During my youth, my friends and I would engage in Grand Theft Auto III in a manner that deviated from the original intentions of the makers. Rather than engaging in objectives and side activities, we would employ cheat codes to acquire a substantial arsenal of firearms and a high-quality vehicle, thereby preserving the game in that particular state. Subsequently, we would alternate in replenishing that reserve and endeavoring to outlive the law enforcement officers for as long as possible. I am acquainted with several individuals who have engaged in GTA in this manner, seeing it as an unconventional and solitary round-robin game including carjacking and chaos. Presently, an individual has developed a complete game that replicates the timeless encounter.
The game Maniac, currently available on the Steam platform, was proposed by the publisher in an email as a potential successor to Grand Theft Auto and Vampire Survivors. Initially, I was uncertain about the precise meaning of that. However, once engaging in a brief period of gameplay with Maniac, it became apparent that this enjoyable, eccentric, and exaggerated criminal spectacle only replicates the aforementioned, archetypal Grand Theft Auto (GTA) encounter, wherein one witnesses the duration of their survival under pursuit by law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the military within the confines of the town.
Maniac’s fundamental gameplay cycle is as follows: The player is placed in a city that is produced randomly and contains various elements commonly found in Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games, such as residents, police officers, firearms, and more. Subsequently, you instigate a multitude of chaos, amass funds, and endeavor to endure for a duration of 20 minutes. Subsequently, the city is under nuclear attack. However, reaching that juncture is a challenge, given the highly assertive nature of police enforcement and their readiness to employ lethal force in order to apprehend individuals. In order to increase the likelihood of winning, it is necessary to engage in the act of stealing arbitrary cars and acquiring new firearms and upgrades that are randomly generated.
Upon your demise (which is inevitable), you can subsequently utilize your unlawfully acquired funds to enhance diverse capabilities during intervals. For instance, you have the ability to enhance the durability or speed of your character. You can also enhance their lethality or improve their ability to steal automobiles. You can also obtain an upgrade that persuades random non-player characters (NPCs) in the city to align with your cause and initiate the act of killing random law enforcement officers and citizens.
Game | As of | Player count[a] | Release date | Publisher(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Candy Crush Saga | March 24, 2023 | 500 million | April 12, 2012 | King | [1] |
Call of Duty: Mobile | May 2021 | 500 million downloads[b] | October 1, 2019 | Activision | [2] |
Among Us | November 2020 | 485 million[c] | June 15, 2018 | InnerSloth | [3] |
Mini World | April 2020 | 400 million | December 26, 2015 | Miniwan | [4] |
Sonic Dash | February 2020 | 350 millionManiac | March 7, 2013 | Sega | [5] |
Helix Jump | December 2018 | 334 million | February 10, 2018 | Voodoo | [6] |
Gardenscapes: New Acres | May 2020 | 324 million | August 2016 | Playrix | [7] |
Homescapes | May 2020 | 312 million | August 2017 | Playrix | [7] |
PUBG Mobile | August 2023 | 300 million | March 2018 | Tencent games | [8] |
Super Mario Run | August 2018 | 300 million | December 15, 2016 | Nintendo | [9] |
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle | August 2019 | 300 million | January 30, 2015 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | [10] |
Township | May 2020 | 274 million | February 24, 2012 | Playrix | [7] |
Knives Out | September 2018 | 250 million | November 2017 | NetEase | [11] |
Angry Birds 2 | December 2019 | 230 million | July 30, 2015 | Rovio Entertainment | [12] |
Honor of Kings / Arena of Valor | December 2017 | 200 million peak monthly players | November 26, 2015 | Tencent Games | [13] |
QQ Speed Mobile / Speed Drifters | January 2020 | 200 million | December 29, 2017 | TiMi Studios / Tencent Games / Garena | [14] |
Fishdom | May 2020 | 173 million | June 18, 2008 | Playrix | [7] |
Rise Up | December 2018 | 162 million | 2018 | Serkan Özyılmaz | [15] |
PES 2018 Mobile | August 2018 | 150 million | September 12, 2017 | Konami | [16] |
War Robots | January 2020 | 150 million | April 14, 2014 | Pixonic | [17] |
World of Tanks | March 2016 | 140 million | August 12, 2010 | Wargaming | [18] |
Mario Kart Tour | October 2019 | 123.9 million | September 25, 2019 | Nintendo | [19] |
Ice Age Village | 2013 | 120 million | April 5, 2012 | Gameloft | [20] |
FIFA Mobile (Now EA FC) | January 2018 | 113 million | October 1, 2016 | EA Sports | [21] |
Subway Surfers | July 2019 | 100 million monthly players | May 24, 2012 | SYBO Games | [22] |
Tiao Yi Tiao | January 2018 | 100 million peak daily players | December 2017 | Tencent Games | [23] |
