Maneaterreceived its first DLC pack in Truth Quest late last month, which brought fans back into the game. It’s been over a year since the shark-focused RPG was released, but the journey players go on in the game is tough to forget.Maneatertook the player along on the story of a baby bull shark intent on avenging its mother’s death, while the new DLC pits the player against the Atomic Leviathan.
Maneaterinvented an all-new genre of ShaRkPGs, where players could live the life of a rage-fueled bull shark. For fans of movies likeJaws, where the antagonist shark is portrayed as a bloodthirsty killing machine, there are few other games that offer the same appeal.Maneatermay not present the firstshark in a video game, but it is a must-play forJawsfans.
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Is Maneater the Best Shark Game?
Maneateris anopen-world role-playing gamewhere the player takes the role of a shark, killing fishermen and people enjoying a sunny day at the beach. It wears itsJawsinspirations on its sleeve as players can overturn and destroy boats in a similar fashion to the ending of the original movie. The entire point ofManeateris to kill, evolve, and, eventually, take revenge. A shark game that allows the players to go wild, exploring and attacking anything that breathes is a difficult game to improve upon. Add to that the revenge plot and players have a fun and unique experience ahead of them.
In addition to this,Maneaterplayers can take the battle to the land, removing the last bastion of hope for terrified beachgoers. When watching theJawsmovies, what stands out is that even in a relatively large fishing boat, the characters are not safe. It emphasizes the threat the shark holds and gives a reason as to why simply avoiding swimming isn’t an option.Maneatertakes this to another level by allowing players to attack on land, recapturing the horror the boat scene created in the originalJawsmovie.Maneateroffers the player uncapped freedom to explore and attack as they please, which adds to the already unique concept of anaction RPG shark game.
Maneater is Inspired by Jaws
While a great white shark can be found in aboss fight inManeater, the player can’t actually take control of one. Instead, the player actually takes the role of the deadliest shark species for beachgoers, the bull shark. The antagonist of theJawsseries of movies is an iconic bloodhungry great white shark, but players do not take on the role of one inManeater. Still, as gamers work their way throughManeaterthey can evolve their shark, eventually reaching 30 feet long, which is bigger than the shark from theJawsmovie. It seems obvious that the mammoth size of the fully evolved shark is paying homage to theJawsmovies, but in a less obvious way, the shark’s species may also be referencing the classic movie series.
TheManeatershark speciescould be disappointing toJawsfans, but it may be more true to the origins ofJawsthan the movie itself. TheJawsmovies were inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, in which four people were killed by a shark before it was eventually caught. The shark that took the blame for the attacks was a juvenile great white that had human remains in its stomach. However, some scientists have argued that the perpetrator must have been a bull shark, as two of the attacks occurred in Matawan Creek, a freshwater body of water 11 miles inland. So for fans of theJawsmovies, Maneater’s bull shark may be the closest representation of the story that inspired the franchise.
Maneateris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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