Rob reviews Maneater on Nintendo Switch...
Deep Blue Sea, Sharknado, The Meg, Shark Night 3D...it's fair to say that sharks have had quite some bad representation throughout the years. Whilst most media portrays the shark as "the monster", in reality, it's mostly the human protagonists that are the real antagonist with the shark acting on an often unrealistic instinct. Maneater aims to change this with its perfect blend of sharing (that's shark RPG...), gratuitous violence, and lots of blood. Whilst the title was released onto the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2020, it's only now come home to the Nintendo Switch.
But, does the hybrid handheld console place Maneater at the top of the food chain? Or does it need a one-way trip to Amityville? Find out in my review below...
The story (yes there's a story!) of Maneater is quite good. We play the role of a bull shark who unknowingly finds itself the star of the T.V. reality show - Maneaters Vs. Sharkhunters - narrated by Chris Parnell. During filming for the series experienced shark hunter Pierre 'Scaly Pete' LeBlanc and his uninterested Son, Kyle hunt for a known shark which is identified by a hook embedded within its side. This shark is of particular interest as the hook belonged to LeBlanc's father. Anyway, we play as said shark as it runs amok through the marine life of Port Clovis. We soon attracted the attention of LeBlanc, who succeeds in capturing and killing the adult shark. However, in a cruel twist of fate, we're experiencing the prologue through the "mother" shark and as LeBlanc gets his revenge, we get ours by biting off his hand - and so starts the adventure of Man Vs. Shark.
Gameplay is played from a third-person perspective as we rampage through the somewhat open world of Port Clovis. Our shark has various abilities at its disposal such as tail-whipping opponents, leaping out of the water, and using its teeth. Everything from Sea Turtles to Crocodiles can be attacked and eaten as we work up the food chain. Humans are also a factor. Aside from being able to munch on swimmers and various fishing boats, causing too much havoc will alert Scaly Pete's fellow Hunters. This then turns the game into something seen in GTA as you can fight the increasingly difficult (yet repetitive) Hunters or retreat to the safety of the depths. It all sounds like a bizarre mix of genres, and in reality, that's what it is.
Combat is a mixed bag of repetitiveness and dodgy controls. Whilst not in combat, our shark controls with a fair degree of fluidity. And it can be quite serene swimming about and chomping down on the occasional fish or boat. But once you've engaged a more powerful foe, combat becomes somewhat frustrating. As there's no option to lock on to your opponent. Combat becomes wild mashing of buttons whilst constantly fighting to adjust the camera. It's a shame as the game gives you everything to become quite an effective killing machine, yet its controls stop you from being one.
The RPG element is fairly simple and comes from completing missions, to devouring the local wildlife. With each level, the shark grows and will eventually become an adult megalodon. This then means that you're able to tackle the larger enemies that stalk the seas. You're also able to acquire various upgrades that not only add a customisable option to your shark's looks but allows you to perform various additional attacks.
Port Clovis is a large open-world location with plenty to see and do. The map consists of eight locations: Caviar Keys, Crawfish Bay, Dead Horse Lake, Fawtick Bayou, Golden Shores, Prosperity Sands, Sapphire Bay, and the Gulf. Each location has various hidden landmarks, collectables, and plenty of lacklustre story and side-missions to complete. Don't get me wrong a game where you play as a shark isn't going to have a varied mission log. But Maneater tasks you with the same 4/5 missions in each area: eat X amount of fish/humans, kill this hunter, kill this certain predator. I wasn't expecting an Elder Scrolls level of quest variation but to have the same instances repeat over and over did get highly tedious.
In terms of visuals, Maneater on the Nintendo Switch is pretty good. While it's not as great looking as its bigger console brethren, it does look superb on the hybrid console. During my playthrough, I didn't discover any anomalies and the game ran incredibly smoothly. Even in handheld mode, Maneater is a real joy to look at. Whilst it's naturally not perfect, Tripwire has done a grand job in adapting their game to the Switch's hardware, and as such Maneater should be the benchmark for future ports.
All in all, Maneater is one of those games you'll ever love or hate. It's a unique and somewhat ambitious game that's sadly let down by its mission structure and combat controls. However, underneath is the groundwork for what could have easily been a fairly competent action RPG. Tripwire has the formula, yet are a pinch away from perfecting it. If you're in the market for something different then 100% give Maneater your time. However, if your after something with more "bite" then this one all bark...
Rating 7/10
Maneater is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.
You can purchase Maneater via the Nintendo Switch eShop by clicking here.
Special thanks to Tripwire for providing a review code for this review.
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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