Recent reviews by Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apua'a

Oh Deer provides a neat twist on the hide-and-seek / 'prop hunt' formula while also being easy to pick up and play. Recommended for those that enjoy nature and hunting pursuits... and homicidal cryptids. I purchased Oh Deer during the Winter Sale event and have so far been enjoying the game.

• Simple controls and objectives for both Deer and the Hunter. 'Less is more' works well.
  
  
• The maps' beautifully sculpted environments -- rich in nature.
  
  
• The tranquil, relaxing soundtrack -- that is, until the hunter begins to incrementally lose his mind XD. That's when the atmosphere begins to take a sinister, yet hilarious turn.
  
  
• Cursed sapient, two-toed ungulates of the family Cervidae.

• Additional North American / South American / European / Asian / deer species.
  
  
• Customization options for the Hunter. Ex: (1) shirts / (2) boots / (3) head accessories (hair, hats, glasses) / (4) skin tone (natural to wild hues).
  
  
• Expanding maximum head count for multiplayer from 5 to 16.
  
  
• Additional map biomes -- natural (e.g. boreal/taiga forest, evergreen forest, dry/wet tropical forest) and anthropogenic (?).
  
  
• Additional tracking, hunting tools for Hunters -- perhaps as interchangeable equipment (?). Ex: (1) bear traps (deployable), (2) mushroom bait, (3) black-powder muzzle loader firearm.

10/10. Great job! Here's to hoping that additional updates follow.

Fight Crab 2 debuts as the latest physics-based crabby fighter installment from Nussoft-Calappa Games – developer of other shellfish titles such as Fight Crab (2020; FC1), Ace of Seafood (2016), and Neo Aquarium (2015).

As an Early Access title, Fight Crab 2 builds upon the combative zaniness of its predecessor (FC1) and succeeds in delivering extremely fun and fast-paced gameplay, backed by a plethora of new single player, cooperative, and multiplayer content.

This installment shakes up the existing Fight Crab formula with the introduction of:

• Humans – through which you, the player, pilot your weapon-brandishing brachyurans (true crabs), anomurans (false crabs), and other crustacean steeds into battle!
  
  
• Card summoning – enables players to further tactically augment their crab-weapon battle loadouts!
  
  
• Combat abilities – modify the movement / tactical/ passive behaviors and attributes of your crabs!

The Fight Crab 2 experience is easy to pick up and play right off the cheliped, with ‘Modern’ and ‘Classic’ controller map setting support. Each crab and weapon has its own unique skill curves – many being straightforward while others require some trial-and-error experience to master. Overall, this is a great game for all skill levels and ages (and especially animal / marine science / biology enthusiasts).

I personally admire the level of detail + care invested into the crab models’ designs. They are quite realistic and match up to their respective real-life counterparts.

Both weapon and crab inventories are diverse and in a good direction with balancing efforts between offline and online gameplay. Redundancy is kept to an absolute minimum.

The Calappa / ‘common box crab’ is still adorable.

Gameplay controls are responsive and allow for dexterous cheliped movements like dabbing – as mudflat denizens do when disputing territories.

The Missions feature is convenient for keeping track of personal statistics while giving in-game currency rewards as milestones are met. I hope that additional reward types are incorporated later down the line.

Challenges are great to pass the time when not in the mood to play Career Mode or competitive online stuff. They also dovetail nicely with raised crabs from Career Mode.

**Difficulties with terrain movement and wall climbing were previously big concerns. However, as of April 21st, 2024 (Ver. 0.7.10.1) the issues are now addressed. Yay! :)**

[01] Ensnaring an opponent crab between two Bear Traps may result in extreme ping pong-like bouncing. Significant damage may be incurred between client + opponent via weapon jostling, or occasionally the opponent may be flung outside map boundaries due to extreme travel velocity.

[02] Dropped weapons can sometimes be equipped across long distances without being near them. This bug triggers when the user approaches a target weapon, nudges it (usually via claw -- just enough to get the item moving), and then quickly backs away. If done correctly, pick up prompt remains active until user equips weapon or wields something else. Essentially behaves like the 'Long Distance Weapon Equip' skill in Career Mode, but always has a chance of triggering.

