- Release Date: 22nd May 2020
- Developer: Tripwire Interactive
- Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
- Platform Played: Xbox Series S
- Platforms Available: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series
An open world Shark game. Gameplay is simple but quite good fun, and the documentary style narration helps to keep things entertaining. I had a lot of fun with Maneater.
Sadly, despite the unique differences due to being an underwater game (well, except for when you jump along beaches, across golf courses or over bridges munching on many, many humans), the structure of the game is a fairly generic “open world”: head to location, kill lots of things, repeat. I feel like it could have done with some exciting chase scenes – open world games still need some set piece missions. Maneater is entirely in the open world, you can swim away from any mission and continue it later.
One thing that the game does great (particularly at the start) is a sense of growth. You start off as a newborn bull shark and are quite small. The starting area has massive crocodiles which you have no hope against, so will have to flee. By the time you’re finished with the starting area, crocodiles are still a challenge, but one that can be overcome. When you visit the area later on, you can just see the crocodiles whole.
The mutations aspect, however, is not that well done. You have a very limited selection unless you do a colossal amount of grinding or spend ages looking for collectibles. There’s only a few different sets. There could have been a lot more variety and creativity here. The final “evolution” to mega shark also feels fairly underwhelming.
But overall, it was a fun experience and the crazy world they built for the game is rather entertaining, as it goes out of its way to explain that you’re eating elite rich people, that pollution is the cause for mutations and stuff like that, so you can feel good about eating all the nasty humans.
Fun
