The Maw

Twisted Pixel Games / March 9, 2009 / Rated Everyone 10+

Data last updated August 25, 2026

Released

2009

Publisher

Microsoft Studios

Time to beat

~1 hrs

Community

614

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0 playing now on Steam $9.99 on Steam 3 DLC available 83% positive (329 reviews) View on Steam →

System Requirements (PC) ↓

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP/Vista
Processor: AMD® Athlon® 64 2.2 GHz or equivalent
Memory: 1024 MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 300 MB Available HDD Space
Video Card: Nvidia® Geforce® 7600 256 MB or equivalent, (ATI® 2400 worked just as well)
Sound Card: DirectX® Compatible
DirectX® Version: DirectX® 9.0c
Controller Support: Xbox 360 controller and other DirectInput supported controller

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. In this action/adventure game, he's the best friend of our hero Frank, and only by working together can Maw eat their way to freedom. The Maw was honored with the Audience Choice Award in the 2008 PAX-10 showcase of independent games, and is a finalist at this year's Independent Games Festival for Technical Excellence.
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Full featured 3D action/adventure
Winner of the 2008 PAX 10 Audience Choice Award
Finalist in the 2009 Independent Games Festival
Unstoppable and insatiably hungry Maw that grows to limitless proportions
Cinemas with lots of personality and humor throughout the entire buddy-comedy storyline
Versatile leash for manipulating creatures and objects
Eight levels with varying puzzles and traps to overcome
Five unique creatures that instill Maw with five unique powers
Interactive soundtrack by award-winning composer Winifred Phillips
Additional levels available as downloadable content

The Maw is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. A port for Microsoft Windows developed by Hothead Games was released the same year. The game centers on the extraterrestrial pair Frank and The Maw, a purple, amorphous creature, whose spacecraft crashed on an alien planet. The player assumes the role of Frank and directs The Maw—which can take on the abilities of objects and fauna it consumes—via a leash.