Maneater

Developer : Tripwire Interactive

Publisher : Tripwire Interactive

Platform : PC

Release Year :  2020

i’m a shark!!!

You know, I enjoy realism in my games as much as the next person, but if I’m being honest with myself, there is something magical about games that embrace the simple fact that they are video games, ya know? Sure, it’s impressive when you play something like Red Dead Redemption 2 or one of the many Microsoft Flight Simulator titles, with their levels of realism pushing the dial past 11, but you know what? Sometimes it’s nice to play a game that revels in the fact that it’s a video game, and that realism is not the end all and be all in the gaming world. Hell, I am getting tired of every other game these days, especially from the “AAA” side of the industry, always pushing for ‘realism’ and ignoring how unique and out-there games can be. So, when I started Maneater I knew I was in for something special, because here is a title that is going out of its way to give you a zany and a very video gamey good time.

i’m a SHAAARK!!

I really had no idea of what to expect when I booted up Maneater for the first time. Sure, I knew that you play as a shark (which is bad-fucking-ass on its own, if we’re being honest here) but that was about it. I will tell you what I was not expecting: a hilarious action-adventure story of revenge told to us via a cheesy Discovery Channel reality show, ala Deadliest Catch. Like, what? This is awesome, and I was surprised that I found the storytelling genuinely funny. Maneater surprised me over and over, and I can say with confidence, here is a game that is something special. It really is unlike anything I have ever played. Hell, the closest thing I can think of is Ecco, and that is because they both feature animals who call the water home…which is about it when it comes to similarities between the two titles.

In Maneater you are a young bull shark who is out for revenge on Scaly Pete, the fisherman who killed your mother, ripped you from her womb, and then left you for dead. You start this quest for vengeance with only a few basic abilities, like a good ol’ bite and a tail smack, but before you know it, you are not only growing in size, but also in how you wreak havoc on the waterways and the citizens of Port Clovis. At first, I thought I was only going to get faster, stronger (which would just be more hit points), and probably bigger as we reach for revenge. What I actually was all of the standards plus a whole lot more! Let me put it this way: by the end of the game, I was more eldritch abomination than bull shark, in basically every sense of the word.

Here is a game that embraces the fact that it is a video game. Full stop. Maneater goes all out to make you feel like a force of nature. You are a magnificent apex predator who leaps from the water onto the deck of a boat crewed by Floridians, your body coursing with electricity, and in moments you are chowing down on the hunters who are after you. It is a real treat.

I was also really surprised by how smooth it plays. Anyone who has even a passing interest in gaming knows that swimming/underwater levels can be really hit or miss, with them missing the mark more often than not. It makes sense that in a game where you play as a shark the swimming mechanics feel good, but you just never know. Moving through the world feels so good, and while there is fast travel, I wanted to swim! It’s kind of awesome.

I also want to say how surprisingly good Maneater’s writing, with the narrator (who is voiced by Chris Parnell) being a real highlight for me. He is hilarious, and when mixed with the game’s snarky black humour, I was laughing out loud more than a few times; I love how mean spirited the narrator is towards the people who call Port Clovis (read: Florida) home. The game’s humour really reminded me of the satire GTA made into an artform, and I hope that the upcoming Maneater 2 is just as funny.

Fingers crossed.

suck my diiiiick!!

Your tale of revenge happens across Port Clovis, a semi-open world that is basically the most Florida city to ever Florida. You swim from area to area completing quests, discovering landmarks, eating countless licence plates, animals, and people, all the while causing as much chaos as you want.

Which is always all of it. All of the chaos.

It’s awesome. No joke, it’s so much fun. It’s like GTA in feel (not in gameplay, which should be obvious), but in the water, which is a good thing if you ask me. Hell, you even have a ‘wanted’ level, known as a terror rating. Maybe? I don’t remember what it’s called, but you terror rating goes up as you eat people, and just like in GTA, once you max out the terror bar, you are accosted by a colourful cast of named hunters along with their mooks. Eating those fools unlocks new skills and body parts, which makes it more than worth your while to spread terror across the waterways during your journey for revenge!

Your shark levels up as you gorge yourself on everything that is foolish enough to get in your way. What you eat gives you the different resources needed to level up you body parts, which leads to a really satisfying gameplay loop: eat everything in sight; use those nutrients to level up your skills; and use those new skills to eat bigger and more nutritious things. Your body size also increases as you work your way through the story, and as you get bigger more skill slots are unlocked to let you maximize your destructive powers. Pretty average stuff these days with RPG mechanics being in everything (shit, they’re even in sports games I hear, but don’t quote me on that), but as a massive RPG fan, I am more than down for it. It was giving me mad E.V.O. vibes, which is a very, very good thing.

I’M A SHAAARK!!

I was not expecting to have as much fun as I did with Maneater, and I am going to wholeheartedly recommend this game to everyone. I even bought the Truth Quest DLC, and I am already in love the whole ‘paranormal/conspiracy show’ angle it is taking; it looks like it is more of the same, but when you have a solid formula, why fuck with it? I’ll be sure to let you all know how I feel about it once I get to it, but since I have a few massive games on the go right now, and I am also gearing up to do a little bit of solo TTRPG gaming/writing, it might be a little bit.

All in all, Maneater is a fantastic experience, and one that I think is well worth a visit. If you like your games wild, wacky, and ‘video gamey’, then this one is for you!