Shark or Die Review

Playing the bad guy is always a lot of fun, as it gives you a new perspective. In Shark or Die, you’ll quickly see that the lonely shark will die if it doesn’t chomp on beach-dwellers. In the end, guilt will override you and you’ll be helping the shark on its quest for carnage.

The goal in Shark or Die is to pass as many levels as possible before the shark’s hunger meter drops off. To do this, you must clear the water of humans. The trick is to approach them from behind so you don’t get spotted. If a human sees you, you’ll need to catch them before they reach one of the boats.

Each human reacts quite differently. Some will swim faster to safety, while others can alert swimmers around them. Each level has a few characters named after famous people, such as Sharkira, that award extra food when killed. If you hit a buoy, every human in the water will begin to run for a boat and you'll be out of luck. Stealth is a must when hunting prey.

This game and its online leaderboards come for free. However, those who want to remove ads or add more depth to the game can purchase any or all of the three in-app purchase expansions for $0.99 apiece. These include features like an upgrade and achievement system, more level scenarios and human types, and special abilities that can be chosen before starting a game to strengthen abilities with stealth and point bonuses.

Shark or Die is also universal, so if you buy the DLC on one device, you can download it for free on another. The game really comes to life on the iPad, with substantially more playing space and a multiplayer mode where you and a friend both control a shark on a single device and must survive longer than the other. It can be a little troublesome when you need to get to your shark on the other side of the screen, but this is more of an issue with sharing screen space. Another issue with the iPad version is that there isn’t any orientation flip.

Shark or Die’s follow-your-finger controls are must better than most games, allowing you to quickly snap around a buoy in order to eat a human hanging out around it. This also helps with the stealth aspect of the game, allowing you to move out of sight easily.

Playing through a game of Shark or Die can take considerable time. For quick-play sessions, we’d love the ability to start at a higher difficulty with some upgrade points immediately available.

As a free download, there isn’t a reason not to check out Shark or Die. Even without buying the upgrades, it has lasting power and just the right amount of depth to keep things interesting.