My ideas for a Maneater sequel...
It's been a few years since Tripwire Interactive said farewell to Maneater. They told us Maneater would be back, but we haven't heard a peep out of them since...
That's OK. Game development takes a while.
So I figured I'd throw out my idea for a sequel because I love imagining stuff. Feel free to share your thoughts.
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CHANGE OF SPECIES
If I were in charge of Maneater 2, I'd do something that might be a bit... sacrilegious.
Everyone loves sharks. The first game had so much in common with Jaws: Unleashed and let players live out their fantasy of being an unstoppable predatory fish.
For the sequel, though, I'd change things up.
Instead of playing as a bull shark, I'd have you play as... a saltwater crocodile.
Why? Because crocodiles are every bit as terrifying as sharks. In fact, saltwater crocs are arguably even more terrifying, dangerous, and prone to eating humans than sharks are. Plus, they open up many new gameplay possibilities.
Unlike sharks, crocodiles dominate two worlds. They can swim through rivers, estuaries, swamps, beaches, and the open ocean, but they can also crawl onto land.
Imagine hiding beneath lily pads with only your eyes above the surface before exploding upward into a death roll.
The evolution system could also become much more creative. Instead of mutating fins and teeth, you'd evolve heavier armour plating, crushing jaw strength, camouflage, longer sprint bursts on land, venomous bites (if they wanted to lean into the sci-fi mutations again), or even bizarre prehistoric-inspired adaptations.
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STORY (BASIC OVERVIEW)
Of course, the game would keep the same dark sense of humour as the first Maneater, while also taking inspiration from the over-the-top late-'90s creature feature Lake Placid.
The game starts in a top-secret government laboratory sometime during the Cold War. The U.S. military is experimenting on aquatic predators, hoping to create living weapons that could be used against the Commies.
There are sharks. Dolphins. Barracudas... And you - an unhatched saltwater crocodile.
When a saboteur causes a containment breach, your egg is swept into a connecting river. Carried by the current through storm drains and flooded channels, you drift for miles before washing up beneath an old stilt house deep in the swamps.
The house belongs to a reclusive old woman called Crazy Martha. When she discovers your crocodile egg beneath her dock, she decides to take it in. "Poor little thing. Ain't got no mama no more."
Against all common sense, she raises you from a hatchling. But it doesn't take long for her to realise there's something... different about you.
You grow far too quickly. Within weeks, you're already bigger and smarter than any "gator" she's ever seen. She's even feeding you fully grown cows.
One day, one of Crazy Martha's neighbours reports her to the authorities, bringing the U.S. government to her doorstep to reclaim their escaped experiment. When Martha refuses to give you up, she's fatally shot trying to protect you... The only mother you've ever known.
Thus, setting you on a bloody path of revenge.
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BOSS BATTLES
Like the first game, Maneater 2 would feature a series of crazy boss fights.
Some would be fellow experiments that also escaped during the containment breach, others would be perfected government bio-weapons sent to eliminate you, while a few would simply be nature's own apex predators.
And, because this is Maneater, the later bosses could pit you against the supernatural and even awakened prehistoric creatures.
Just to name a few ideas...
- X-Dolphin Pack - a large pod of highly aggressive dolphins that use sonar attacks and swarming tactics to disorientate you.
- Hardened Great White - an escaped great white shark experiment with a thick, dermal skin that makes it resistant to damage.
- Mech Suit - A large mech suit that is anchored to the bottom of the sea and controlled by a very angry soldier. He can't move much, but he's tough and packs lots of firepower.
- Electric Eel Alpha - A colossal electric eel capable of discharging massive shocks that temporarily disable your mutations and stun you.
- The Kraken - a tongue-in-cheek boss based on the legendary sea monster. Whether it's a genuine cryptid or another classified experiment is left deliberately ambiguous.
But the final, final boss of Maneater 2 is the Bull Shark from the first game. I'm talking post-story content.
After the credits roll, rumours begin spreading about a monster that's tearing through the seas.
It's her. Having continued to grow long after defeating Scaly Pete, she's now even larger than before and has mastered every mutation from the original game.
She can switch between Bone, Bio-Electric, Shadow, and all her other evolutionary abilities at will, forcing you to constantly adapt your strategy. She's basically a Dark Souls-level boss.
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REALISTIC ECOSYSTEM
One of my least favourite aspects of the first Maneater was how every predator seemed to have a grudge against you.
I remember swimming through the open ocean while being chased by a great white, an orca, and a sperm whale... at the same time. They'd clip through each other, completely ignoring their own instincts just to get at me.
For the sequel, I'd love a more realistic approach.
The larger you become, the less likely other predators are to challenge you unless they're desperate. Different species also shouldn't magically cooperate to hunt you down.
Jaws: Unleashed got this right back in 2006.
I'd also love to see predators behaving naturally. Sharks should be drawn to the scent of blood, animals should hunt one another out in the wild, and territorial disputes should break out whether you're involved or not.
It would make the world feel far more alive - and make you feel like you're part of an ecosystem rather than the centre of it.
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DYNAMIC DAMAGE AND DISMEMBERMENT
The first Maneater had a decent damage system, but it was mostly tied to an enemy's health bar. As they took damage, they'd become bloodier, slow down, and maybe lose a fin before eventually dying.
For Maneater 2, I'd love a much more dynamic system where you can target specific parts of an enemy's body... fins, tails, limbs, flippers, or even the head. Instead of simply dealing generic damage, your attacks would permanently injure whatever body part you're focusing on.
Repeatedly attacking the same area would eventually cripple or sever it entirely.
Clamp onto a whale's flipper and perform a Death Roll? Eventually, you'll tear it clean off. Rip the tail from a shark? It loses its speed and manoeuvrability.
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NO INVISIBLE BARRIERS
One thing I'd change from the first Maneater is how the world is gated. Instead of invisible walls or giant underwater fences stopping you from exploring, the map would be completely open from the start.
The only things holding you back would be your health, experience, and skill. If you're brave enough, you can swim straight into high-level areas.
That doesn't mean you can leave the playable world, though.
If you venture too far into the open ocean, the U.S. Navy steps in. Rather than hitting an invisible wall, you're tracked by sonar before a ballistic missile is ordered.
A short cutscene then shows unsuspecting holidaymakers relaxing on a nearby beach as, far out on the horizon, an enormous mushroom-shaped plume erupts from the sea.
You effectively get nuked.
However, at the end of the game, after you've completed everything - all missions, 100% completion - that nuclear strike transforms you into a Godzilla-like creature. Cue the endgame credits...
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DEEP TERROR
One thing I'd love Maneater 2 to capture is the fear of the deep ocean.
Games like Subnautica make descending into the abyss genuinely unnerving, and I'd love that same feeling... at least at the start of the game.
The deepest parts of the ocean should be almost pitch black, with strange noises and only fleeting glimpses of enormous shapes moving below you. It's home to giant squid, cryptids, prehistoric survivors, and other nightmares that can easily overwhelm inexperienced players.
But the best part is that this fear gradually disappears.
Not because the deep becomes any safer, but because you become its greatest threat.
As you evolve, you unlock adaptations that change the experience. Your eyes adapt to the darkness until the abyss is as clear as daylight. You develop electroreception and enhanced senses that reveal hidden creatures. Eventually, you even emit pheromones that warn other predators to keep their distance.
Basically, everything down there becomes terrified of you in the end instead.
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This is my idea for a sequel, anyway.