Recently we've covered a decent number of silly and weird games that were announced, so I thought that it would be sensible to keep it up with todays blog on; Maneater. If ever would be a game that completely encapsulated the 'dumb fun' of video games, it would have to be one that envisions one of those universal 'mindless excitement' figureheads; I'm talking pirates, Ninjas and/or Sharks. (Can you guess which one 'Maneater' falls under? ) It fits in so well with the ostensibly childish act that is 'gaming' that people generally accept it whenever these more wild concepts come about. Point in case; no one bats an eye when a game about brutally murdering fishermen as a superpowered shark.
JAWS isn't exactly what I would call ripe ground for a video game reimagining, and yet we've already seen a couple of games take on that task for whatever reason. 1987 saw the release of a pretty shoddy movie-tie in title which attempted to simulate the act of battling the eponymous great white; arguably the single least desirable role within that entire affair. (Do you wanna be killed by a Shark?) In 2006 there was the slightly better title 'Jaws Unleashed' which realized everyone's fantasy and let people play as the Shark; unfortunately the gameplay itself was so unnecessarily challenging that it wasn't really any fun to play. The only other big name Shark game I can think of is 2014's 'Depth' which placed those sea-bound hunters against divers in a competitive multiplayer showdown. So it would seem there was a big gap in the market for the definitive Shark game, if such a thing were to ever exist.
In steps: 'Maneater', a title by Tripwire Interactive that was constructed to answer the question that no-one had posed; what if JAWs was given that Assassin's Creed treatment. That is to say, what if we had an expansive openworld with rudimentary RPG elements within which we could slay to our heart's content. I suppose then, that this isn't the start of some grand three-game narrative that promises to change our very view on the world. (Unlike Mankind Divided for which I'm still waiting on Part-2. How can these guys bring out a shark fantasy game and freakin' Square Enix can't even put together another Deus Ex? What the heck, guys.) I think Maneater is the kind of title that is made to fit the mold of comedy titles such as 'Goat Simulator, and 'Untitled Goose game'; likely with the end goal of reaching that coveted position of 'YouTube darling' which I talk so much about.
The 'World Premiere' that was shown off at VGA wasn't actually the announcement of the game in question, it actually made it onto stage at E3 previously, but this event provided arguably the biggest stage for it. With there being only one screen to watch and this title getting shoved between two award announcements, this was the bound to get the attention that it arguably deserved. Once again, this is example of the indie world getting put up on the big stage curtsy of Geoff Keighley and his award show. (Way to prop up the industry, my guy.)
Our trailer begins with a brief showcase of how many Sharks are killed per year in comparison to the amount of human deaths that they are responsible for; this of course completely justifies their impending death spree at your hands. The single best adjective I could use to describe these trailer is 'high octane' as I feel that appositely sums up the speed and ferocity of the action. We see sharks rip bodies apart in gory fashion, do somersaults in the air and even ride straight through the chassis of a boat, blowing is apart in spectacular fashion. (So this game isn't exactly 'realistic' then.)
The game really gets interesting once we get to glimpse at the different ways that our shark can 'evolve' in order to become the apex murder machine that sharks kinda already are. This means that you'll come across sharks with giant electric bulbous growths on their hides, or those that look like they're the spawn of a volcano spirit; all with unique powers and abilities to aid them on their way. I suspect that this customization element will be the greatest draw of Maneater as it mimics the personlization fun that makes Evie one of the best Pokemon to play about with.
With a 2020 release date, Maneater certainly joins a long list of potential prestigious titles and I do slightly worry for this titles ability to distinguish itself. Afterall, coming out May 22 means that this title will only be out a month after Cyberpunk; will the Internet have time to overcome it's Cyber mania in time for this title? I've mentioned before how silliness can benefit a game and it's popularity as long as it is somewhat fun to watch; (That's how Goat simulator gained a following despite being objectively bad) but there are a certain other degrees of factors that go into installing a 'YouTube darling', and most of them aren't under the control of the folk down at 'Tripwire'.
Gaming is about a lot more than spectacle and action of course, else I wouldn't have the material to keep this blog alive, but that doesn't mean there isn't any room for more vacuous titles like this. Even though I personally don't like these sorts of 'destined-for-the-bargain-bin' games, I'm still interested to see what others make of this game. Irreverence and excitement make for enticing features for any game and I'm sure that 'Maneater' appeals on both fronts.
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