Ever since the release of Netflix’s hit Korean show, Squid Game, several videogame adaptations have cropped up online. The interest in a game following the show’s format has been so massive that Netflix themselves have even begun to consider releasing an official Squid Game video game themselves. It seems that indie developer ‘Dani,’ however, has beat them to the punch with his hit game, Crab Game.
Crab Game follows the format of Squid Game in the sense that it creates a death match-esque game with childhood games. What it differs in, however, is in execution. The game features several Western games, including King of the Hill and Tag, while also including the famous Bridge and Red Light, Green Light games from the show it drew inspiration from. With simple graphics and mechanics, this seemingly joke of a game has managed to rise to internet stardom, with streamers and YouTubers alike now playing the game.
The game is new, only having been released this last October 29th. Despite this, the game already boasts Very Positive reviews on Steam, with a whopping total of 20,214 reviews. Each Crab Game lobby allows for up to 40 players, with VOIP chat enabled. Players can join random lobbies and chat with different players from all over, with very little censorship involved. As a result, the game has created a gaming community that almost calls back to the old CS: GO and early Among Us days. The player base is mixed, ranging from wholesome to not so wholesome.
What the game has seemingly brought back to the streaming community is the opportunity for collaboration between streamers that was lost at the end of the Among Us era. Streamers can now create massive private, or public, lobbies to play with friends and, potentially, even fans.
With popularity, however, came a high risk. At the beginning of the game’s internet stardom, it was flooded with players looking to DDoS and leak other players’ IPs. This puts their own internet in danger, and several players fell victim to this. The developer, Dani, was quick to fix the issue, announcing the fix on Twitter.
How long the game’s internet fame will last, however, we have yet to see. Will it be the next Among Us, pioneering a whole new era for streaming, or will it just be a simple game of the month? Only time will tell.