“SHARK! Get out of the water!”
If there were a list of phrases that could incite a riot, this is amongst the top. It is a classic line. One that can rattle a landlocked lad like me to his bones. It is also a phrase you’ve heard a lot if you’ve played 2020’s pandemic pearl — Maneater.
What It Means to Be Queen Apex
Developed and published by Tripwire Interactive, Maneater 2020 is essentially an aquatic arcade game. It never dives too far into any complex systems, or puzzles. No, the goal is simple: become the apex predator of the sea and avenge your (shark) mother. That premise is an ingredient for the ultimate shark simulator.
It’s recognizable creature-feature schlock. However, it still manages to be fun. Never does Maneater take itself too seriously. The game is satirical in its approach to legit ecological concerns. Nothing overly political, it managed to get several smirks out of me.
Maneater 2020 has a funny way of presenting its schlocky story. The narrative takes the structure of a nature documentary covering Humans vs Sharks. From cutscenes, to collectibles and frequent run-ins with shark hunters, the narrator maintains that sarcastic commentary. It’s almost as if the writers reveled in the silliness of it all.
I cannot understate the frequent run-ins with the zany shark hunting characters. Imagine Grand Theft Auto, but as a shark. How can you go wrong?
What Lurks Beneath?
It’s a simple premise, with simple gameplay progression. You arrive at an area, bite and collect your way to the throne. Eventually you must dethrone the apex predator of that region before, sometimes, fighting a boss.
What makes Maneater so great, aside from the premise and arcade-nature, is its auxiliary elements.
Maneater is reminiscent of old-school collectathons, such as Spyro and Banjo Kazooie. When you aren’t engaged in intense marine battles or capsizing hostile boats, you’re jumping over bridges to collect license plates. Very often you’ll find yourself traversing deep-sea tunnels to collect treasure caches.
The settings are very diverse and effectively placed. Our pup begins in the brackish bayous of Louisiana before terrorizing coastal resorts and cities. And the range is so dynamic. The color patterns, enemy-types and pup progression are astonishing.
Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Thumbs-Up
Sound like a good day to go for a swim? Maybe catch some waves? I’d say raincheck with your buddies. There’s a maneater out there and she’s out for revenge.
However, Maneater does have some blemishes. The game is incredibly short. For example, my platinum trophy lap took only eight hours. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing. The only problem is that the game offers very little replay value.
The lack of replay value becomes very apparent due to the game being very easy. Do not get me wrong, it opens with some challenge. However, approximately three hours in (maybe the 2nd or 3rd area), our soon-to-be-apex princess becomes very powerful. During my playthrough, I died exactly 0 times.
Although I played on PS5, I noticed a few sluggish moments and pauses. Never too irksome but perhaps it could have benefitted from better optimization.
All things considered, Maneater 2020 is a fun sea world romp. Without a doubt worth the $40 price of admission. Although, this is considering you are a fan of concise, arcadey games.
Rating: 7/10 – Good! (played on PS5)
Maneater 2020 is currently available on Playstation 4 & 5, XBox One, Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Windows
