MANEATER We’re gonna need a bigger shark
On the water-surface level, this might just be a game about causing chaos as a bloodthirsty shark, thrashing rival marine predators and humans on beaches into pulpy red stuff. It absolutely is that, but Maneater also has some surprisingly big shark brain energy too, as it’s also a revenge quest about the cycle of violence.
The game opens with you playing an unusually powerful bull shark terrorising beachgoers in true Jaws fashion. You pop inflatable rafts to get at the panicking humans, and tear up the hunters who go after you. Nearby, the titular Maneater documentary crew are filming legendary shark hunter Scaly Pete, who has a brutal disregard for all sharks (his dream is to exterminate every single one). He hunts you down and captures you, stringing you up and cutting you open to reveal you were pregnant. Stabbing the baby to brand it for recognition later he throws it into the bayou. (Later on the game explores his own tricky relationship with his father, and his son too).
So begins your life of revenge, playing as a small baby shark, feeding on bigger fish and slowly increasing in size and power. Different types of marine life offer various nutrients, which (thanks to water pollution) enable you to make use of numerous mutations, collected by killing bounty hunters (who appear as you increase a GTA-like infamy meter) and apex predators. You quickly learn there are always bigger fish in the sea, and you need to be careful of creatures of a higher level than you. Only those at the same level or lower can be grabbed and thrashed in your jaws for maximum damage. Otherwise, you can dodge, tail-whip, and chip away at their health.
TOOTHSAYER
Yes, in many ways Maneater operates like a lightweight action RPG, with more in common with The Elder Scrolls than Jaws Unleashed (for the better). But it’s still enjoyable to just mash your way through. In each new region you’re met with a new slate of quests that will lead to you becoming more powerful (and progressing through a life cycle), with sidequests and collectibles to help you nab even more nutrients. Despite much of the game taking place under water the environments feel distinctive, from the sewer pipes and green-tinged polluted waters of Dead Horse Lake to the clearer blues and golf course water traps of Golden Shores.
The marine predators give you the most trouble. Humans are mostly just meat sacks – even bounty hunters can be drowned with ease. You can even survive for a brief period outside water, hopping down suburban streets to terrorise residents (an ability which can later be upgraded). Sometimes it’s fiddly, and quest markers could definitely provide more information about your target’s level so you know whether to go for it or consume wildlife to level up a bit first.
VERDICT
“IN MANY WAYS MANEATER OPERATES LIKE A LIGHTWEIGHT ACTION RPG.”
A heck of a catch. There’s plenty below the surface: this shark RPG isn’t afraid to comment on cycles of violence and pollution, while also being a gleefully good time. Oscar Taylor-Kent