Release Date: 22/05/2020
Played On: Win
Available On: NS / PS4 / PS5 / Win / XBO / XBX
Time Played: 10h 17m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Tripwire Interactive / Blindside Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive / Deep Silver
Sometimes I wonder if I've been living under a rock, but then I remember that I don't consume as much news media as I used to, especially when it comes to games. Therefore I tend to miss a big game every now and then, so I have no idea about hype levels or expectations. Sometimes I'm fortunate enough to just boot up a game because the trailer looked interesting and that's about that.
Such is the case with Maneater, which I knew nothing about before playing. In fact, even after I had started I tried to look it up a bit through the usual channels, but couldn't find much at all about the game. I'm now stuck wondering if this was a big release, or just something small that went under the radar. I mean, don't take my word for it, as it could just be a result of my own ignorance.
The upside is that no matter what media we're talking about, going in cold is often the preferential way of doing things. There's nothing quite like that feeling of starting a movie, a book, or a game, with no idea about what to expect. As you enjoy yourself, you start to slowly realise that this might be a whole lot of fun, and by the time it's over you wonder why nobody told you about it sooner. Of course there's a point to finding out about games ahead of time; it means you can skip something that's revealed to be garbage and not get caught wasting your time. Then again, if I could go into everything without any preconceptions, I think I'd be a happy camper.
Now, Maneater isn't the best game ever made, but I've not played one like it before and I had a blast from start to finish. Sure part of that was a direct result of diving into the unknown, although I was fortunate enough that the unknown ended up being a whole lot of fun. All I knew was that this is a game about being a shark swimming in the water and hunting things. That's it. Nothing more.
Imagine my surprise when it turns out to be something of an open-world RPG about growing up and evolving as a shark as you taunt and avoid your nemesis in a multitude of different waterscapes. There's even a long list of collectibles to find, random actions to perform, and unlocks to, well, unlock. Turns out that what I had initially thought to be a little game about swimming around as a shark, was actually an epic adventure of strength and revenge.
Let's start with the story this time, because for once I preferred the mechanics in Maneater over its plot. That's not to say that the plot isn't good, as it does enough to serve its purpose and provide some motivation and context for our life in the water. The main thrust is that there's this dude who hates sharks and he's trying to hunt the biggest shark he can find. In the opening cut-scene he catches our mother shark, who manages to take his arm off with a well-timed bite. Upon cutting her open, the hunter (who has a name I can't remember) pulls us out of her womb and tosses us into the water. We are then left to make our way in the world and grow up to be a big badass shark that takes no prisoners.
That's basically the whole story; you can no doubt extrapolate from there and figure out the rest. In more of a gameplay sense, we spend the whole game exploring different areas, hunting prey, finding collectibles, levelling up, and avoiding (or attacking) human hunters. Basically, as you grow in each area, you end up with a reputation that spawns a bunch of hunters who come out onto the water to hunt you and take you down. Thankfully though, you are not a friendly shark and have something important to say about that kind of thing.
In fact, Maneater is an unapologetically violent game and you have many tools at your disposal to kill and maim your prey. Not least of which is the ability to chomp on command and munch your way through whatever flesh finds its way into your jaws. There's even a button for it! To attack something you simply line them up and mash a trigger to start chomping those teeth. If you're successful enough, you get a hold of your meal and can waggle the analogue sticks around to shake whatever is in your grip into submission.
The real fun though, is when you get out of the water. As a lean mean swimming machine, you have the ability to launch yourself out of the water and torpedo yourself towards enemies. This is especially useful for hunting humans, who often spend most of their time out of the water completely, or on boats that race around the surface. By jumping out of the water, you get the opportunity to lunge at a human and drag them back into the depth with you where you can finish them off in a bloody red cloud.
Another options is to launch yourself onto land itself and flip around in the direction of screaming humans as they panic and run away from the now land-shark version of yourself. While in this precarious position, you have to be mindful of how long you spend out of the water, as staying dry for too long means you'll get hurt. Think about it like the opposite of holding your breath under water, as it's a shark holding their breath out of water. Never mind though, as you will have plenty of time to flop around on land and rip a few people apart before retreating to safety below the surface.
