Summary

Don't let the Little Mermaid motif trick you into thinking that this game is a Disney product. Crab'n Roll (LITE) offers quality fun and entertainment with enough animated charm to put a nostalgic smile on your face. Find out what makes Crab’n Roll so special for all ages in today’s test report.

Remembering Your Seaside Vacations
The first time I tried out Crab’n Roll, I felt like I’d been thrown back to my childhood days when I used to dig in the sand looking for crabs on the Mediterranean beaches. During my family’s vacation I was constantly fascinated with crabs both cooked and alive! Those buggers may seem small, but boy can they run sideways the length of the shore!
Before I go any further boring you to death with tales of childhood nostalgia, I just wanted to say that the game does a good job recreating the seaside atmosphere on your phone’s screen.

Crab’n’Roll – Fighting Against The Tide
Being as fast as you can is what Crab'n Roll (LITE) is all about. With this game you’re in a constant battle against the sea’s tide which can sweep you away in a flash. The incoming waves bring all sorts of different treats with them and it’s up to you to collect all the edible seafood as soon as possible. Everything that’s been cast off onto the beach from the ocean loses value with time.
 

It’s extremely important to collect as much value as you can because you aren’t the only one keeping score: the sea can earn points of its own. It’s game over if you earn less points than the sea at the end of the game. That’s why it’s very important to position your crabs strategically so that they can collect all the sea goodies efficiently. Unlike most other creatures crabs run faster sideways, so be sure to use this to your advantage!

The higher the level, the more rocks are placed in the way of your crabs. Rocks and stones are barriers that crabs cannot get around in the game. Getting stuck in this situation will cost you a lot of time. So you have to make sure to find the most effective route to your seafood delicacies.
The waves themselves can be a barrier as well. If your crab sets off across the beach just as a wave comes crashing across your screen, the poor little guy will get swept away.

And that’s not the end of the story…
A seagull comes flying by every once in a while. If you notice a seagull approaching make sure to hide behind a rock or you’ll get gobbled up by the pesky bird. What a dangerous world for those crabbies!
Last but not least: the sea is full of trash and dirt as well as seafood. Should your crab happen to eat this rubbish instead of real food, you’ll lose a whole bunch of points!
 

Bottom Line:

Crab’n Roll has a really cool game concept: it takes a lot of skill and patience to get your crabs to run and collect stuff in a safe and efficient manner. It’s definitely a ton of fun to play against the big blue sea. And maybe I’m not the only that is reminded of the long forgotten idyllic days at the beach. There’s simply no denying that there is something inherently therapeutic about the rhythmic motion of waves.
 

Crab’n’Roll includes a fairly good tutorial that shows you step by step what the game is all about. The controls of  Crab'n Roll (LITE) are very intuitive. With your left thumb you can control the direction of the crab’s run. Just tap any location on the screen to make the crab move to that point.
 

There are nevertheless a couple of problems, especially with the seagull. As a player you are alerted about an incoming seagull by a short scream and vibration. In the tutorial, you are told to hide behind a rock to escape from imminent death. Somehow I didn’t notice the fact that you are supposed to double-click on the crab until it turns green. Because of my inattentiveness, I kept on getting eaten every single time until I took another careful look at the tutorial. I don’t understand how this double click business works (why isn’t a quick click enough?). It’s also not very easy to notice your phone vibrating slightly. I would prefer to see a countdown before the arrival of the dreaded seagull or some sort of other solution…
 

The graphics may be really cute, but there’s still room for improvement. The game icon, for example, looks more like a puzzle game for preschoolers than what Crab’n Roll really is: a challenging game for both adults and kids alike. The menu graphics could also use a little work.
 

Despite all the problems, Crab’n’ Roll is still a great game! If the developers had put in just a tad more effort into their project, I could’ve given this game a higher record – mark my word!
 

Crab'n Roll (LITE) performed without any issues during my test. I did, however, experiences a couple of serious lags while looking through the tutorial. With over 10MB in size the game is a huge burden.

Also, the game only runs on phones running Android OS 2.2!

Crab'n Roll (LITE) is available in a LITE and paid version. The free version has ads and the paid version is obvsiously ad-free.