Maneater - PS5 Platinum Review

I can't remember playing a game set under the ocean where you control a sea creature since Ecco the Dolphin on SEGA Mega Drive! Maneater puts you in the role of a Bull Shark seeking to not only survive, but claim revenge on the hunters who captured your mother. 

Starting off as a pup, you must eat your way to the top of the food chain. Eating stuff provides you with Protein, Minerals, Mutagen and Fat, each of which is useful for upgrading your abilities. As you'd expect from an RPG (or ShaRkPG) you start off quite weak but as you progress through the areas and complete missions and collectables, you'll evolve and become much stronger.

The game takes the form of a documentary, complete with hashtags for each story related chapter and the narration and cutscenes help to give some sort of point to the mindless killing you'll be doing.

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Overview

• Release Date: 12th November, 2020
• Publisher: TRIPWIRE INTERACTIVE, LLC
• Date Started: 25th January, 2021
• Date Completed: 28th January, 2021
• Version Played: Digital
• Price: Free (PlayStation Plus - January 2021)

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The Good

• A very unique gaming experience.
• Plenty of different sea creatures to chomp away on.
• Evolving and upgrading your shark is a rewarding experience.
• Lots to see and do both on land and under the water.
• You get stronger with practically every bite you take.
• No penalties for dying, you just respawn at your grotto.
• It's quite short! You'll be finished it in a few days.

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The Bad

• Admittedly there's not loads more you could do in a shark game, but it is a little repetitive.
• It felt like the start of the game was quite hard. I died quite a few times to alligators before I hit rank 10, but by the end of the game I was taking down Sperm Whales without so much as a scratch.
• The controls can be a bit fiddly.
• You'll spend a LOT of time mashing the R2 button (bite).
• Occasional crashes.

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Hardest Trophy

• Infamy Level 10 - Reach Infamy Level 10

The game is quite hard to start with, but thankfully it's completely fair and you'll get stronger the more you play it. If you're too weak to fight specific enemies, eat smaller fish and turtles for awhile until you level up then try again. The hardest trophy is a toss up between this one and I Thought You Were Tough where you have to defeat the highest level creature in the game, a LVL 60 Sperm Whale, but by the time you get to the end of the game you should be overpowered enough that nothing should cause too many problems.

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Helpful Tips / Bugs / Glitches / Exploits

There's no in-game glitches that I could find, although the use of a turbo controller definitely makes things easier. Using my Cronus Max I had the following features enabled which would otherwise be quite a handful if doing it manually:

• Holding R2 would repeat Bite over and over (very quickly)
• R3 would automatically be pressed over and over (meaning I automatically and constantly locked on to any nearby hostile enemies)
• Circle would repeatedly be pressed (meaning I was always scanning the area with sonar for collectables)
• Holding R1 would repeat Dodge over and over (very quickly) which makes you temporarily immune to damage. Different upgrades also allow this to cause damage to enemies.
• Holding L1 would repeat Tail Whip over and over (very quickly) which again helps cause damage to enemies and boats.

None of that was necessary, but it prevented some repetitive strain injuries and made some of the boss fights and Infamy Level battles a bit easier.

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Platinum Difficulty Rating - 3/10

Not difficult. You might have to grind for awhile until you level up to Rank 10-15 then everything becomes much more manageable. I didn't even need a guide for the Platinum, just play the game and do everything it asks you and you'll get it.

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Platinum Time - 10-15 Hours

I spent a lot of time just grinding nutrients by eating fish and slightly lower level enemies. By the end of the game I was so overpowered I beat the last boss without even trying, but if you played it through as fast as you could, I think you could grab the Platinum in around 12 hours. As you can see below, my in-game stats say it took me just over 15 hours.

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Platinum Enjoyment Rating - 9/10

I actually really enjoyed the challenge. Nothing was missable and most of the trophies unlocked naturally while playing through the objectives. The collectables were sometimes tough to get, but still fun. The fact the game can be completed in just a few play sessions is another positive.

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Overall Game Rating - 9/10

For a game which is free on PlayStation Plus, it's actually a lot of fun. I was tempted to buy it when I first got my PS5 so I'm glad I waited, but it was a refreshingly unique underwater experience. Definitely recommended and I'd go as far as to say I'd happily Platinum it again (perhaps on PS4 at some point).

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Platinum #470

Here are my most recent Platinum Trophies up to and including this game.

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