This article originally ran under a different banner/website in June of 2020 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
The day had finally come. After weeks of playing through games and tirelessly reviewing them, the day for some much needed rest and relaxation had finally arrived. With not a cloud in sight, I took a quick drive to the beach, just to get away from it all. As I pulled into the parking lot, I could see it all. The sunlight sparkling off the cool water. The hot sand seemed so inviting that I knew a nap in the shade was inevitable. The breeze casually blowing and raffling the umbrellas. Just a picture-perfect day at the beach. I cheerfully gathered all my things and made my way to a day of luxury. However, a bellowing voice shattered my illusion of grandeur.
“I wouldn’t go out there if I was you, boy!”
The deep raspy voice completely caught me off guard, causing me to drop some of my things. Unsure who the voice was coming from, I slowly turned to my head to see someone completely unexpected… it was Scaly Pete. The antagonist of the game Maneater. Decked out in a dark green poncho most likely to hide the burn scars he received while fighting our protagonist shark. His hook hand still poked through one of the sleeve holes. Even though he had the hood of the poncho up, I was still able to the deep burn scars that ran along the side of his face. His beard was even more disheveled than before. His one good eye and the other deadeye staring at me with a cold gaze.
Completely lost for words all I could do was quietly point to myself.
“Ya, I am talking to you boy,” he said, his words almost as chilling as ice, “I am here to warn you not to go out on that beach. It might seem like a harmless vacation spot, but don’t let that fool you. That beach is the mega shark’s hunting ground. You go out onto that beach and you just signed away your life. The shark will be up on that beach within seconds and gobble you whole.”
It seemed like he was describing the mega-shark you get to play in the game. Towards the end of the game, I had created a shark so powerful, that I could hop onto a beach and swallow beach-goers in one bite. It was a hilarious Jaws simulator. However, to see the game’s antagonist stand before me and babble about a shark at the beach, did not give me the same sense of joy.
“Are you sure there is a shark out in those waters?” I asked as I tried to unclear my throat, “It sounds like you’re describing Maneater, the video game, and that’s not real. It is just a game.”
“Maneater was no game,” he barked, “It was a TV show. A show where a TV crew followed me around as I hunted sharks. Ha, ha, I was a star, don’t you see. However, that TV crew seemed to give me nothing but bad luck. They were there when I caught the Mega-shark’s momma. They were there when I pulled that Mega-shark out of its momma. They were there when that shark took my hand,” he said as he shoved his hook into my face.
I felt like I was losing my mind. Everything Pete described happened in Maneater, the video game. The game framed most of its story around this shark hunter show called Maneater. With Chris Parnell narrating everything and goofy hashtags like #GubmentExperiment, the TV show Maneater wanted to be like reality shows like Swamp People or Deadliest Catch. Honestly, it seemed like a good framework for a game about being a shark causing mayhem. I even remember initially having our playable shark eat Scaly Pete’s hand. Amusing in-game, not amusing when Pete is real and in your face.
“Right, Maneater was a TV show, silly me,” I lied to get Pete to calm down, but I needed to figure out why this video game character was here.
“So,” I pressed, “what makes you think this Mega-shark would be at this beach specifically?”
“Boy,” he said through a toothy monstrous grim, “I have been following this shark for a long time. Nearly, her whole life. I recognize her from the scar I gave her. I have been watching her grow from a small baby shark into a full-grown Mega-shark. Watched her slowly take over Port Clovis.”
Pete’s words oddly aligned with the events that take place over the campaign of Maneater. You swim around the various sections of the map of Port Clovis, eating anything you can find and completing quests. While many of the quests involve going to a place and eating various numbers of fishes, I can’t say I wasn’t entertained by the whole spectacle. Watching the shark lunge forward with visceral speed and sink its teeth with a meaty crunch resonating with every bite never got old for me. I could watch my shark eat anything in its grasp with child-like glee. So while the questing never really evolved and you only had a limited amount of collectibles ranging from license plates to landmarks, the primary gameplay loop of Maneater never ceased to amuse me.
“I remember watching this shark,” Pete continued to ramble, “I watched her rapidly evolve from this small harmless shark to this scaly beast, the likes of which no shark hunter had ever seen.”
