Introduction
Just a few days ago, when I covered my first news piece on Crabmeat, I was already excited enough to try it out because of its interesting concept. The game is developed by Nicholas McDonnell and Mitchell Pasmans and published by Searching Interactive. At roughly 3–4 hours long, I wasn’t sure if it would deliver anything exciting or just another repetitive loop.
However, after spending a good few hours with it, taking my time to soak in the atmosphere rather than rushing through, I wasn’t fully bored, though it does start to drag after a while. The game blends survival, fishing, and a touch of horror well enough to keep you engaged throughout.
Story
The story is simple. You are a penal colony worker who couldn’t pay off his debt and is now sent to Antarctica to trap crabs and meet a quota within seven days. Fail, and the toxin capsule in your neck will be the end of you. So you aren’t left with much choice but to brave the ocean, surrounded by unnerving crabs, to save yourself.
You will spend most of the game steering a crabbing vessel, dodging rock outcrops and other obstacles while making your way to crab-rich areas. You can’t leave the vessel or swim, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be alone in there for long.
I was having a good time steering when I heard a sound from the engine room. Heading down, I found a crab eating my engine. I was hoping for a jump scare as I rushed toward it, but nothing happened. You can simply kill them with your axe.
This becomes one of Crabmeat’s more repetitive loops. You hear a sound, or an audible alarm goes off, warning you that a crab has infiltrated the vessel, and you head down to kill it. Over and over. There are giant crabs too, which are a little unsettling as they come after you, but they move so slowly that any sense of threat fades fast. A couple of shotgun blasts or axe swings and they’re done, with no real difficulty involved.
Core Gameplay
Now, let’s talk about the core of the game: trapping crabs. You fill the crab trap with fish as bait, drop it in the water, wait for it to catch some crabs, then retrieve it using a harpoon gun. This part confused me during my initial time with the game.
Since the harpoon gun is on the opposite side of the vessel from where you drop the traps, you have to reposition each time. While interesting at first, it becomes repetitive as you do it over and over to meet your quota. That said, I still found it fun until the very end. The developers have done a good job making the core loop enjoyable, with extreme weather, intense sound, and a dark atmosphere keeping things engaging throughout.
Another issue I had was the decision to make it a point-and-click game instead of WASD controls, which I think would suit Crabmeat better. They could at least offer both options, letting players choose whichever they prefer. This was a major upset for me, as I struggled a lot with the point-and-click, which could have easily been solved if the game had both options.
Conclusion
Before concluding, I think it’s important to mention that Crabmeat doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares; instead, it builds an unsettling atmosphere that makes it memorable. The warning alarms echoing through the dark Antarctic setting were genuinely unsettling, helping it stand out among indie titles.
All in all, I had a fine time with Crabmeat. Bite-sized survival horror usually bores me quickly, but that wasn’t the case here. I think it mainly comes down to the game’s length, though. Past the 2-3 hour mark, you’ve seen everything it has to offer. The game uncovers all its mysteries within the first hour, which may leave many players losing interest soon after.
Despite everything, Crabmeat is worth a try if you enjoy unique indie titles. It’s currently 10% off on Steam, with a demo available if you want to test it first.
(6.5 / 10)
Above Average
(6.5 / 10)A review code for PC was provided by the developer.
