Another Crab’s Treasure Cut a Level That Was Similar to Zelda: Ocarina of Time

There are plenty of features that set Aggro Crab’s Another Crab’s Treasure apart from other Soulslikes, with its most notable standout feature being its humorous take on the genre. In the shoes (or shells, rather) of Kril the hermit crab, players embark on a daring adventure unlike any before it to reclaim Kril’s lost shell. Another Crab’s Treasure‘s underwater world is filled with a variety of colorful, brightly saturated environments, which is more than enough to make it different from other Soulslikes. In addition to being one of the more colorful and humorous Soulslikes to date, Another Crab’s Treasure also features traditional platforming that inevitably plays into its unique environmental design.

Game development can be a tricky animal to tame, as each project comes with its own limitations — a reality that Another Crab’s Treasure hasn’t been able to escape either. Game Rant spoke with studio head/art director Nick Kaman and creative director/narrative lead Caelan Pollock ahead of Another Crab’s Treasure‘s release to discuss the game in detail, and Kaman divulged that not all of Aggro Crab’s inspirations were able to come to fruition, including a level that was similar to one in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Another Crab’s Treasure Cut an Ocarina of Time-Inspired Level Due to Time Constraints

One of the most unforgiving obstacles in game development is time, as developers are constantly faced with the demands of personal deadlines and those set by their publishers. Aggro Crab is publishing Another Crab’s Treasure, but that doesn’t stop it from bearing the weight of deadlines. Time is precisely what prevented Aggro Crab from including a level in Another Crab’s Treasure that might have been a huge delight for players, especially fans of what is largely acknowledged as the best Legend of Zelda game ever made, Ocarina of Time. During our interview with Aggro Crab, Kaman disclosed what this level might have been like and why the devs ultimately had to cut it from the game.

The only level we cut was the level that was going to be inside a whale that swallows you. It’d be kind of like the level in
Ocarina of Time
when you go into the big guy, Jabu-Jabu. It’d be like that, except he’s eating a ton of trash, and it’s really sad and gross. That’s kind of the name of the game with
Another Crab’s Treasure,
right? But yeah, we just ran out of time.

The level in Ocarina of Time that Kaman is referring to is one of the game’s early dungeons, while Link is still young. Upon learning that Zora Princess Ruto has been swallowed by the benevolent whale Jabu-Jabu, Link enters his belly to rescue Ruto and kill a parasite that has infected the whale. According to Kaman, Another’s Crab Treasure would have had a level similar to Jabu-Jabu’s Belly, but its environments would have played into the game’s emphasis on pollution. Furthermore, unlike the real Jabu-Jabu’s Belly, it can be assumed that Another Crab’s Treasure‘s inspired version might have been just as colorful as the rest of its world.

It would have been interesting to see Aggro Crab’s take on Jabu-Jabu in Another Crab’s Treasure, but it also might be better that the developer chose to cut the level rather than rush it to completion. In any case, based on what has been revealed so far, Another Crab’s Treasure‘s unique take on the Soulslike genre shows itself most in its bright environments and lighthearted tone, which may be more than enough to compensate for the lack of any ideas that were ultimately cut for quality’s sake.

Another Crab’s Treasure

Aggro Crab’s Another Crab’s Treasure provides a maritime twist on the Souls-like formula. Using the trash around him as armor and weapons, Kril must travel across an underwater kingdom while fighting off all sorts of impressive threats.

Released

April 25, 2024

Developer(s)

Aggro Crab

Publisher(s)

Aggro Crab

Genre(s)

Adventure , Soulslike , RPG

Engine

Unity

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence