Maneater

Tripwire Interactive

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo SwitchPremium

Health Score

DECENT

Watch Gameplay

About This Game

Super Review

Maneater offers a unique, if graphic, action RPG experience as players control an evolving shark. While its open-world exploration and progression are engaging, the intense violence and gore make it a challenging recommendation, best suited for mature teens who can handle its explicit content.

Super Review

Parent verdict

Maneater is a qualified fit for very mature teens, earning a Decent health score primarily due to its intense M-rated content. Parents must weigh the unique concept of playing as an evolving shark against frequent scenes of extreme violence, dismemberment, and human prey. It's a game that works best with clear family limits and discussions for those truly ready for its aggressive themes.

What players actually do

Players hunt and consume various marine life and human swimmers to gain nutrients, fueling their shark's growth and evolution.
Players explore a vast open-world environment, discovering hidden collectibles and completing quests to advance the narrative and their shark's power.
Players engage in combat with other predators and human hunters, utilizing specialized mutations and abilities to tear apart foes and overcome challenges.

Where it shines

The core loop of evolving from a small shark pup into a powerful apex predator, with meaningful stat-driven mutations, provides a compelling sense of progression.
The game’s open world is diverse and full of distinct environments, encouraging exploration and discovery as players navigate different coastal areas and uncover secrets.

Parent watch-outs

The central gameplay involves frequent, intense violence and gore, with explicit depictions of dismemberment when attacking both animal prey and humans.
Combat can sometimes feel repetitive or unwieldy, potentially leading to frustration, especially when combined with occasional camera issues during chaotic encounters.

Family rules worth setting

Set strict limits on play sessions to avoid extended exposure to the intense violent content, perhaps to one hour per day.
Ensure the game is played in a common family area where parents can monitor the on-screen action due to the mature themes.

Talk about this

Discuss the difference between game violence and real-world actions, emphasizing the consequences of violence in reality versus a game setting.
Talk about predator-prey relationships in nature and how this game exaggerates them for entertainment, comparing it to documentaries or real-world ecology.

Play style

This is a single-player action RPG that encourages open-world exploration and combat. Sessions typically involve hunting, completing specific objectives, and engaging in battles, which can be intense and require strategic use of evolved abilities. Players may encounter difficulty spikes or feel the need to grind through activities to level up their shark, which can extend play duration. The camera can be challenging during fast-paced fights, potentially leading to moments of frustration.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

2/5

Creativity

3/5

Pro-Social

0/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

1/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

0/5

Social Risk

0/5

Content Intensity

3/5

Why this rating

Educational Value

2/5

Maneater offers very limited educational value. While it touches on concepts like survival and evolution in a fantastical way, it does not provide accurate or in-depth scientific learning, earning a score of 2.

Addictive Monetization

1/5

As a premium, single-player title, Maneater features no in-game purchases, loot boxes, or other forms of addictive monetization. This absence of pressure to spend money or engage with monetization schemes results in a very low risk score of 1.

Content Intensity

3/5

The game's core premise involves frequent and graphic violence, depicting dismemberment of both animal and human prey. This high level of explicit gore and aggression contributes to a significant content intensity risk score of 3, aligning with its M rating.

Negatives

•Combat can sometimes feel repetitive or sloppy, and the camera may be challenging during battles.
•Progression may involve a degree of grinding through quests and activities to level up your shark.
•The central themes involve intense violence and gore, as the core gameplay revolves around killing and dismembering prey and humans.

Positives

•Engaging action RPG mechanics centered on shark evolution and combat.
•Features a massive, diverse open world to explore with unique environments and hidden collectibles.
•Offers meaningful customization of your shark with various stat-driven systems and mutations to enhance combat abilities.
•The game is described as having a humorous tone with witty narration by Chris Parnell, providing a distinct personality to the experience.