‘The Maw’ Review (XBLA)

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‘The Maw’ Review (XBLA)

Thu, Jan 22, 2009

themaw-feat1

New this week for the Xbox Live Arcade is Twisted Pixel Games' 3D action/adventure game and PAX 10 Audience Award Winner "The Maw."

Playing as the prototypical (yet adorable) humanoid alien Frank, you begin the game in lockdown aboard the ship of galactic bounty hunters. Within the ship's hold is a menagerie of the universe's most dangerous creatures -- of which, presumably, you are one -- chief among them being the eponymous Maw, "a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging, [who can] absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and can grow to unlimited size."

Surviving the ship's crash landing, Frank and Maw form an instant bond and, with the help of a handy plasma leash, team up to escape the planet of their former captors -- Frank the brains of the operation and Maw the ravenous brawn.

At only 150MB, "The Maw" is an impressively rich game: its graphics on a par with some full retail games, its original score and sound effects always an interesting complement to the action, its level design consistently clever and engaging. Combining aspects of 3D platformers and traditional puzzle-based adventure games, "The Maw's" gameplay mechanics are straight forward and familiar. You easily master Frank's attacks, dodges and interactions with Maw within the first few levels, yet the action never becomes rote. As the levels become more complex and the puzzles more difficult, you must, at times, venture off alone and it is in these moments you must employ the most creative problem solving. You're never alone for long, though; like a loyal, purple, gelatinous dog who could kill you at any moment, Maw is always just a call away. (P.S. Frank's "Maw" call is about as endearing as yelling gets.)

mawfrank

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of "The Maw" is the genuine, palpable sense of camaraderie between its protagonists -- an element difficult to achieve in a 60-hour fully-realized title, much less a four-hour (tops) XBLA game. Is it the voice acting, the pitch-perfect cutscenes, the subtle character animations, the gratuitous eye hugging? Whatever the case may be, as the game progresses and the first apprehensions of the end begin to creep up on you, no one will begrudge you a lingering search for that last Snuffle -- anything to delay the inevitable.

mawyell

Of course, "The Maw" is not entirely without its flaws. For one thing, it's over far too quickly, and, unfortunately, its replay value is rather low for anyone but a gamerscore fiend. My personal gripe with the game is that Frank's running speed is too slow. As eager as I was to explore "The Maw's" world, Frank simply couldn't keep up.

All told, "The Maw" is a charming, visually rich and genuinely fun game, well worth the $10 and pleasant afternoon you'll spend on it.

PAX, the maw, twisted pixel games, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade

This post was written by:

Marie Kare - who has written 152 posts on GameCyte.

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11 Comments For This Post

Alexander Galerakis Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:04 am
Where are mah starz? I need mah starz! Great review and game
Marie Kare Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:43 am
@Alex Haaha! Thanks! My mistake, adding stars now!
Chris Maguire Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:34 am
I've been playing DLC games almost exclusively recently, as they're nice and bite-sized but usually pretty creative.

Sometimes shortness isn't so bad!
Marie Kare Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
@Chris True, it isn't! It's nice being able to actually finish a game without a marathon weekend of playing.

I liked playing with Maw. I liked it when he ate the peacock/ostrich thing and shot laser beams from his eyes. I just wished I could play more. I demand a sequel!
Lynn Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
Maw is quite endearing! But his habit of eating adorable things makes me a little bit sad...
janice Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:31 am
oooh, this game looks SUPER fun! it makes me think of "futurama" or something! but if lynn's comment is right, and the maw eats adorable things... well, i might have to retreat to the world of "family glide hockey."
Zak Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:48 am
I felt like the last level was a bit of a letdown, so I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. Otherwise it was great fun!
Marie Kare Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
@zak... I see where you're coming from. The last level was probably the least challenging, but that closing cut scene was all d'awwwwww and made me forget. I felt touched even though frank hugged Maw's eyeball... and I find hugs repulsive.
Marie Kare Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:03 pm
@janice Dude, for reals! It's like if Kiff and Nibbler were stranded on an alien planet and had no choice but to eat their way out. You'd be all for that, right?

I'll admit it jarred me just a little the first time Maw ate a sweet little fuzzy thing, but, you know, sometimes the tastiest creatures are the most adorable.
Kelly Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I bought the game after reading your review, and I have to agree that it is the most adorable game ever. Who doesn't like a game where you eat cute things?

Its like Boy and His Blob meets Katamari, but more twisted
Marie Kare Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:43 pm
@kelly Hooray! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Cupcakes are cute AND delicious. Many cute things are delicious. I want a game where I eat nothing but cupcakes and destroy worlds. But I want that game to be my actual life.

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