Pete must have been referring to the Bone armor set that I eventually equipped onto my shark. As I completed more objectives, I was able to unlock various evolutionary upgrades for my shark. Some were passive abilities like more health or the ability to breathe on land for longer, and others were upgrades to various body parts on my shark. I went with a bone armor set that not only made me more resilient but equipped my shark in a scaly plating that made her look more menacing. I would also continue to upgrade all these sets with various resources I got from just eating fish, continuously rewarding me for just engaging with the already satisfying experience of sinking my teeth into anything my jaws could reach. My only complaint about the upgrades is I wished there were more than three sets. Not deal-breaking, but something that would be nice for an expansion or sequel.
“I remember this shark tearing through the ranks of shark hunters,” Pete’s voice snapping me out of my daydream, “She was smart about it. She would go to a beach, just like this one, pick off beach-goers until the shark hunter arrived. She would then slaughter wave after wave of shark hunters, hoping to take her down. And just as victory would be in our grasp, she vanishes into the ocean depths.”
Pete’s words mirrored what would happen if you attacked too many humans floating in the water in Maneater. Your threat level would rise to the point shark hunter would come and try to take you down. You had the choice to jump aboard their boats and eat the crew or attempt to destroy their boats. All while attempting to dodge the gunfire from the hunters. Luckily, with a quick dodge roll and having health restored when you eat something, you are able to take down waves after waves of shark hunters. Eventually, your legendary status will cause famous hunters to try and take you down. They might have some tricks like tesla cannons on their boats, but the same violent thrashing and biting will take them down just like the others. Sometimes, the lock-on feature might have you trying to attack someone inside the boat, but the carnage is so chaotic you merely need to thrash around to get it to focus on someone else.
“It isn’t just human life, this monster is a threat too,” Pete barked as he must have noticed me daydreaming again, “No this beast is a threat to all the animals lurking in Port Clovis’s waters. She’s decimated the biggest alligators in the swamps, the largest Hammerhead sharks in the bays, and more recently, she’s taking down the giant sperm whales in the gulfs. Nothing is going to fill this beast’s stomach. She’ll eat the world if we let her.”
Pete was most likely referring to the Apex predator fights that are included in each section of the Port Clovis sandbox. These usually ranged from alligators to other sharks to orcas and sperm whales. Much like the fights with humans, these often could be messy yet satisfying. These beasts would be located underwater and included fighting in a three-dimensional space. While that might seem like a nightmare, I usually only found them impossible if I was significantly under-leveled for the fight. The lock-on system was usually better in these and helped me stick to attacking my opponent’s bellies. Again, these fights became very chaotic but very satisfying to watch my shark gobble my opponent up.
“Boy!!!” Pete yelled, annoyed at my lack of attention, “you even hearing a word I say?”
“I hear you, Pete,” I snapped back, “However I am having trouble taking any of this seriously since all these events you just described took place IN A VIDEO GAME!!! I just finished this game a week ago. It was Maneater. It was a game. Not the most polished game. It can be a bit messy and repetitive at times, but honestly, playing as a shark and eating fish and humans is so enjoyable I can recommend it on that alone. In fact, I distinctly remember my shark attacking you multiple times. I, frankly, don’t understand how you, a video game character, are standing right before me. YOU’RE NOT REAL!!!”
“Boy, I assure,” he growled through his teeth, “I am most definitely real.”
As he grabbed my shirt with his mechanical hand, he turned to the beach. The color instantly flushed from his face. His eyes grew in terror. It looked like he had seen a ghost. As I turned to see what could have spooked this hunter, I saw her.
A monstrous shark laid there on the beach. She had the same bone plating that I had equipped my shark in Maneater. Her head plating highlighting her massive eyes used to spot prey. There was no doubt in my mind, this was the shark I played in Maneater.
With predatory reflexes, she leaped at Pete. With her gaping maw, she swallowed the man whole. There were momentary sounds of bone-crunching and muffled screams, but soon it all had gone silent. There was nothing left on that beach but me and the beast. I stood frozen. I gazed at my own reflection within the shark’s massive eyes as her pupil grew while gazing at me. It was like staring into the void. My heart raced but I dare not move. Maybe, Chris Parnell was right. This could be the collision course with an environmental apocalypse he was referring to.
