Maneater is a reverse horror game where you play as a bloodthirsty bull shark out for revenge. The shark is absolutely evil, but strangely, many fans and even the devs seem to think the shark is Justified.

In interviews, the devs have said that the shark is punishing humanity for polluting the ocean, and they have called Scaly Pete (the shark hunter) evil for trying to stop the shark. This is bizarre. Do the devs really believe that the humans who are just relaxing at the beach deserve to be murdered because of pollution? Presumably, they don’t feel this way about real people, at least I hope! Look at the poor woman who is being eaten in the promotional image below. Do the devs think she is evil?

The consensus among Maneater fans and the gaming media is that Scaly Pete was an evil shark hunter who cruelly killed our mother shark – thereby justifying our quest against him. I lost track of the number of articles I’ve heard describing Scaly Pete as a cruel monster for his actions.

I strongly disagree. The reason is that the Mother Shark was NOT an innocent shark minding her own business. In the first level where you play for her, she is required to devour a bunch of innocent beachgoers. Scaly Pete is only called in after she brutally murders them for no reason. What was Pete supposed to do? Let her keep eating people? Let her go so that she comes back and continues to kill? Put her in a zoo? (I’m sure there would be people calling him evil if he put her in a zoo, too.)

I remember one part of gameplay where a woman in a bikini is just chilling on a cruise and mother shark JUMPS out of the water and drags the woman into the ocean. She screams in fear and pain as blood pours out of her as she is dragged to her death.

Scaly Pete is the bad guy for killing this monster? Really, devs? Shame on you.