crabmaxxing

by skytech6

co-authored: @robert-rosenbrook, @val-ociraptor

Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.45

Fun★★★★★★★★★★3.45

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★3.45

Theme★★★★★★★★★★2.03

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.18

Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.48

Humor★★★★★★★★★★3.74

Mood★★★★★★★★★★3.72

crabmaxxing is a little roguelike adventure game about a hermit crab's life. Each time you molt you'll need to find a new shell to call home, but some shells are better than others with unique modifiers on the game. Watch out for the many hazards of hermit life!

Created for RVA Cabin Jam 2026 (Theme: Trails, Modifiers: Ludum Dare Theme, Crab Jam)

Controls:

Movement - WASD

Enter Shells - Back up into them!

Leave Shell - C

Eat - E

Hide in Shell - Space

Music Volume Up/Down - +/-

Comments20

penagwin21 Apr 2026, 05:54

The way you move around mostly side-to-side is really fun!

ArtemGet21 Apr 2026, 12:31

Sweet 3D graphics and nice controls! I Love crabs

uvwar21 Apr 2026, 17:33

I had a lot of fun with the goofy crab controls, and I also really liked the 'recap' section at the end and the tiny footprints I left behind. Beautiful art, as always!

Wraithind21 Apr 2026, 18:06

A neat and interesting concept, though I wasn't getting many Signal vibes from it. Controls were appropriate to the character but rather frustrating to try to get into a shell, and I seemed to keep getting stuck at a point where I was too big for the small shells but everything else I tried was to heavy and I couldn't move.

SkyTech6author21 Apr 2026, 18:33

@wraithind Ah, yea there's some real generation rng going on haha. Sometimes you molt and your only options are nothing or a shell that's too big to move. While naked though you do move quite fast and I just dash as fast as I can in one direction between hazards to find a proper shell haha.

re signals: the hazards all have environmental signals that warn of their approach

Echo Team21 Apr 2026, 18:43

damn seagull was waiting for me to eat that final seaweed so I would pop out of my shell

clymm21 Apr 2026, 18:47

Fun game and cool graphics! The Seagull made me laugh. ❤

Blues21 Apr 2026, 18:54

god im jammin' so hard on these tunes. huge fan of the color palette. really like the controls as well, great way to reflect crabs innate ability to move side to side faster

benjaminm21 Apr 2026, 20:30

i like the crab, big fan. the crabwalking is very on point

ZedGame21 Apr 2026, 22:05

Impressive graphics and sounds! I also wasn't expecting what's essentially tank controls in 2026, lol - not that it's a bad thing :P

Alpaca21 Apr 2026, 22:41

The models are awesome. I love the bossa nova beat and especially the crab mechanics!

Ternarycat22 Apr 2026, 01:35

reallty like this graphics

BoroBoro22 Apr 2026, 14:49

Really loved the music! Felt like the crab should maybe be table to make tighter turns but otherwise it was really fun playing it.

Neochar22 Apr 2026, 15:05

The game is incredibly polished; the graphics and character animations are meticulously crafted, even bordering on exaggerated. However, I don't see a strong connection between the game's theme and Signal.

Oleksandr Marynenko22 Apr 2026, 15:31

The chill music fits the game really well. The crab controls are nicely implemented, and the visuals are pleasant. I really like the mechanics that constantly get in the way of living a peaceful crab life :)

Hiretsu24 Apr 2026, 14:56

Reaaaaally cute art! But I'm glad I wasn't wearing headphone, cause that seagull scream would have killed me hahaha

Gurtek25 Apr 2026, 12:39

Nice game with innovative control. The sound of the balloon and the seagull are high in comparaison of the music ^^

darkshadow26 Apr 2026, 15:26

I glitched into the sea, not sure if the waves is meant to kill your or just knock you about? Movement felt a bit weird and floaty, nice game but doesn't really hit the theme.

Scottyartt27 Apr 2026, 07:50

I've beet taken by a bidt and then just nothing happened, my screen was moving around I feel like camera was chasing a bird lol, but overall it has some fun

SkyTech6author27 Apr 2026, 14:23

@darkshadow Yep the waves killed ya!

re signals: It's the environmental signals that give you the cue to hide in a shell before a hazard gets you.

@scottyartt the camera is following your trail through the sand, mapping your hermit's life before it died. It's the gameover view and prompts to restart once it reaches the end.

rip scotty's hermit.