Of course, this wouldn't be any kind of RPG if you couldn't level up all of these skills and gain the ability to spend longer out of water, and to launch yourself further in the air. In fact the level progression system might be one of the most satisfying parts of Maneater, as each unlock feels meaningful and the special evolutions actually change how you play the game.
At certain points in your life, you are given the option to unlock an evolutionary mutation by completing a quest and fulfilling a series of objectives. The evolutions will provide you with three sets of mutations that can be equipped and changed up whenever you're resting back in your private grotto that exists in each area. For example, unlocking all the "bone" mutations means that you can cover your skin in a bony exoskeleton that makes you incredibly strong and defensive, while also making you hit harder when you ram enemies. Then there's an electric mutation for stunning and zapping prey, and the "shadow" mutation which is all about speed and stealth.
While all of this is going on, you're growing up as a shark and getting bigger and bigger as you go. In the beginning you're just a small child shark with limited prospects, but by the end of the game you're a mutated legend without equal. Each area of the map is suited to each stage of life and is suitably populated with other fish and enemies of a similar level to keep things fair. Thus, by the time you leave the first zone and grow up a little, those little alligators no longer pose a threat and it's the new barracudas that will give you trouble. You're not the only predator out there after all, so it's important to keep your wits about you when exploring a new area.
Although, the fiercest competition will come when human's start hunting you. Think of it like a wanted level in Grand Theft Auto, except this time it's rednecks in boats shooting at sharks with assault rifles and explosives. By killing off hunters you gain reputation, which eventually lures out a named hunter who will no doubt provide you with an upgrade point when you murder them violently. Much like GTA though, when the fervour is whipped up too high, it might be time to retreat. Thankfully it's as simple as diving into the water and finding a little hiding spot until they lose interest. Then it's back on the prowl for fresh meat to eviscerate and consume.
The basic loop of Maneater is that you enter a new location, explore the area to find all points of interest and quests, then eat a whole lot of fish and kill a whole lot of humans. Most quests consist of either hunting down a specific target like an apex predator version of regular predators, or consuming a certain number of X prey. Some of the fights with those apex predators can be quite challenging and push you to use all of your skills and techniques to get the best of them, so it's always a thrill to find something new to hunt. What's more, there's something inherently entertaining to me about hopping up on land and chasing down fleeing humans. The way that your shark flops about out of the water is so comical and strange that it ends up being a lot of fun.
To make things even more interesting, I have to give a special shoutout to the level designers and artists who put everything together. Each area has so much detail that you're never longing for something to look at for long. Plus, there's a real tongue-in-cheek commentary on how human beings treat their waterways by the amount of junk and debris that's filling up the water. Everywhere you go is full of pollutants, whether they be typical junk and refuse, or straight up chemical waste that's been dumped in the water.
Throughout the whole game there's a narrator commenting on each new area and item you find as if we're watching a nature documentary about sharks. The script and performance is actually quite entertaining and didn't annoy me at all during my entire time with the game. In fact, more often than not I appreciated hearing the narrator either comment on the impact of pollution in waterways, or drop digs at the humans who are obsessed with hunting down sharks. There's a good sense of humour that creates a fun thread straight through the entire game, which compliments the violence nicely.
I suppose that Maneater has a lot of elements that I enjoy interacting with on a number of different levels. I really liked the humour of the story and the overall tone of humans being the problem and marine life having to suffer as a result. Then again, it felt really good to play as a member of that marine life and really get one back on the humans that were out to get me. I always love it when wild animals fight back, so this was always going to be something I enjoy no matter what.
Then again, I also love how well designed and put together the open world is, and how meaningful the progression system ended up feeling. It's not often that every element in a game manages to impress and/or entertain at the same time, but there really wasn't anything in Maneater that I didn't enjoy in one way or another. In fact, for my money this is one of the best games of the year that I've played, simply thanks to how well it's all been put together. This is one of those games that set out to achieve something and hits the nail on the head in every instance.
Sure it might not be the most mind-blowing game ever made and it borrows a lot of ideas from other things, but that doesn't matter when the end result is so damn entertaining. Maneater is the kind of game that reminded me how playing a game should be flat out fun, as I had a grin on my face the whole time. Apparently I love being a shark and hunting down humans to make them pay for their disrespect of the environment. Eco warriors unite! The sharks are fighting back!