Gamer reviews for Hungry Shark Evolution

Chomp your way to victory

Hungry Shark Evolution is one of the most popular games available on handheld devices. It features some stunning graphics, hilarious audio and fantastic gameplay that will keep you coming back time and time again until you have evolved into all the sharks on offer. The game is developed by Future Games of London, who are best known for this shark-life simulator, and their pool sim, Pool Bar HD. Quite how you go from sharks to pool (not of the swimming variety) is unclear, but the developers clearly have a talent for great-looking games.

The premise behind Hungry Shark is that you start off at the bottom rung of the ladder, as a lowly Reef Shark, and must chomp your way through fish, divers, sunbathers, birds and turtles, until your shark's stomach is large and swollen. After you have accumulated enough points, you can 'purchase' the next evolutionary stage (according to the game at least, it doesn't exactly follow Darwin's work!), or the next shark type. There are a total of six on offer, each occupying a different stage of the food chain.

You steer your shark around a two dimensional map, either using tilt controls or an on screen display. If you have a tablet then you should certainly try to use the tilt controls as it is one of the most fun games to implement this setting. You can swim up to the surface and jump out of the water to eat swimmers and paragliders, and down deep into the ocean, providing your shark is advanced enough to be able to survive the intense water pressure, to snack on some of the rarer creatures.

The game also features a large variety of upgrades - you can deck your shark out with accessories, as well as purchasing items to make your quest for food easier. Things like maps showing you where all the hidden treasure can be found, or antidotes to remedy a poisonous jellyfish sting, always come in handy. The game itself is free to download, but there are unobtrusive in-app purchase if you want them. If your shark takes too many hits from some of the bigger creatures in the sea (some of which can kill it in one), or goes too long without eating, it will die - at which point you can spend some premium currency to keep him alive. This is effectively a Continue, and while it does take some of the challenge out of the game, it is a good solution to the age-old problem of how to finance a cheap game. You can also purchase some unnecessary accessories for your Shark - things like Santa hats, which are humorous, but not needed. There are also some to choose from that you can just buy with regular Coins accumulated from your tour of the sea.

As mentioned above, Hungry Shark Evolution is a beautiful game, one of the best looking available. The underwater world looks fantastic, and all of the sharks are well-designed and animated. They are on the cartoony side, but that just helps to give them more character. There is a satisfying amount of blood for a of this sort game, and the sound that accompanies your shark chowing down on a hapless diver is sure to bring a smile. The areas where the game feels a little light are in terms of variety. It's always addictive to take your shark for a swim and see if you can beat your score (by keeping it alive for the longest possible). But there is only one map on offer, and while new areas effectively become available to you as you unlock more sharks, the chance for some more variety would be appreciated.

You probably won't spend hours on end playing this game, it's more the sort of experience you will dip in and out of, using it to show off the technical prowess of your device, and the fun and humour of the game itself. You will find yourself returning to try to beat your score, and that of your friends, as well as aiming for the next shark on the evolutionary scale. Hungry Shark Evolution is one of those games that has to be played and experienced - it's hard not to come away from it without a smile on your face, and while you may find yourself a bit restricted by the game's setting, you're sure to enjoy the time you and your sharks spend there.