Developer: Tripwire Interactive, Blindside interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive, Deep Silver, Koch Media
Reviewed on: PS5
Also available on: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release: 22nd May 2020
Rating: …MA15+
Maneater is an action role-playing game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive. In the game, the player assumes control of a female bull shark who must evolve and survive in an open world so she can take revenge on a fisherman who disfigured her as a pup and killed her mother.
While technically a 2020 release, I didn't actually play Maneater until 2021 courtesy of it being one of the free monthly games on PS5. For me, this is one of the biggest surprises of the year. I mean, a game about sharks where you go around killing other fish and people - how boring right? Wrong! Maneater is a great game. I popped it on once it downloaded, just to see what it was like and well, 2 days later I finally got the platinum trophy… I was unable to put it down.
Maneater is not a shining example of what the PS5 can do, but it is a prime example of why gamers and the industry takes itself too seriously sometimes. I mistakenly didn't want to waste my time with such a silly game, when I could be out there playing the ultra realistic Call of Duty. Well, I am super glad I gave it a go as it was a very welcome change of pace to what I usually play.
Basically, you start as a baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, and your goal is to exact revenge on the person who killed your mommy shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. (Ok, enough baby shark references now that I have it stuck in your head!). You attempt to achieve this revenge by killing everything in your path, growing bigger and stronger, all whilst working your way up the food chain. This game has a very 90’s feel to it, sort of like Tony Hawk, where you went around doing sick jumps in order to collect the last of your S-K-A-T-E letters. In Maneater, you must perform some downright ridiculous stunts and jumps in order to obtain all the collectibles dotted around the various areas, resulting in growth and experience.
As well as these collectibles, there are plenty of other things to do such as fight off other apex predators and formidable foes found in the ocean such as Alligators, Mako, Marlin, Great White Sharks and of course Sperm Whales, because why not?
There's plenty to do and see in Maneater, with the map ranging from the literal deep blue sea, to canals and even swamps that feature extremely shallow and narrow waterways. Surprisingly, there's also quite a bit to do outside of the water too, something I never expected to be saying about a Shark RPG. There's lots of customisation including different body parts you can equip, that give you different abilities. Basically, the whole thing is pretty ridiculous and well, I absolutely love it! Hidden amongst all the scenery as you go, you'll come across a whole raft of pop culture references to find, from jokes about Jaws, to a giant Pineapple under the sea.
Whilst the game looks good in general, the graphics could have been a little better. ‘Murky water' is achieved plainly by having a green haze over pretty much the entire screen and the water remaining flat and lifeless; it could have benefitted from a little bit of extra detail being put into those types of effects.
One thing I would have liked to have seen, is a general interactivity between the other animals in the game. Every predator in the ocean will attack you on sight, but there's never any awareness of the other sea life around them; so you'll never see a hammerhead shark attacking one of the many fish swimming, carefree, straight past it’s mouth.
While I can't imagine there's a huge number of differences between the previous gen and next gen versions, the PS5 version ran at 4K 60fps, had almost zero load times and instantaneous transitions between areas of the map, making it a seamless experience. Some sort of haptic feedback and/or adaptive trigger support would have been awesome but honestly, the game is too much fun to even care.
If you're looking for a fun, interesting game to play, definitely pick this one up. While I can appreciate it won't be for everyone and that some people might find the gameplay a little repetitive, which I guess it is, I never found it so repetitive that I was bored. It is absolutely the most fun I've had for a long time and one of my highlights from a 2020 release.
By the way, Maneater is still available for free on the PlayStation Store if you have PS Plus, so head on over and grab it before the 4th February 2021. If you don't have PS Plus or you own a different platform, still seriously consider giving this one a go. I doubt you'll regret it.
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