Imagine a daring escape where crabs race to avoid becoming dinner. Their mission? Escape the fryhouse and reach the open waters. But the journey to the sea is no easy feat. It’s a frantic race through trash, sandcastles, and other obstacles, all while dodging hungry gulls and clumsy opponents. Only the fastest and smartest crab will make it to the safety of the water first.
👥 2-5 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 40-60 minutes
📝 Designer: Bartosz Szopka & Bartłomiej Zielonka
🎨 Artwork: Radosław Jaszczuk
🏢 Publisher: Smart Flamingo (prototype copy provided)
Check out the Kickstarter campaign by clicking here
How to Play
In Oh Crab!, you take on the role of a crab trying to reach the sea before your rivals. Each turn, you play a card from your hand to your display, performing its action and aligning the symbols on the card borders. Matching symbols reward you with extra movement actions or shells. By activating these cards, you can move your crab straight or diagonally towards the water. If you bump into an opponent, you push them forward, possibly onto obstacles, forcing them to discard a card.
With the shells you collect, you can activate special shell tiles, which give you extra actions. The more shells you use, the stronger the action. When you play the ‘rest’ card, you take back all your cards and draw a new one from the common display. These new cards come with powerful actions like pushing back all crabs in front, jumping sideways, or even backtracking a step, which can be handy if an opponent pushes you in the wrong direction.
The game ends when a crab finally reaches the water, winning the race and securing their escape.
Game Details
Oh Crab! is designed by Bartosz Szopka and Bartłomiej Zielonka and published by Smart Flamingo. They’re launching a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the game today, June 20th. Oh Crab! is a race/hand-management game aimed at families. It’s for 2-5 players, ages 8+, and takes about 40-60 minutes to play, depending on the player count. In our opinion, the game shines best with 3-4 players. There’s more interaction and it’s a lot of fun to thwart each other – something that doesn’t quite come into its own with fewer players.
Components and Artwork
We received a prototype copy from Smart Flamingo before their crowdfunding campaign, so keep in mind that what you see in the pictures and what we discuss here may see small tweaks in the final version. Despite being a prototype, we already liked what we saw. Sure, the rules still need some tweaks for clarity, but that’s normal for a prototype, and they were already pretty solid.
The components give a good impression of what the game will become, with the funny crab meeples being the absolute stars. Just look at them in the pictures – they’re fabulous, aren’t they?! The artwork on the board and cards by Radosław Jaszczuk is very appealing. I can imagine this is a box that, when people and kids see it in the store, will immediately catch their eye. Given the accessibility of the game, that’s a big plus. This game is for everyone to play – very streamlined and easy to grasp.
Gameplay and Interaction
The main goal of the game is to reach the water first, and players will try to interfere with their opponents’ progress. Oh Crab! is a game of pushing opponents into tight corners, onto obstacles, and out of your way. Playing cards to make opponents move backward while you’re the only one moving forwards – that’s the way to win. So, make sure to play the game with a group that can handle the little “take that” factor.
The game board is modular, meaning the road to the sea is different each time. On the different tiles, a variety of obstacles will influence the movement of the crabs. There are secret passages, dunes with specific movement, and tiles with a lot of rubbish to avoid. On top of that, the shell bonus action tiles will be different each game, influencing the possibilities players will have.
Our Experience
Oh Crab! provided us with lots of family fun. Bumping crabs into each other and pushing family members onto umbrellas and pink flamingo floaties proved to be very entertaining. While the game can be played strategically, with players pushing opponents back and forth with special action cards, the main focus is on messing around with each other and having fun. Playing Oh Crab! is a real blast. The crabs are funny, and the gameplay keeps everyone laughing and having a great time! Just remember, the fun isn’t over until the crabs are safely in the water – or hilariously stuck in the sand.
📝 Disclaimer: We played a prototype of the game provided by the publisher, Smart Flamingo. Please note that the final version of the game may differ from what is shown in our pictures and descriptions.
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