Another Crab's Treasure - #13 - Grovekeeper Topoda

[@Sephigruen]

I love the different color palettes of the biomes. And the dialogue. This game has so much personality, it's a treat.

[@DarkLThemsby]

"You must comprehend... The Spiral" Idk man I've read Uzumaki, that doesn't seem like a good idea

[@Guydude777]

Man, mantis shrimp are the coolest. These little guys have so much going on that a KZbin comment wouldn't really do it justice. Go look 'em up!

[@Mr.Sparks.173]

For starters, their punches are fast enough to cause cavitation (aka super low pressure / vacuum following the claw that boils the water, not by temperature, but by pressure)

[@the6ofdiamonds]

They're right next to pistol shrimp, imo. Nature sure is a lot.

[@CeeJMantis]

Also, the least accurately named animal I can think of. Specifically, this is a Peacock Mantis Shrimp, which is neither peacock, nor nantis, nor shrimp. They are stomatopods

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

TBH, I followed the main story and now I wish I did this first. Also, I love how Inkerton is a parody of Pinkerton, the “detective agency” that put down labor unions.

[@ShinxBOOM247]

Yeah, the fact this is completely skippable is really stupid... but its also really funny realizing you didn't find this and unlocking the ability to break the blocks and upgrade your adaptations after beating the whole dang game

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@@ShinxBOOM247I like that idea of this master off the beaten path, but the way it was introduced made it sound like a post game challenge and not a viable path forward.

[@maromania7]

puts. As in, they aren't a thing of the past. They're still around, and not just for labor unions. One of the many recent WotC controversies was them sending them to threaten someone for *checks notes* WotC accidentally sending them them an unreleased box of cards instead of what they ordered

[@melephs_cap]

​​@@mitwhitgaming7722 I think most players will have the stats to make this fight look doable to them when they first find it. At _least_ doable before postgame. I don't blame you for putting it off that long but I don't think the game gives most people the same impression.

[@dreadman7543]

I think Inkerton is also supposed to be an homage to Bloodborne. He has a trick weapon.

[@KumaKaori]

10:20, "Oh.". XD. 38:02, the animation for the spring is *chef kiss*

[@InzeDev]

5:30 "I just worked so hard to get here, is the thing," is such a mood in general, and particularly for soulslikes.

[@EricOrang]

I like how, despite the sillyness of it's premise, the designs of the sea life are largely accurate. Apart from the junk they have on them of course.

[@JoyceW-Art]

I'm sooooo happy that you don't kill Topoda. He's really cool and is only trying to protect his grove.

[@PlebNC]

Wait, is killing him anyway an option?

[@JoyceW-Art]

@@PlebNC I don't know, this playthrough is my first experience of this game. But from experience with past souls-like games a lot of the bosses you fight you end up killing them, even if they are good people...or fish in this case.

[@safaiaryu12]

3:19 Crabception I'm actually delighted by "Mantis Punch." Mantis shrimp can punch so fast that they break the sound barrier and cause the water to boil. It basically instantly destroys their prey's insides. 31:17 Hey - what was that × on the ground??

[@timothymclean]

2:50: Dan, take this advice to heart: *When all your problems are nails, everything starts to look like a hammer.* 30:00: Have you considered a high-five? 10:12: More boss fights should end like this. 12:15: Nuh-uh, I've read enough Junji Ito to see where _this_ is going... 19:20: Closest thing I have to a criticism is that this seems like the perfect place for a giant spider crab. 32:50: I'd expect someone named Ira to be angrier. 36:44: Does Inkerton even realize he's fought the same crab three times?

[@glacialbae]

BTW, you can swap your current shell and hammer by pressing down on the dpad. It's also a faster way of picking up a hammer in the first place.

[@Minihood31770]

That intro was delightful. Thank you, Dan. It made me giggle.

[@SpiritOnAdventure]

I can only imagine the shifting and adjusting before recording for the perfect crab angle.

[@SpiritOnAdventure]

I love how topoda punches so hard, it makes a shattering sound that makes you doubt if you dodged it or not.

[@jeffsevilla8349]

Fun fact, Grovekeeper Topoda is voiced by Xalavier Nelson of Strange Scaffold.

[@firenter]

The capitalists enforcer is called Inkerton, good one game, good one!

[@Imperial_Squid]

"I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards" but unironically lol

[@charcharmunr]

@@Imperial_Squid I mean the game almost openly says "capitalism is the source of most ills in the world, fuck that".

[@Imperial_Squid]

@@charcharmunr I remember, it's not a criticism

[@alis_the_kiwi]

29:00 This implies that Harold has to pass the crab monster at insane speeds every day just to get to work lol

[@ShinxBOOM247]

16:49 dan... dan, these work like the Bloodstar Limbs, you need more than 1 to get an additional Umami charge (the game said as much on the menu that popped up when you got the item)

[@malcolmw121]

To be clear, the first grants a new charge and then every two after that.

[@Minihood31770]

I also got confused by this every time.

