Maneater has taken the world by storm over the past week! The idea of jumping into the mind of a shark and wreaking havoc on the local clusters of overly indulgent humans is the most amazing elevator pitch we’ve heard for a game in a long time.

Naturally, we jumped right in last friday. We’ve spent a week with the game already, and we’ve put together a handy dandy list of tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way. If you’ve already picked up the game - or you’re planning to in the future - you can use this list to help you get started, get an extra boost when you hit a tough spot, and even figure out the best way to use KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks with Maneater.

Without further ado, here are 5 Tips and Tricks to Become the Apex Predator in Maneater.

1. Use the slowdown time during the whipshot wisely.

Once you unlock the ability to whipshot you’ll be able to launch whatever you’re holding like a projectile. It’s easily one of the most satisfying mechanics in the game, and if you use the bullet-time slowdown wisely, you can cause a whole lot of mayhem.

2. High rise thumbsticks are PERFECT for thrashing

Another mechanic in the game that really helps with damaging smaller enemies is thrashing. Which involves moving your analog stick back and forth to simulate the shaking motion sharks make to shred their prey. We’ve found that a high-rise thumbstick is perfect for thrashing because it allows for the most precise control over the game’s camera.

3. The shark grows in size the more it eats. Even between levels!

Part of what makes Maneater’s core loop so satisfying is watching your shark grow before your very eyes! Especially when you’re first starting out, you’ll find that even between levels your shark gets more and more powerful as it grows. So make sure your shark gets a balanced diet and you’ll be a fully grown behemoth in no time!

4. Be on the lookout for billboards featuring easter eggs of actual Tripwire employees.

This is more just a fun piece of trivia, but many of the hilarious billboards for fake products feature exaggerated illustrations of actual members of the Tripwire Interactive dev team!

5. Get tricky with it

If you jump out of the water, you can actually pull off some really fun flip tricks by pushing the analog stick forward or backward. Not only is it really fun in a skating game kind of way, it’s also a great way to position your shark so that it’s right where you want it to bite.