Nearly 45 years after Steven Spielberg's Jaws spawned pop-culture's obsession with the man-versus-shark mythos, Maneater tears through our expectations like a toothy predator. The action-role-playing game refreshingly reverses the long-established roles, putting players behind the menacing fins, whipping tails, and chomping teeth of the iconic carnivores. Leveraging these natural abilities offers a surprisingly satisfying romp, as you patrol the open-world, consuming any animal or human that dare cross your path.
Thanks to varied, detailed environments and solid controls, the simple act of exploring and eating is endlessly engaging. Whether you're snacking on smaller prey, tussling with a high-level alligator, or just poking your foreboding fin above the surface while cruising past a crowded beach, being a shark just feels cool.
Sure, taking a big bite out of a giant, inflatable unicorn – before devouring its clueless riders – is silly and obscenely over-the-top, but it also provides a cathartic escape few other games can match. Plus, judging by the pollution, both filling the skyline and littering the ocean floor, most of your victims are Mother Nature-abusing a-holes.
Bloodying the waters – and plenty of people-inhabited surfaces – is a gory good time, but that's just the beginning. Maneater's many RPG elements, from leveling up your bull shark to outfitting it with special, scientifically-improbable abilities, make for an absorbing progression path. There are also boss battles, hidden areas, and more collectibles than you can shake a floating limb at.
The many optional objectives add some meat for those looking to extend the game's relatively short critical path, but tackling them can feel a bit repetitive and formulaic. The vengeance-fueled story, framed as a sort of low-budget reality show, doesn't add much to the experience either. That said, the documentary-style narration – delivered by comedian Chris Parnell – nicely complements the narrative with some fun personality and flavour.
If you're craving a break from cutthroat, competitive shooters and 100-plus-hour RPG epics, Maneater is a nice deviation from the norm. Its original concept and simple, pure – and often therapeutic – gameplay, also serves as a reminder of why video games can be the perfect antidote to the current, grim reality.