[@Imperial_Squid]

Clearly he failed to _acknowledge_ the knowledge... Smh my head 😔😔😔

[@the6ofdiamonds]

7:01 I'm loving the "mantis shrimp boxer" mashup. 16:38 As you'll probably notice in editing: you need one more whorl. It's not 1 Whorl = 1 charge, it changes/scales. That recording/LPing debuff. 20:44 You made more progress on the scary crab than on the shrimp. You got this. 25:02 While dogfish are a thing, those are a bit small to be dogfish. 27:13 "Make a break for it"? You mean "fight the big crab". 27:52 Well, I suppose this isn't the Dan of Courage. Oh well. 34:50 Definitely think you could take out that chump in the wastes. 35:52 I think his weapon is a claw cracker, which is very appropriate. 37:24 Get back here, coward! You started this fight! 41:01 There's something especially dark about any kind of sea life wearing fishnets. 41:08 Yes.

[@gigabyte2248]

Hey Dan, did you know that pressing down on the d-pad makes the repetitive comments say something different?

[@anja8595]

This series has become the highlight of my day.

[@injeborg]

32:37 No, Roland is 0 mollusks! He's a crustacean! Inkerton, though, now that's a mollusk.

[@jamesclarkson156]

The place I fought Desert Crab was to the left of gate coming from New Carcinia. No adds and one extra shell.

[@Raganui]

A crab wearing a crab wielding another crab.

[@Mother_boards]

The boss's name is "Grovekeeper" btw, the title says "Gravekeeper"

[@KumaKaori]

+

[@firenter]

I mean with how many times Dan and I assume other players die here, he might as well be a gravekeeper xD

[@rissaarei5336]

Given how many dead crab shells there are around him, I'd say gravekeeper is pretty accurate.

[@PlebNC]

It's quite likely that's the pun in his name.

[@peterdamstedt1114]

Having a crab shell with crab hammer just makes me think pf wears ng the cartoony head in Tears of the Kingdom, ridiculous and hilarious

[@thattagen]

That anime teleport punch is among the coolest things in this game~

[@ZorlockDarksoul]

4:20 "Name-calling is mean." ...says the man who regularly calls his enemies "nerds". Something something pots and kettles.

[@Mr.Sparks.173]

Not to mention wearing a dead crab as a shell and using another one as a hammer. I mean if I wore another human like a coat I'm pretty sure calling me a "monster" would be pretty much called for.

[@ArtfulTarrasque]

Okay, just gonna gloss over the whole “wearing a dead crab as a coat” situation😕 0:06

[@rmsgrey]

Crabs shed their shells periodically, so the empty shells around don't guarantee that their former occupants are dead...

[@zutaca2825]

@@rmsgreyIt’s still creepy. Imagine someone walked up to you wearing a coat made of human hair.

[@SlackwareNVM]

Since I was skipping dialogue and didn't read the description, I almost missed that the Mantis Punch can destroy the purple cubes. I somehow connected 2 and 2 together, the icon being purple, a purple box sitting conspicuously nearby, and after almost turning away and leaving I tried the ability on the box. Sure glad I did that.

[@jsloanhpi]

Great voice actor for Topoda and esp. that line when he kills you. And yikes, wearing a dead crab and wielding one as a weapon at the same time is about as morbid as it gets, maybe calling you names for that isn’t all that undeserved?

[@Finvaara]

Reminder to re-read your abilities from time to time to remember all the details. You can swap your hammer and currently equipped shell at will, for instance, using the d-pad.

[@JarroHood]

I find it very funny when Dan could've gotten a decoy hammer, but the intro was too important to think about hammers

[@sirB0nes]

"Inkerton" is a _very_ good name for that character.

[@Tornakin-98]

Man, the themes of this game is so not subtle but I know some people will not get it

[@timothymclean]

People have identified Bioshock as an apolitical game, so it's unlikely that this action game with overt themes of damp capitalism will avoid the same fate.

[@safaiaryu12]

​@@timothymclean Bioshock... apolitical... I think my brain is melting out my ears.

[@timothymclean]

@safaiaryu12 I kinda suspect those takes come from people working backwards. I like BioShock, I don't like politics in my games, ergo BioShock isn't political.

[@Tornakin-98]

@@timothymclean that and some people just refuse to look at things beyond surface level, so if you don’t sit them down and tell them, ‘Capitalism Bad’ they just won’t see it.

[@Tornakin-98]

@@safaiaryu12 these are the same people who think Starship Troupers and Fortunate Son are apolitical

[@emos_yug]

The massive lore dump with "the spiral" is crazy.

[@WeaverofDarkness13]

Hey Dan, for the love of Cod, please trade in for the micro-plastics!!! All that beautiful trash you're Carrie-ing around could be getting you all kinds of levels!!

[@Minihood31770]

So I think I accidentally sequence broke because I never fought Inkerton here.

[@Mochi__animationsvg]

I actually look forward to this

[@minigolfkid]

The spiral stuff reminds me of a certain anime.

[@minigolfkid]

oohhhhh I want to make that cute little crab warning sign!

[@SlackwareNVM]

16:12 Interesting, my umami charges didn't increase either.

[@Ytilee]

I'm sorry Topoda, but your name is in the title, we all know what it means, you're dying today!

[@erikainharmony4465]

Comment for the algorithm. 🎉

[@Burred11]

A well timed refresh of my sub box

[@linuxstreamer8910]

is it me or does the vale looks like it has gunk dripping down on to it. of course roland's right claw is a pun on pinkerton

[@netbattler119]

CAN YOU FIGHT FOR 24 HOURS, SALARYMAN?

[@saint23thomas]

crab husk shell hammer = i hit a mf with another mf

[@Sphagnopsida]

💙