🦈 What Is Maneater?

Toys
Written By Piotr Czawa

Maneater, developed by Tripwire Interactive and Blindside using Unreal Engine 4, launched in May 2020 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, with PS5/Xbox Series versions arriving in November 2020 and Nintendo Switch coming in May 2021.

It’s an action‑RPG unlike any other — you don’t play a shark hunter; you are the shark. Starting life as a baby bull shark, your sole mission is to evolve into a giant, mutation‑enhanced killing machine and avenge the hunter who attacked your mother.

🍿 Rated M for a Reason

The ESRB slapped Maneater with an M rating (17+) for good reason: graphic blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, even drug references and some bleeped-out language gamefaqs.gamespot.com+5esrb.org+5steamcommunity.com+5. You’ll literally slash humans, devour beach-goers, and cause blood to stain the coastlines. Not to mention exploding limbs and open‑water gore galore.

Steam community debates confirm: “No, Maneater isn’t intended for children or teens (under 17)” neverendingrealm.com+14steamcommunity.com+14wikidata.org+14. This is shark carnage, B-movie style.

📖 Story & Structure

You begin as a shark pup with vengeance on your mind. Narrated by Chris Parnell’s snarky reality‑show host, Trip Westhaven, the campaign spans 8–12 hours en.wikipedia.org+1metacritic.com+1. Your mission: explore eight coastal zones like Caviar Keys and Crawfish Bay, hunt wildlife and humans, grow.

Eat, evolve, repeat. Upgrade your shark with bone armor, bioluminescent spikes, electric shocks — even solar-powered bone plating en.wikipedia.org. Your goal? Become the mega-shark apex predator. Along the way, human hunters escalate in difficulty, culminating in boss fights reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed cult assassins thedailyjaws.com+5metacritic.com+5gameinformer.com+5.

⚔️ Gameplay: A Shark’s Life

Core loop:

  • Hunt local fish and turtles to accumulate proteins, fats, minerals, mutagenics en.wikipedia.org.

  • Unlock mutations in hidden underwater caves.

  • Terrorize humans: destroy boats, attack swimmers, grow infamy.

Combat emulates Punch-Out!: time your dodges and unleash combos. Boss encounters force you to master these mechanics esrb.orgen.wikipedia.org.

Game Informer calls it “dark and violent, but surprisingly fun,” praising the progression and six‑to‑eight‑hour growth arc gameinformer.com.

🎭 Humor & Theme

Maneater doesn’t shy from self-awareness. The reality-show narration parodies sensationalism, environmentalists, and human pollution. Geeks Under Grace notes vile jokes about defecation and pregnancy tests — it’s crude, purposeful, and unapologetic .

It’s shark revenge B‑movie territory: think Carmageddon meets Ghostbusters but with teeth and fins .

⚠️ Risks & Repetition

Criticism often targets repetitive mission design — fetch‑kill‑return, rinse and repeat. Spanish review at MeriStation lamented “lack of variety in missions” and late‑game “sense of stuffing” gamerevolution.com+11as.com+11gamespot.com+11. Metacritic echoes this: the only major flaw is repetition metacritic.com.

Still, once your shark is mutant, unleashed, and crushing boats, it's hard to stop.

📈 Reception & Sale Stats

🎮 Where to Buy in Canada

If you’re ready to become the apex of aquatic terror, here are some top purchase options online:

  • Maneater â€“ Xbox One/Series (CA$19.99) – Budget-friendly physical copy in Canada, new edition.

  • Maneater â€“ Xbox One (CA$26.50) – VGP Distribution offers both new & used.

  • Maneater â€“ PlayStation 4 (CA$19–26) – Several retailers with competitive pricing.

  • Maneater Apex Edition (Digital, PS4/PS5 CA$66.99) – Full version digital copy including DLC.

  • Maneater â€“ PlayStation 5 (CA$43–50) – Next-gen disc version via DustyGame.

🧭 Which Version Should You Get?

PlatformPhysical or DigitalPrice RangeNotesXbox One/SeriesPhysical & digital~CA$20–36Best bang for buck; backward compatiblePS4Physical only~CA$20–26Good value for PS4 ownersPS5Digital via Apex $66.99 or disc $43–50Apex edition includes DLC; disc cheaper but may require DLC addonDigital (PS4/PS5)Apex digital edition CA$66.99Best for convenience and full content

✅ Final Verdict

Maneater delivers a unique shark-powered power fantasy: you evolve from pup to mega-killer, and a tidal wave of black humor and carnage awaits. It’s a fun, albeit repetitive experience heavily stylized for mature crowds. If you crave monster-style action and gross-out humor, this is tailor-made. But if depth, variety, and long-term gameplay are your top priorities, you might tire after the first few regions.

🎯 TL;DR

  • You control a revenge‑seeking bull shark in an open-world action RPG.

  • Mature-only game: violent, gory content with crude humor and themes.

  • Good loop: eat → evolve → fight hunters → repeat.

  • Criticisms: repetitive missions, pacing dips late‑game.

  • Score: ~7–7.5/10; sold 14M+ copies.

  • Best buys (in Canada): Xbox and PS4 physical copies (~CA$20), or PS5 disc (~CA$43).

Piotr Czawa
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