Hypnohead, the team behind The King is Watching, has announced The Crab is Walking, a roguelite kingdom builder and autobattler coming to PC via Steam.
The premise is exactly as unusual as the title suggests. Players build their capital on the back of a giant creature, then guide it across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. There is no room for a sprawling city when the entire settlement has to fit on a moving shell, so every building placement matters.
Players will choose both their Ride and their Rider, with different pairings offering different strengths and playstyles. Some combinations may be built for a more aggressive approach, while others could focus on defense, production, or special abilities.
A City With Very Little Room to Grow
Space is the central challenge in The Crab is Walking. Buildings come in different shapes, and players will need to decide how to arrange them as the settlement grows.
That creates a balancing act between production, military strength, and keeping the creature moving through the wasteland. There may not be enough space to do everything well, which means every run requires players to decide what matters most.
Buildings can also be merged and upgraded, opening the door to powerful combinations. With more than 100 unit types available, the game looks set to reward players who experiment with different city layouts and army builds.
Short Runs With Bigger Decisions
Rather than asking players to manage one permanent city, The Crab is Walking is built around short roguelite sessions. Each run offers different routes, resources, and threats, so no two journeys through the wasteland should play out the same way.
Players can take safer paths to protect their growing settlement or push toward more dangerous routes for better rewards. The further the crab travels, the more difficult those choices are likely to become.
The game combines city building, automatic battles, and roguelite progression into a format that should suit players looking for strategy without the commitment of a massive long-term save file.
The Crab is Walking does not yet have a release date, but playtests are expected to begin in 2027.