- Swedish startup Odd Dreams Digital’s animal evolution roguelite debut
- Over 125 diverse evolution options, 4 biomes, overwhelmingly positive reviews of 97–98% on Steam Demo
A game has been released in which ‘Darwin,’ a formless blue slime blob, eats, fights, dodges, evolves, and survives. ‘Everything is Crab,’ an animal evolution roguelite developed by the fledgling indie studio Odd Dreams Digital in Malmö, Sweden, in collaboration with publisher Secret Mode, was officially released on Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 8.
The price is $9.99/£6.99/€9.99, and a 10% Steam launch discount is currently applied. The game is the studio’s debut title and is characterized by its exploration of the real-world biological concept of ‘Gero’s Carcinisation.’ It has garnered attention even before its release, recording an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ rating of 98% on Steam during the demo phase.
A cute and colorful pixel ecosystem… A living world that transcends day and night
The visuals of Everything Is Crab are a vibrant ecosystem rendered in a 2D top-down pixel art style. Four distinct regions—ranging from rain-soaked green forests and dusty deserts to snow-covered tundra—each harbor different rules, creatures, and flora within the day-night cycle.
All life forms in the game, just like the player, live with their own purposes and survival strategies, and the entire world functions like a single living food chain.
The player character starts as nothing more than a lump of slime, but as they level up, you can see them visually evolve as physical traits such as saliva, shark teeth, an elephant trunk, spines, and wings are added to their appearance. Thanks to a GIF feature that automatically saves whenever a bizarre and humorous combination is formed, it is also quite fun to share your own unique creatures with the community.
The sound consists of natural environmental sounds that faithfully reflect the atmosphere of each region and tense background music; in particular, the atmosphere shifts abruptly during boss battles, heightening the tension.
Spore + Vampire Survivor DNA… Evolution is strategy
‘Everything Is Crab’ is a game that combines a system centered on the evolution of life forms with roguelike action. Unlike typical survivor games focused on auto-attacks, players must aim and attack directly, and the core strategy revolves around ‘how to evolve’ rather than simple combat.
By combining over 125 evolution options and more than 20 specializations, you can acquire new body structures such as arms, legs, wings, eyes, and fur, and experiment with over 200 unique starting builds. You can grow into a powerful predator or adopt a vegetarian survival strategy.
There are various options available, such as engaging the boss in a head-on battle, luring enemies, or charming allies to fight in your place.
“The most exciting roguelike of 2026″… Demo launches with 98% positive rating
Reactions from overseas media have been positive even before the release. In a pre-release preview, PC Gamer described “Everything Is Crab as one of the most interesting roguelikes of 2026,” while Rogueliker recommended it as “a must-check title.”
The free Steam demo received an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, with 98% of the 1,782 reviews being positive. The community cited the ability for players to choose how to survive as they wish as the game’s core appeal, along with comments such as “it was enough to cause withdrawal symptoms after the demo ended.”
First work from a Malmö-based startup studio… “Adds to the strangeness”
Odd Dreams Digital is a small indie studio founded by developers from various countries, with “Find the Odd” as its core philosophy. Their goal is to add unique variations to familiar genres. This title marks the studio’s first official release, and its quality has been enhanced through collaboration with publisher Secret Mode.
According to the roadmap released alongside the launch, free content updates, quality improvements, and the incorporation of community feedback are scheduled to continue through this fall, and additional paid content is also planned.
Everything Is Crab is an experimental title that goes beyond a simple survival game, elevating evolution itself to the core of the gameplay. It remains to be seen whether it can offer a unique change to the roguelite genre through its peculiar yet free-form growth system.
Information regarding ‘Everything is Crab’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Odd Dreams Digital (Malmö, Sweden) |
| Publisher | Secret Mode |
| Genre | Animal Evolution Roguelite / Action Roguelike / Simulation |
| Release platform | PC (Steam / Epic Games Store) |
| Release date | May 8, 2026 |
| price | $9.99 (10% launch discount applied) |
| Art style | 2D Pixel Art / Top-down |
| Steam Demo Review | Overwhelmingly positive (98%, 1,782) |
| Main Content | 125+ Evolutions / 20+ Specializations / 4 Biomes / Bosses / 12 Challenges |
| Supporter Pack | Ghost Crab Cosmetics 4-Piece Set ($4.99) |
| Main Keywords | Evolution, Roguelite, Ecosystem, Gero’s Convergent Evolution, Pixel, Survival |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
