The Maw Review

BY Sufyan Bhatti | POSTED: 05 Febuary 2009

Alien evolution is simply Mawrvelous!



What is the maw ? Well, this is summed up perfectly by the boffins at Twisted Pixel, who state :

“The pinnacle of alien evolution, Maw is a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging. He can, however, absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and can grow to unlimited size. If he wasn't a danger to all life in the universe, he'd make the perfect pet.”



 The Maw is in its core a platforming/puzzle game, consisting of several levels that need to be ravaged for food. Frank must guide the Maw through a series of levels, as he tries to escape someone that captured them both earlier. Frank is a cookie cutter alien with the standard array of antennae and pupils. The Maw on the other hand is a lot more.... primordial... imagine a cross between a slug, and Mike Wazowski(the one eyed monster from “Monsters Inc.”), but with sharper teeth, and an appetite almost as big as its personality.

The story might be Mishy Mashy, but the game excels where it needs to – gameplay and visual design. The environment, the flora and fauna, and the actual main characters are bursting with brilliant bright colours, and everything glistens, with a Pixar feel to it. Cut-scenes are of a quality usually seen in higher priced games, and gets the job done effortlessly. All the animations are fluid and there are lots of little touches that make the game seem so much more alive, from the local inhabitants' reactions as they they see the Maw approaching, to the Maws gleeful bounce when Frank squeals his name. The sound design is also pleasing, as for most arcade games, sound is given little priority to keep costs down. The background music is calm and well suited to the laid back atmosphere, and the dialogue – unspoken- is witty and expressive.

Possibly the most endearing aspect of this game is the Maw, whose charm and personality eclipse his size, even towards the end of the game. Twisted Pixel certainly put a lot of effort into creating a rich, entertaining character, not only the Maw, but Frank and as well as all the other inhabitants of the planet. The entire game is seeping with charm and craftsmanship and it most certainly shows.



The gameplay itself is simple itself, being split into two distinct sections – one in which you have control of the Maw, and one in which you control the Maw with some type of Force-leash, that you can detach from the Maw, and use to manipulate other objects in the environment. There is no concept of dying in this game, nor are their timed challenges, so gameplay is as laidback as the player wishes. The basic premise is to have Frank feed the Maw, either by dragging it to food, or tossing the food to his gaping mouth, causing him to grow, once his needs are fulfilled. When the Maw is of sufficient size, he can pass through gates, leading to the next section. However, in order to get to the required size, the Maw must eat, and not all the food is easily available. This is where the puzzle-platforming come into play – the Maw can emulate the characteristics of certain animals, but they have to be subdued so they can be eaten first. Frank must use his wit to subdue the creatures, so the Maw can eat them. The concept is basic and nothing new, but it is very polished so the gameplay feels refreshed and refined.

However, there are a few minor quirks, here and there. The camera is a bit restrictive, and while the horizontal plane is all fine and well, things are a bit more restrictive on the vertical plane – you can't tilt the camera beyond a certain degree, which means you can't see very high. Sometimes, when small animals get knocked out, trying to get the Maw to navigate so he can eat them can be troublesome. All these are fairly minor annoyances, with the biggest disappointment being how short the game was. It is fairly easy to complete the entire game in around 3 to 4 hours, even without rushing it. Being this short, you cant help but feel that the developers left portions of it out.



So, in the end, The Maw is one of the better titles to come out on XBLA in the past few months, and has the quality of most top rate full priced games. The graphics are clean and colorful, the platforming/puzzles are solid, and the game is oozing with character. The only real downside that its a bit short, and ends somewhat prematurely.