When the wordsharkcomes to mind, one might conjure up the image of a deadly bloodthirsty creature that’s waiting to gobble up any unsuspecting human who is out in the water. Movies likeJaws,The Meg, and even moviesSharknadoonly further encourage the general fear of these aquatic animals. Despite the fear of sharks, there is a deep fascination around them by the public and the scientific community which has led to further study of these creatures as well as shark-themed programming, like Shark Week.
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While the Shark Week of today is more entertainment-focused it used to be aboutraising awareness about the conservationof sharks and dispelling misconceptions about them. While sharks, just like any wild animal, can become dangerous in the right situation, most of the time they have no real interest in humans and there are several species that aren’t dangerous to humans at all. There are games that play on both the fear and fascination surrounding sharks.
7Stranded Deep
Stranded Deepis an open-world multiplayer survival game that puts players into a position no one wants to be in. After surviving a plane crash, players find themselves out in the middle of thePacific Ocean, with no way of calling or signaling for help. In order to survive players have to explore, craft, and build up skills to either create or find what they need to stay alive.
Exposure to the elements, thirst, and hunger are dangers that players have to be aware of, but there are many other external dangers, like sharks. There are a few sharks that are harmless, like whale sharks, and can be hunted for meat and skin. However, there are several aggressive sharks that will attack the player when they are nearby. In shallow waters, players risk being attacked by tiger sharks and hammerheads, and deeper waters have goblin sharks and great whites. Even one of the bosses of the game is a shark, the Megalodon.
6Endless Ocean
Endless Oceanis a game series that came out for theWii. In it, the player creates their own diver character that they use to explore the game’s story. InEndless Ocean 2, the player is a university student studying folklore, and the legend known as the Song of Dragons leads them to their underwater adventures. Just like in the first game of the series,Endless Ocean,Endless Ocean 2has a large variety of aquatic creatures for the player to discover and interact with.
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Different from the previous game,Endless Ocean 2’s dangerous creatures actually pose a threat to the player and will attack them. Among these animals are a number of different sharks including tiger sharks, goblin sharks, and great white sharks. One of the bosses of the game is an enormous great white shark called Thanatos.
5Abzu
Abzuis a visually beautiful game that focuses onunderwaterexploration.Abzutakes place in an alternate reality where a major worldwide event drastically changed the ocean, leaving it desolate. Players take on the role of a diver who is tasked with returning the ocean ecosystem back to its former glory by reintroducing various marine wildlife.
That also includes several species of shark. While the sharks in the game have a very simple and stylistic look to them, the game has stuck to reality when it comes to the behavior of the sharks. For example in the first chapter, players can find the hidden pool that introduces leopard sharks. Leopard sharks are one of the species of sharks that aren’t aggressive to humans and can be fairly friendly, this is also shown in the game.
4Beyond Blue
Beyond Blueis another divingexploration game. Set more in reality, but in the near future, players explore the game through the perspective of a deep-sea scientist and explorer, Mirai. Through Mirai’s eyes, players get to experience the deepest depths of the ocean and all the life that exists in it.
There are several sharks that Mirai can scan and gather more information on. The game was created in collaboration with the developers of the nature documentary Blue Planet II and actual marine biologists who helped with modeling the animal animations and behaviors in the game.
3Maneater
WhileManeater’s gameplay isn’t based in reality, its animal models are fairly realistic. It’s part of what makes the game so terrifying but luckily, instead of battling against the shark, players get to be the shark.
Maneateris an open-world RPG that allows players to evolve their sharks into the biggest and deadliest apex predator they can be. There are several evolution paths and upgrades that players can give to their sharks, depending on what they want to focus on.
2Ocean Rift
Ocean Riftis a VR game for theOculus QuestandQuest II. Players get to experience a first-person perspective of the underwater world that lies in the ocean. Players get to discover and interact with many marine animals. There’s an education mode where players can learn a lot of interesting facts about the creatures they interact with.
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There are 14 different habitats with every animal located in its proper habitat. The game also allows players to interact with prehistoric aquatic animals. There’s even the option to interact with a great white shark, all from the safety of a cage.Ocean Riftis another game where the player is safe from being attacked by the creatures of the game, as long as they don’t exit the diver’s cage.
1Ocean Descent
Ocean Descentis a game that is a part of thePlayStation VRWorldgame pack. One of five immersiveVR games,Ocean Descentbegins with the player taking part in a deep ocean salvage mission. Players are put in a dive cage and are lowered gradually further into the water at the site of a rumored wreck.
At first, everything seems to be going well, the player’s equipment is working fine, and they get treated to the beautiful sight of the ocean life around them. But, as they get closer to the site, things start to go wrong. Radiation, malfunctioning equipment and potentially exposing a government secret are all things to be worried about, but the biggest danger to the player is the lurking great white shark.
