Shark Dentist is a 'horror roguelike' that's basically The Meg mashed up with an early '90s Milton Bradley toy

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Shark Dentist. The words glared at me from my inbox. Shark Dentist. Chris Livingston brought them to the PC Gamer Slack channel, his curiosity fervent. Shark Dentist. Somewhere in the distance, a secretary began pounding her clipboard. Shark Dentist.

You are the Shark Dentist: Not a shark who is also a dentist (although that is also a game I want to play) but a dentist treating the rancid, rotten teeth of the world's most dangerous apex predators, who for some reason have been brought into your sketchy-ass office for their bi-annual checkup. They are anesthetized, but apparently only lightly: One false move could arouse them from their slumber, and that will be very bad for you.

As a one-person operation, you won't simply deal with teeth. You'll also need to monitor your patient's pulse, ensure adequate oxygen levels, and manage the anesthesia, all while dealing with some genuinely disgusting chompers, dripping, oozing, and stinking with... well, whatever sort of toothy trouble sharks get into.

Your tight budget goes beyond just an inability to hire help: Supplies are limited, and the equipment ain't great. Mistakes? Probably inevitable.

Shark Dentist is essentially a videogame take on Crocodile Dentist, the old Milton Bradley children's game, but with dramatically heightened tension, grotesquerie, and violent outcomes. On the other hand, it's probably less physically painful—you won't have a plastic jaw literally clomping down on your fist when you botch the job.

Just ask Bob Barker about that.

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Shark Dentist might be a bit of a one-trick pony, but as the saying goes, that's okay if the trick is good enough, and I think this one is pretty good. Is it something people will be playing for hours on end? Maybe not, although the depth of the dentistry simulation might be surprising. But even if it's best enjoyed in short bursts, Shark Dentist looks like just the right kind of dumb fun. And I mean, Shark Dentist—how can you not want to try that at least once?

A release date hasn't been announced but Shark Dentist is up for wishlisting now on Steam.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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