a PC copy of Everything is Crab for the purpose of this review**
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