The Maw

The heart warming opening scene of The Maw allows you the opportunity to really get to know the different characters in the game. You are introduced to your two main characters, a friendly cute little blue human-like alien named Frank, and a friendly but glutinous purple blob that has a ravenous appetite for practically anything that breathes. Maw, with his purple head and his bright green tongue, kind of looks like a one-eyed, deformed, baby version of Barney the Dinosaur.

The game starts with Frank and Maw who are initially captured by a force of faceless army aliens, but escape when the prison ship crash lands. Frank and Maw must work together to ensure that their new found freedom isn't short-lived. Frank finds a plasma leash and once he is connected to Maw, through the leash, Frank gets to control it. Maw starts out roughly half the size of Frank, but grows larger by the end of the game as the more he eats the bigger he gets, allowing him to complete puzzles and progress through the game. Some creatures Maw eats grant him special abilities. For example if he eats a huge Dung Beetle look a-like called a Beetull, he will be able to crash through things, and when Maw eats a fiery Gastro lizard, he will be able to breathe fire and burn anything in his path.

The Maw is a pretty easy game to get into. There are no tutorials, so you're left exploring the area and figuring things out for yourself, which is a fresh take to the usual boring text boxes. The controls are simple, and you'll be prompted when a button is required to perform the needed function.

There is no dialogue in The Maw, but strangely enough it is not needed as there is no shortage of emotions, character personalities and cute noises that tell a story of their own. The aim of The Maw is to solve puzzles and figure which ability Maw will need to have in order to solve a puzzle, or what size he needs to be before proceeding to the next stage of the level. Some of the puzzles can be challenging but are extremely rewarding once you have figured them out. A nice touch to the game is the fact that Frank can do an awesome Bullet Time Maneuver when in the line of incoming fire. Time slows down and Frank dodges the bullets – pretty cool feature for an arcade game.

The graphics are surprisingly clear, colourful and particularly detailed. Each stage is different, with unique imaginative areas to explore. These stages make you want to explore every detail of them, trying to find which trees you can burn, which you can pound and what force fields you can short circuit by throwing innocent electric creatures into them.

One flaw I did pick up on my second play through was after the first stage saved the screen went black. I could still hear Frank and Maw in the background but there was no picture, I ended up having to quit to the main menu and restart the game as there was nothing I could do to solve this. Maybe this is just something to keep in mind. The game was also short, and I felt that there could have been a few more levels, even though the 8 levels in the game were all amazing. I think they decided to only have 8 levels to get you wanting more at the end. Another complaint is the beetull steering, which is extremely difficult to maneuver and can be frustrating at times.

Besides the few flaws, the puzzles were challenging but rewarding. The load times were quick and both Frank and Maw are easy to control except for when Maw has the beetull power. The main characters are very entertaining and I found myself smiling through most of the game.

The Maw is definitely worth the 800 MS Points – no doubt about it. There is DLC planned for The Maw called the Deleted Scenes Pack, which adds 3 extra levels - a real bonus, however, each new level is going to cost 100 MS Points. Is it going to be worth the price? I think so.

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