Almost a year after release, Maneater, the shARkPG by TripWire Interactive, is back! And this time, it's the turn of the Nintendo Switch to get a bite of the action. Having previously reviewed Maneater when it first released in May 2020, I was excited to sharpen my teeth and dive back into the murky depths of the gulf and restart my Shark adventure again, but this time on my trusty Switch.
After an introduction, you are quite literally thrown into the ocean to start your action-packed underwater adventure - first as a baby bull shark, but then slowly evolving over time into the Apex predator of the seas. The Shark evolution is at the heart of the Maneater experience, stemming throughout the game, and each bite has an impact on your shark. Even though it can be hard to see the evolutionary changes at first, rest assured your shark will be bigger than you before you know it! And on Switch, the evolution is just as fun as I remember from my review. Over time, your lil bull shark will go from being prey to a predator and dominate the gulf and its surrounding beaches.
Check out our review of Maneater from 2020, below...
Graphically, Maneater on Switch looks great! The game is equally as beautiful on the surface as it is below. There are plenty of sights and pop culture references to take in along the way, too! That said, during my hands-on with the Switch port I did encounter a few glitches, but nothing that rendered the game unplayable. I'm hopeful these will be fully ironed out by Tripwire on launch.
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The Switch port does feel a little empty in places, which is almost to be expected with a huge open-world game like Maneater and the technical limitations of the hardware. Personally, I felt there were a lot less fish swimming around compared to other versions. This can obviously slow down your evolution, but by completing quests and exploring the seven regions, you'll still find plenty to chow-down on.
Performance wise, the game runs amazingly - outside of those very occasional glitches. There are a couple of moments in which you might lose a few frames in combat or be forced into a loading screen to allow for the game to catch up, but nothing that eats up too much of your time.
What Tripwire Interactive have achieved with this Maneater port is Jaws-droppingly good! Having lost countless hours to the PS4 version last year I could very easily see myself being sucked in again on Switch. Tripwire Interactive gives you so much in such a small package. Yes there are a few small differences between versions, but nothing which detracts from the overall Maneater experience. Maneater on Switch is just as fun as the rest, and better yet, you can take deadly action with you wherever you go!
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Maneater on Switch was played using code provided by the publisher. The game releases on May 25, 2021.
Featured Image Credit: Maneater / Tripwire InteractiveTopics: Nintendo Switch