Become the sea’s greatest predator

Maneater is an open-world role-playing game from Tripwire Interactive. This game will let you experience the ultimate power fantasy and play as the apex predator of the seas: a giant shark. You will play as a pissed-off female bull shark with an insatiable appetite for human flesh and mutagens. Think of it as the movie Jaws, but an action-RPG. Its limitation, however, is that it is just a single-minded predator protagonist. The vast majority of what you will do is just control the shark to where the preys are. 

A shark out for revenge

Maneater starts with you—the shark—set loose on the fictional town of Port Clovis in the Gulf Coast. This change of environment switches your diet of local small fry to humans. However, as you are enjoying feasting on unsuspecting swimmers, you are captured by a sleazy Cajun shark hunter named Scaley Pete. Not only did he take you, but he also sadistically left a scar on the baby shark inside you. All of this set the wheels in motion for a story of vengeance. 

Maneater will unfold like any action-RPG. You need to level up until you are powerful enough to face much tougher predators. You can start by feeding on smaller prey, and as you absorb different nutrients, you can trigger mutations that help you evolve. Although the term is “evolution,” leveling up actually gives you pieces of armor that you can swap in and out. Some will boost your health, while some will increase your power or defense. However, there are some which will give you attributes of other species—such as a dolphin’s sonar or allowing you to survive on land longer. 

Aside from the continuous devouring of humans, Maneater also gives you apex predator battles. As you eat your way up the food chain, you will come across various boss battles. However, this single-minded surviving, eating, and evolving doesn’t make up for much of a story. In the end, the game is like the usual open-world games that are repetitive. The combat sequence is uninspired and there just isn’t enough variation or depth that would entice you to play longer.

Biting more than it can chew

Despite presenting a novel concept, Maneater is a game that quickly runs out of steam. It is a considerably short RPG with lackluster execution. There isn’t enough gameplay variety to justify the endless chomping you need to do to reach megashark status. The story also didn’t help the game’s campaign, as the themes at play are a little conflicting. Overall, for a game with a fiendishly original concept, it fails to sustain for a deeply satisfying experience.