This Free Game On Xbox Game Pass Is Perfect While Waiting For Elden Ring DLC

Summary Xbox Game Pass offers another unique, accessible Soulslike game as part of its subscription service.

The game has customizable difficulty and unique underwater mechanics for a fresh experience.

The game is a cheaper alternative to play new releases and caters to players of varying skill levels.

While fans of the Soulslike genre await the release of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in June, there are plenty of other games in the genre to tide them over, including indie Soulslike Another Crab's Treasure, available on Xbox Game Pass. Developed by Aggro Crab, Another Crab's Treasure is a somewhat lighter take on the Souslike genre, with more customizable difficulty options and a more overtly humorous tone than most other games in the genre.

As the Xbox Game Pass service continues to expand, adding (and occasionally losing) games on a monthly basis, it continues to be one of the best deals on the market for anyone interested in one or more of the games in its extensive library. With many games being available on the service from the time of their release, Game Pass can often be the cheapest way to play new releases, sometimes even including majorly hyped AAA titles like Starfield or Persona 3. And although the service (probably) won't include Elden Ring or its DLC, it still has plenty of Soulslikes.

Related Another Crab's Treasure Review: "Challenging But Entirely Accessible" With its cute graphics, customized difficulties, & dark themes, Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike designed by Aggro Crab for everyone.

Another Crab's Treasure Is Available On Game Pass

Initially Released April 25, 2024, For PC, Xbox, PlayStation & Switch

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In the months before the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, it's worth taking a look at new releases in the Soulslike genre from developers other than From Software — and Another Crab's Treasure, available at no extra cost on Game Pass, offers an especially unique take on the genre. Taking place in a cartoony underwater setting, the game stars Kril, a hermit crab journeying across the ocean floor in search of his repossessed home, with environmentalist themes adding depth to the game's more humorous, lighthearted tone.

Another Crab's Treasure follows the general style of Soulslikes, being a 3D game with meticulous combat, but also includes unique mechanics associated with its underwater theme, such as different shells Kril can use for unique abilities and powerful moves learned from other sealife.

Unique to Soulslikes — many of which adhere to the crushing difficulty established by From Software's games — Another Crab's Treasure places a large emphasis on being accessible for players of varying skill levels, with a variety of options to modify the game's difficulty as the player chooses. This goes so far as to even include options for turning off staple features of the genre, like the loss of currency upon death. In combination with the game's lighthearted tone, these features make the game perfect for players who might not gel with or are tired of, more typically Dark Souls-adjacent Soulslikes.

Related Soulslikes Are Finally Becoming Soulslites, & They're Better For It The evolution of soulslikes is showing how far FromSoftware’s ideas can be stretched before they lose their impact, and it makes the future exciting.

Xbox Game Pass Expands Its Soulslike Offerings

Another Crab's Treasure Is One Of The Few New Soulslikes On Game Pass

Being available on Game Pass, Another Crab's Treasure joins the likes of Lies of P and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, offering subscribers a fresh take on the Soulslike genre with unique combat mechanics to set it apart from both From Software games and efforts from other developers. Currently, this makes it one of the relatively few Soulslikes to be offered by the service, along with the Star Wars Jedi games, Remant II, and the previously mentioned Lies of P and Wo Long.

Though Another Crab's Treasure has unique mechanics and an unusual tone for being a Soulslike, its gameplay is closer to traditional Dark Souls than some of the other Soulslikes on Game Pass, like the third-person shooter Remnant II or Souls-adjacent Metroidvanias like Dead Cells and Hollow Knight.

Notably, like any game on Game Pass, Another Crab's Treasure may not stay on the service indefinitely — many other games, and even other indie Soulslikes, like Mortal Shell, have already left the platform's rotating library of games and are no longer available to play unless purchased separately. In the case of Another Crab's Treasure, its recent release means that the game is likely to stay on the service for a while, and it'll almost certainly be available until after the release of Elden Ring's DLC, but anyone looking to play it will want to start sooner rather than later.

Related 10 Most Highly-Anticipated Soulslike Games Releasing Soon Those looking for more challenging soulslike combat and gameplay don't need to look any further than these most highly-anticipated titles coming soon.

Available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers for $10 a month, or available for purchase on other platforms at its standard price of around $30, Another Crab's Treasure is a unique take on the Soulslike genre, with plenty of fresh ideas to engage even the most jaded veterans of From Software's games. In the lead-up to the release of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Another Crab's Treasure is the perfect game to pick up, and well worth playing on its own merits - not just as an appetizer for more Elden Ring.