One other Crab’s Treasure is out now, filling the opening in our hearts left by Darkish Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Don’t let its cute seems to be deceive you: this sport will be powerful, particularly in the event you don’t acquire the crystals world wide and use them to unlock some mandatory and really useful expertise.
Is that this a protected area? Can I admit one thing actually dumb? I performed about half of the sport with out unlocking any expertise. I stored considering, “When is the sport going to introduce the parry mechanic I used within the demos?” I additionally stored considering, “Jesus fucking Christ, this sport is brutal, how lengthy is it going to make me wait to unlock any extra skills?” The reply, pricey readers, is that you possibly can unlock expertise as quickly as you meet the Moon Snail of their area. You want to return to the Moon Snail to degree up although, regardless that you possibly can see your ability tree from the primary menu.
I needed to be taught this the laborious manner so that you simply don’t. Now that I’ve hopefully earned your respect, laughs, and perhaps even a few of your pity, right here’s some game-changing expertise you have to unlock as quickly as you get the possibility.
Parry
I don’t love that One other Crab’s Treasure locks what appears like mandatory mechanics behind the ability tree, even when a few of them are the best and most cost-effective skills to acquire. That is very true of the parry, in addition to the following ability on this listing, which really feel like they need to’ve been a part of the baseline mechanics accessible at your disposal. Parries are the crux of lots of One other Crab’s Treasure’s largest influences, like Sekiro, and unsurprisingly they’re simply as essential right here.
Till the parry ability is unlocked, gamers can solely disguise of their shells through the use of the guard button at the price of their shell’s well being. Upon getting the parry, a well-timed launch of the guard button (proper earlier than an enemy assault lands) will completely parry opponents, quickly beautiful them and mitigating all shell injury. This brief stun window can be an ideal time for a observe up assault…
Riposte
As I discussed above, some expertise that want unlocking ought to’ve most likely been baked into the mechanics available in the beginning, and the riposte is one other instance of that. What good is a parry in the event you can’t observe up with an excellent riposte, in spite of everything? This ability’s necessity ought to most likely clarify itself, so if you see the Moon Snail, inform them I say “what’s good,” and make the parry and riposte the primary few expertise you spend your hard-earned crystals on.
Self Restore
On the off probability that you simply’re struggling getting the parry timing down, otherwise you identical to to take a seat in your shell and eat that injury, you’re going to need to spend money on Self Restore, a ability that takes a web page from one of many best video games to ever exist: Bloodborne. In that sport, gamers had been capable of regain a portion of their well being by instantly attacking enemies after they had been hit. Self Restore capabilities precisely like this, besides that it received’t recuperate Kril’s well being, solely the well being of the shell, which is tied to its personal HP bar. Pairing this ability with significantly beefy shells and a mixture of excellent parries will virtually render the necessity to swap between shells pointless. That is the way you turn out to be the one true crab to rule all of them with an iron claw.
Housewarming
One other Crab’s Treasure’s ability tree is damaged into just a few branches alongside three most important paths: the Manner of the Hermit, the Manner of the Predator, and the Manner of the True Crab. The Hermit path focuses on Umami (this sport’s model of magic) and evasiveness, and the Housewarming ability prioritizes the previous in a significant manner. Umami shell spells—magic skills tied to the shell you’re actively utilizing—and tremendous strikes referred to as Variations each use Umami expenses, which will be elevated all through the sport. Early on although, you’re going to have only a few Umami expenses at your disposal, so you need to do all the things to chop again on their utilization.
Housewarming permits gamers to make use of any shell’s given spell as soon as with out utilizing an Umami cost, which will be clutch in tight conditions the place they should save Umami for an Adaptation or to spam spells. On condition that shells are littered actually all around the sport, together with each boss struggle, this ability will be taken benefit of very simply, and at little to no price for savvy gamers who bounce between shells. Talking of which…
Scrap Hammer
I swear I didn’t plan these transitions however they only occurred to work out. So gamers will have the ability to improve their injury by way of various strategies, together with leveling up the assault stat, equipping damage-buffing Stowaways (consider Hole Knight’s attraction system, full with purchasable slots), and upgrading Kril’s fork on the smith in New Carcinia. The ability tree largely rewards gamers with new assaults, however one specific ability truly accomplishes this and upgrades your injury output by lots. It additionally permits gamers to successfully wield two shells and their skills at any given time. Say hey to Scrap Hammer, your new greatest pal.
Scrap Hammer permits Kril to make use of a cost assault to skewer any shell within the sport, including it as a injury modifier to the bottom weapon. At any level, gamers can maintain down on the d-pad to swap between the shell on their again and the one on their weapon, permitting you to have two shells on the similar time. The burden and defensive stats of those shells issue into the injury and effectiveness of the weapon, however throughout the board gamers will likely be doing extra injury than ever earlier than. The tradeoff is that swinging the modified fork (whatever the shell’s weight class) turns into universally slower than the bottom assault, however with the appropriate timing and a few cautious guarding and parrying, this received’t even matter. Unlocking Scrap Hammer cracked the sport large open for me, and I guarantee you it’ll do the identical for you. Don’t go too lengthy with out it in the event you might help it.
Should you clocked the point out of fats rolling with a Zweihander equal in my evaluation of the sport, that is the ability that made that doable.
These are One other Crab’s Treasure’s most important expertise in my humble opinion. Unlocking them made all of the distinction within the sport’s issue, and once more, I beat half of this sport with none of them. If there’s ever been an authority on the right way to make this difficult sport a lot simpler for your self, I’m that man. Now go forth, get your shells, and crush your foes with a charged Scrap Hammer assault on me.
