Thank Goodness They’re Finally Doing Maneater 2

When I first watched the trailer for Tripwire Interactive and Demiurge Studios’ follow up to the fantastic 2020 open-world ShaRPG Maneater, I thought it was a fake. However, the developers have gone and actually made another banger of a game where you’re a shark rampaging through water filled with nature’s wonders and humanity’s mistakes, and I can’t wait to play it.

Maneater 2 looks, so far, to closely resemble the first game. You’re a shark up to no good, eating everything in sight, collecting items around each map, and cheekily gobbling up as many humans as you can get away with. But, as there was with Steven Spielberg’s tooth-filled water masterpiece, there’s so much more beneath the surface.

Maneater 2 Doubles Down On Deep Gameplay

I’ll level with you upfront: I have no insight into the gameplay changes and upgrades in Maneater 2. I did, however, play heck out of the first game, and can see a plethora of new details that I’m so excited to test out in action.

But first, what’s familiar from the first outing? Well, there’s the fact that you’re a shark, of course, and that you’ll be eating your way through a fresh new world of waters in order to grow and tackle larger prey, foes, and obstacles as you progress. The environments are stunning, with hundreds of fish on-screen at any point, and all sorts of bigger beasts and interesting pieces of architecture to get in your way or threaten you.

The story in the first game was fairly bare-bones, but being a shark seeking revenge for its murdered mother by hunting down every shark hunter in the world was good enough. In the sequel, I’d say there’s a bit more meat to dig into. There are hints of prehistoric or vaguely paranormal beasts lurking in the deep, likely awoken by humanity’s efforts to build bigger and more obscene hotels and cities halfway into fish territory.

That’s where the new parts of this series rear their head. Larger bosses seem to require the use of a mutation, though that’s just one ‘power’ that we’ve been shown so far. With these bosses in mind, the sandbox worlds seem to be much deeper, encompassing multiple layers of water and all the different varieties of marine life that come with that.

While the levels go deeper, they also blend more of the land and sea together. The main one we’re shown is a sort of casino/hotel with a splash park that you can swim up into and through, grabbing unsuspecting patrons as you go. I like the idea of more blended environments like this, because the first game felt as though it had too many land barriers where you’d end up sitting stuck flailing around on land while hunters took shots at you from jet skis.

One feature I think I picked up after watching the trailer a couple of times is the link between levels that’s grounded in how the real-world ocean works. We see the shark moving quickly through a fast current, which I reckon will be how we ‘fast-travel’ from icy waters to human-occupied ones without breaking too much immersion. Fish in the real world use currents just like this to migrate, albeit ones that aren’t as clearly signposted as fast-travel points.

This all goes without discussing the fact that you can now apparently parkour as a shark around each level. While we only see the unnamed maneater flipping off of a billboard like it’s straight out of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, it’s enough to make me think there will be even more collectibles to find in interesting new formats, and dozens of beastly upgrades to grind for.

Suffice it to say, I think Maneater 2 looks pretty fantastic after just one trailer, and I genuinely couldn’t be happier we’re getting this game. Sometimes people (usually me) say dumb things and should be ignored, but I’m so, so glad that when John Maneater (not his real name) blueskied the idea of GTA but you’re a shark in a team meeting, the developers were crazy enough to see it through.

If you’re as excited as I am about the game, maybe give it a wishlist on Steam to encourage the developers. They love that sort of thing, and I’ve got a few more you can check out from Gamescom in this article if you fancy it. As for me, I’d love it if you checked out our free Patreon membership so you can get our newsletter sent directly to your email each week.

About the Author

Jamie Moorcroft Sharp

Editor

Jamie adores the indie games that you don’t hear about until you’re on a video essay binge at 3AM and suddenly the sound of them changes your life. He’s played games all his life and loves looking at the intricate details that make them magical and different. If there’s a wierd list, embarrassing feature, or something else far too out there on Bonus Action, there’s a good chance he wrote it. But that’s not all! He’s also an absolute fiend who never knows when to stop when he puts on his dirty robes and takes on his D&D persona as a Mud Warlock who acts on that tiny voice in your head when it wonders what would happen if you did something really dumb right now. He’s easy to beat in a TGC, though, just keep an eye out for his crazy card combos.

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