[03] Human riders operating Cannon placements are impervious to being stunned when attacked by opponent crabs or other human riders. Exploitable and very frustrating to deal with.

[04] Maneuvering the Shark vehicle's head is difficult to do, including successfully biting down on targets. Could the Shark's movement-biting behavior be adjusted to be semi-autonomous? That is, the Shark's head will attempt to point toward an opponent (when close enough) and bite.

[05] 'Nimbus' feels a tad plain to use, beyond serving as a stable, elevated ride. Perhaps it should also be able to turn on a dime, allowing crabs that typically have poor turning stats to have better maneuverability.

[06] The jaws of the 'T-Rex Skull' weapon can be splayed open sideways at extreme angles when pressed against surfaces. When biting down, the skull's jaw can also be forced open with relative ease. Jaw movement rigidity + resistance to being pried open should ideally emulate behavior from Fight Crab 1.

[07] Blunt-force damage output of the Liu He Da Quiang (i.e. the pole component itself -- not the blade head) should be markedly reduced.

[08] Users should be capable of picking up + wielding an opponent's 'Dual Blades' / '3 Section Staff' / Nunchaku components that are not actively wielded. Part of the trade-off of utilizing chained weapons, two of which having high damage output capacities.

[09] Mantis Shrimp becomes extremely unstable while using 'Crab Copter' Hyper skill and frequently crashes on its back.

[10] When wielding a two-handed weapon (e.g. Guandao, Double Saber, Great Hammer): Should complete stamina depletion from one claw result in just the affected arm becoming disarmed while the remaining claw continues to grip onto weapon handle?

[11] 'Musket' and 'Axe Gun' weapons feel outpaced by the 'Revolver' and 'Shotgun'. No reason to use them unless something could be done to improve their utilities. (E.g. increasing accuracy, as single-fire flintlock-type firearms).

Content and calibrations in Fight Crab 2 are subject to change while the game is in Early Access. Please refer to the Comments section for complete feedback list. Take them for what you will.

[01] Additional (Training / Offline / Online) match parameter settings:

• Max starting cards (between 0 to 10).
  
• Stage music selection.
  
• Card spawn ratios (if 'shrimp collectibles' are enabled.

[02] Devise 'Raijin'-esque skins for remaining crabs + unlock methods. The skin's presentation and glow effect are really cool + could be this installment's answer to FC1's lustrous metallic skins.

[03] For crabs with asymmetrical claws: Devise mirrored counterparts to increase play style variation. This way, users may occasionally encounter left-claw dominant Fiddler Crabs or Tasmanian Giant Crabs.

[04] Extend effects of 'Enchant' and 'Enchant: Thunder' to thrown weapons (since the stat buffs carry over when affected weapons are dropped and picked up by other crabs, anyway).

10 million migrating Christmas Island red crabs out of 10. Well done!

[01] Fight Crab 2 (FC2) playtest participant (“Blake”), c. 2023 October 26th

[02] Volunteered the following tasks as a playtester for FC2:

• Prepared authorized data spreadsheet copy for ease of cataloging, sorting, filtering (for developer and myself).
  
• Bug reporting.
  
• Independently proofread English translation texts, dialogues. Provided suggestions where feasible. (Final decisions made by development.)
  
• Independently researched crustacean taxonomies + verified up-to-date binomial names.
  
• Devised English text biographies for crabs. (Placeholders; may be subject to change at developer discretion.)

[03] Active volunteer with bug reporting for FC2.

[04] Experienced with Fight Crab 1 gameplay, mechanics, update history.

• Played distributions: Steam (635.7 hours) / Nintendo Switch (~500 hours)
  
• Prepared bug report repository for developer (April to June 2023).

[05] Big STEM guy, here. Fascinated with and love animals + biology. Outside of volunteering, no professional experience with commercial media development.

• M.S. (Thesis) Environ. Sci., Tropical Conserv. Biol.
  
• B.S. Entomology