The premise of Maneater is simple. You are a bull shark that is tasked with getting revenge on the shark hunter known as “Scaly Pete”. Throughout your journey against him many other enemies will be encountered, these can range from human to other sea life that will be faced. The whole premise of the game revolves around getting revenge though. It is presented in a TV Show format, which is definitely different. It feels as though you are seeing something off of Shark Week, except you are on a reality show called Maneaters vs. Sharkhunters.
The gameplay for Maneater is pretty straightforward. You can attack, tail whip, and swim. Seems simple right? Well the “Evolutions” of your shark change all of that. These can be equipped to your jaw, head, body, fins, tail, and three different organs. It is up to the player how they want their shark to not only look, but play as well. The “Evolutions” can be leveled up as well by spending the in-game currency of Protein, Fat, Minerals, and Mutagens. The higher tiers of some of these “Evolutions” cost quite a bit, and usually more than just one type of currency. Below is the full list of “Evolutions” to use within Maneater:
Jaw:
- Bio-Electric Teeth
- Bone Teeth
- Shadow Teeth
- Bio-Electric Head
- Bone Head
- Shadow Head
- Bio-Electric Body
- Bone Body
- Shadow Body
- Bio-Electric Fins
- Bone Fins
- Shadow Fins
- Bio-Electric Tail
- Bone Tail
- Shadow Tail
- Adrenal Gland
- Advanced Sonar
- Amphibious
- Brutal Muscles
- Fat Digestion
- Hearty
- Mineral Digestion
- Mutagen Digestion
- Protein Digestion
- Reinforced Cartilage
- Subliminal Evasion
- Caviar Key
- Crawfish Bay
- Dead Horse Lake
- Fawtick Bayou
- Golden Shores
- Prosperity Sands
- Sapphire Bay
- The Gulf
The same can be said for some of the sea life that will be encountered in the game. If you are only a level 5 shark, you do not want to rush into trying to battle a level 15 alligator. You will quickly be done for. That is why it is a good thing that escape is always an option. Live on to fight another day. Especially once you progress far enough in an area, when you unlock the “Apex Predator” for that area. These are enemies that are a lot more difficult than regular enemies encountered.
With all of this detail the one issue that arose was with some of the “Apex Predators” or many high level enemies on the screen at once. The game slowed down quite a bit, and over the course of my journey to 100% completion, I had the game crash 3 times. I never lost progress or anything like that, and it definitely didn’t take away from the fun that I had with the game. but it is still an issue.
Overall, Tripwire Interactive has delivered one of the more entertaining open world games in years for players to progress through. So much to explore, attack, and even laugh at via the pop culture references. Maneater is a game that delivers a varied environment to level up and torment as a shark. Besides the minor hiccups, it is well worth checking out for any gamer out there.
THE GOAT HOUSE SCORE: 8/10