King of Crabs is a 2020 battle royale video game from Robot Squid and Spilt Milk Studios for Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS. The game has been praised as "Fortnite with crabs."[1]
| King of Crabs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Robot Squid, Spilt Milk Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Robot Squid |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android |
| Release | iOS, Android
|
| Genre(s) | Battle royale video game |
Gameplay
edit
Players control a crab in a tidepool filled with other marine life such as lobsters, turtles, shrimp, and other crabs.[1] Players can eat these other creatures in order to grow larger.[1] As the player's crab grows larger, they gain attack and defense and become able to eat increasingly larger creatures. Players can also pick up weapons like swords and baseball bats, shields in the form of turtle shells and garbage, and extra lives from crates that appear around the map.[1][2][3]
The goal of each match is to be crowned the "King Crab" by defeating and eating other players and NPC opponents in combat.[2] Each match can have up to 100 players in it.[4] Outside of individual matches, players can spend coins earned in game to unlock new crabs, upgrade their current crab, or acquire new costumes.[3]
The game also features a "friendly" PVE mode in which players work together to defeat computer controlled opponents.[5]
Development
editFounded in 2018, King of Crabs is the first game to be released by British[6] indie studio Robot Squid.[7] The game went through a rapid development cycle, with the developers moving from a prototype to a full market release in just a year.[7] The developers wanted to "authentically capture the behaviour of crabs within a world where crustaceans rule and anything goes."[7] In addition to developing the game itself, the development team also created its own server-side technology, which added to the complexity of the development process.[7]
Reception
editKing of Crabs launched to mixed reviews with reviewers praising the creative concept behind the game but criticizing the game's gameplay as tedious and lacking in replay value.[1][2][3] Eurogamer gave an overall positive review and described the game as "Fortnite with crabs" and "a dazzler," complimenting it as "the best crab-based Battle Royale" released to date.[1] Other reviewers, such as Pocket Gamer, criticized the game as "a joyously silly concept in search of great game to back it up."[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Donlan, Christian (July 11, 2019). "King of Crabs is Fortnite with crabs, and you pretty much have to play it". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Bald, Cameron (March 18, 2019). "King of Crabs review - "A joyously silly concept without a great game to back it up"". www.pocketgamer.com. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c Hadley, Jupiter (April 10, 2019). "King of Crabs - Become a crab wielding a meat fork". Big Boss Battle. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Carter, Rebekah (August 10, 2020). "King of Crabs Review: Killer Crustaceans". SideGamer. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Nichols, Jason (July 18, 2020). "King of Crabs: Best Starter Crabs For New Players (Tips & Tricks)". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "About Us". Robot Squid. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Ford, Matthew (March 6, 2019). "Indie Spotlight: Knife-wielding crabs star in Robot Squid's new mobile battle royale game King of Crabs". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved January 21, 2021.