Several things to take note of:
The game language is initially set to Japanese. This can be set to English in the options menu.
The devs went out of their way to set initial language to English in an update! How nice.

This game is certainly an anamoly. It's a 3D bullet hell versus game with, uh, crustaceans as the combatants. I'm jumping on reviewing this because I was really pleasantly surprised.

The devs have it down to a point in the description; these are creatures we eat so casually, yet underwater, they are some of the most inclined to fight with one another over mates within their own species, even for food amongst other crustacean species. I mean, look up a crab and lobster fighting. It's some interesting stuff.

And I believe that is perfectly captured in this game. Just with the addition of lasers and bullets being shot out of their eyes and energy claw attacks and what not. I can see that there was love put into this thing; the Snow Crab, for instance, can only move "forward" by turning sideways first.

I really wouldn't dismiss this as one of those one-off funny games just because of that, though, there is some depth and rhyme and reason to it, which I will do my best to describe.

A big part of the game is the fact that a majority of the crustacean fighters can sustain limb damage. Using the example of the Snow Crab once more, for instance, you can lose all of your legs and thus, experience a reduction in speed. The only way to circumvent this is to spend accumulated meter points to shed your skin and gain all your limbs back. During this maneuver, you're very vulnerable upon coming back anew. You can also self-mutilate yourself while you attack, either ranged or melee, to make your hitbox smaller or for some mad hit and run tactics.

Another feature of the game is the weakpoints of each of the fighters. Take the Hermit Crab, for instance. It cannot be damaged at all if hit in the shell they hide in. It can be broken, but you better take care of the thing before it finds another shell (think Cody's knife from Street Fighter). Thus, knowing your crustacean match-ups will lead you to AQUATIC VICTORY.

Each arthopod also possesses a differing movesets, each having unique ranged and melee attacks along with charged attacks that take meter to use. Meter is accumulated by hitting and by getting hit. Careful management of meter is central in this game, I find, as you'll be a sitting duck if you lose your limbs and don't have the meter to regenerate.

After fights you also get aquarium parts, which are not only for asthetic, but can also help you in upcoming fights. Starfish, for instance, spin around like a damn rapid spin Staryu to do some chip damage. Very nice touch, although I never really touched this feature.

The music is also gloriously manic, quite fitting for this game, honestly. You can go from some smooth jazz and traditional Japanese instrumentation as you shoot lobster lazers at barnacles to some Japanese vocal rock when you fight some of the later opponents in the "story mode". It's great.

The game is a bit lacking in giving a tutorial, but with Assassin's Creed-esque button prompts that tell you what each button does when you press it, which can be turned off at any point, it should be more than enough. The controls in of themselves can be a bit finicky at first, too, especially with the crabs in particular that can't conventionally move forwards, but it's something that I got used to, especially after taking note of things such as water current affecting your movement.

I can heartily recommend this game as both a novelty and as something functional and fun. Definitely something to laugh with your friends about. There's online multiplayer too, which I haven't delved into myself. If you're not sold and the mechanics don't interest you, however, I'd say to wait for a bigger price drop, but I'm having a lot of fun with this thing myself, and it should keep you busy for a while with several difficulties, achievements and unlockable... characters.

Several things to take note of: [strike]The game language is initially set to Japanese. This can be set to English in the options menu.[/strike] The devs went out of their way to set initial language to English in an update! How nice. This game is certainly an anamoly. It's a 3D bullet hell versus game with, uh, crustaceans as the combatants. I'm jumping on reviewing this because I was really pleasantly surprised. The devs have it down to a point in the description; these are creatures we eat so casually, yet underwater, they are some of the most inclined to fight with one another over mates within their own species, even for food amongst other crustacean species. I mean, look up a crab and lobster fighting. It's some interesting stuff. And I believe that is perfectly captured in this game. Just with the addition of lasers and bullets being shot out of their eyes and energy claw attacks and what not. I can see that there was love put into this thing; the Snow Crab, for instance, can only move "forward" by turning sideways first. I really wouldn't dismiss this as one of those one-off funny games just because of that, though, there is some depth and rhyme and reason to it, which I will do my best to describe. A big part of the game is the fact that a majority of the crustacean fighters can sustain limb damage. Using the example of the Snow Crab once more, for instance, you can lose all of your legs and thus, experience a reduction in speed. The only way to circumvent this is to spend accumulated meter points to shed your skin and gain all your limbs back. During this maneuver, you're very vulnerable upon coming back anew. You can also self-mutilate yourself while you attack, either ranged or melee, to make your hitbox smaller or for some mad hit and run tactics. Another feature of the game is the weakpoints of each of the fighters. Take the Hermit Crab, for instance. It cannot be damaged at all if hit in the shell they hide in. It can be broken, but you better take care of the thing before it finds another shell (think Cody's knife from Street Fighter). Thus, knowing your crustacean match-ups will lead you to AQUATIC VICTORY. Each arthopod also possesses a differing movesets, each having unique ranged and melee attacks along with charged attacks that take meter to use. Meter is accumulated by hitting and by getting hit. Careful management of meter is central in this game, I find, as you'll be a sitting duck if you lose your limbs and don't have the meter to regenerate. After fights you also get aquarium parts, which are not only for asthetic, but can also help you in upcoming fights. Starfish, for instance, spin around like a damn rapid spin Staryu to do some chip damage. Very nice touch, although I never really touched this feature. The music is also gloriously manic, quite fitting for this game, honestly. You can go from some smooth jazz and traditional Japanese instrumentation as you shoot lobster lazers at barnacles to some Japanese vocal rock when you fight some of the later opponents in the "story mode". It's great. The game is a bit lacking in giving a tutorial, but with Assassin's Creed-esque button prompts that tell you what each button does when you press it, which can be turned off at any point, it should be more than enough. The controls in of themselves can be a bit finicky at first, too, especially with the crabs in particular that can't conventionally move forwards, but it's something that I got used to, especially after taking note of things such as water current affecting your movement. I can heartily recommend this game as both a novelty and as something functional and fun. Definitely something to laugh with your friends about. There's online multiplayer too, which I haven't delved into myself. If you're not sold and the mechanics don't interest you, however, I'd say to wait for a bigger price drop, but I'm having a lot of fun with this thing myself, and it should keep you busy for a while with several difficulties, achievements and unlockable... characters.