Drag Racing | February 2013 | 100 million | April 2011 | Creative Mobile | [24] |
Junior Three Kingdoms | January 2018 | 100 million | March 2015 | Youzu Interactive | [25] |
Ludo King | December 2018 | 100 million | December 17, 2016 | Gametion Technologies Pvt Ltd | [26] |
One Piece Treasure Cruise | February 2019 | 100 million | May 12, 2014 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | [27] |
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes | November 2021 | 100 million | November 24, 2015 | Electronic Arts | [28] |
White Cat Project | June 2016 | 100 million | July 14, 2014 | Colopl | [29] |
Hearthstone | November 2018 | 100 million | March 11, 2014 | Blizzard Entertainment | [30] |
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links | October 2019 | 100 million | November 17, 2016 | Konami | [31] |
Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen | May 2019 | 100 million | May 20, 2015 | Tencent Games | [32] |
Sky: Children of the Light | July 2021 | 100 million | July 18, 2019 | thatgamecompany | [33] |
Mr Love: Queen’s Choice | July 2019 | 90 million | December 14, 2017 | Elex | [34] |
The Battle Cats | August 2023 | 84 million | September 17, 2014 | PONOS | [35] |
Disney Tsum Tsum | November 2018 | 80 million | January 29, 2014 | Line Corporation | [36] |
Puzzle & Dragons | January 2019 | 80 million | February 20, 2012 | GungHo Online Entertainment | [37] |
The Simpsons: Tapped Out | April 2020 | 80 million | February 29, 2012 | Electronic Arts | [38] |
Marvel: Avengers Alliance | March 2015 | 70 million | March 1, 2012 | Disney Interactive | [39] |
Genshin Impact | February 2023 | 65 million | September 28, 2020 | Hoyoverse | |
Angry Birds Friends | August 2013 | 60 million | February 13, 2012 | Rovio Entertainment | [40] |
Seven Knights | February 2021 | 60 million | February 5, 2016 | Netmarble Japan | [41] |
Fate/Grand Order | February 2021 | 57 million | July 30, 2015 | Aniplex / Type-Moon | [42] |
Bleach: Brave Souls | February 2021 | 55 million | July 23, 2015 | KLab | [43] |
Gods of Boom | October 2018 | 55 million | May 18, 2017 | Game Insight | [44] |
Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire | January 2019 | 51 million | June 29, 2017 | MZ | [45] |
Clash Royale | September 2018 | 50 million daily players | March 2, 2016 | Supercell | [46] |
Flappy Bird | February 2014 | 50 million | May 24, 2013 | dotGears | [47] |
LINE Rangers | March 2018 | 50 million | February 28, 2014 | Line Corporation | [48] |
Maniac is frivolous and fortunately not grounded on reality.
Upon launching Maniac, I harbored apprehensions over the continued enjoyment of engaging in the activities of mowing down and running over individuals in the year 2024. The increasing hyper-realism of GTA games has posed a significant challenge. Abruptly, engaging in a series of shootings in GTA V became less enjoyable. Fortunately, Maniac avoids this issue by employing a top-down camera, similar to the previous GTA games, resulting in a sense of remoteness and difficulty in interpretation.
Was the individual in question female? A child? What is a fire hydrant? Uncertain, however, I collided with a speed limit of 100 MPH while operating an ice cream truck, thus I have additional concerns to attend to.
Maniac employs a cartoonish artistic style that deliberately avoids realism. In this realm, haphazard mafia members roam in groups, while infant carriages dispense currency upon encountering them. The initial character encountered in the video game Maniac, prior to the introduction of subsequent “heroes,” is an inebriated individual adorned in the attire of Santa Claus.
Indeed, the game comprehends that the one means of ensuring its success is to derive enjoyment from it and ensure that all the violent and unlawful activities are very eccentric and absurd.
Maniac, similar to Vampire Survivors or Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, is highly captivating and difficult to abandon. Each run is intentionally limited to a maximum duration of 20 minutes, and your performance improves with each crime spree as you acquire knowledge of the game and receive enhanced upgrades. The unpredictable map and turmoil contribute to the uniqueness of each run. I frequently found myself abstaining from running. With these recent enhancements, I am confident that I can now acquire a nuclear weapon. Subsequently, I found myself engaged in a two-hour duration of gameplay.
If one has a fondness for instigating disorder in previous Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games and yearns for an era characterized by a less realistic and more eccentric franchise, Maniac presents an ideal reversion to the traditional top-down criminal gameplay, but with the inclusion of roguelike random aspects and improvements. Assemble a group of companions, connect a gaming console, and distribute it among them to determine who can endure the longest encounter with law enforcement, resembling the events of 2002.
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