The Maw on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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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 a indie, action and platformer game
developed and published by Twisted Pixel Games.
Released on March 09th 2009 is available only on Windows
in 8 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Korean, Japanese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 345 reviews of which 289 were positive and 56 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.8 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 9.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified The Maw into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- 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
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The Maw, developed and published by Twisted Pixel Games, is a charming and imaginative action-adventure title that captures the essence of what made early digital download games so memorable. It tells the story of Frank, a small, horned alien who finds himself stranded on a strange planet after a spacecraft crash. His only companion is the Maw, an amorphous purple creature with an insatiable appetite and an oddly endearing personality. What unfolds over the course of several levels is a blend of platforming, puzzle-solving, and light exploration, all centered on the unique relationship between Frank and his gluttonous sidekick. The game’s premise is refreshingly straightforward, yet it manages to build a surprisingly emotional connection between the two protagonists while maintaining a playful tone throughout. At its core, The Maw is driven by a single mechanic: consumption. The Maw eats almost everything in its path, from small critters to large structures, and each meal helps it grow in size and power. As it devours the local fauna, it sometimes gains new abilities that temporarily alter how you interact with the environment—breathing fire, floating through the air, or shocking enemies with bursts of electricity. These powers are used to solve environmental puzzles and open up new areas, creating a steady rhythm of discovery and experimentation. Guiding the Maw is Frank, who uses a leash-like energy tether to direct the creature and keep it from wandering too far. This partnership gives the gameplay a sense of cooperation and dependency: Frank provides direction, while the Maw provides muscle. Watching the creature evolve from a small, docile blob into a planet-sized force of nature is both amusing and oddly satisfying, a visual metaphor for the escalating chaos of the adventure. What sets The Maw apart from other small-scale indie titles of its era is its presentation. Twisted Pixel imbues the game with a high level of polish and personality, rare for a studio working on a relatively modest budget at the time. The environments are vibrant and colorful, evoking the charm of animated sci-fi worlds like those of Pixar or classic platformers from the early 2000s. The animation is fluid, particularly for the Maw itself, whose expressions and movements convey a surprising amount of emotion for what is essentially a blob with teeth. The sound design complements the visuals beautifully, with upbeat and atmospheric music that mirrors the tone of each level. The playful melodies shift effortlessly between lighthearted exploration and moments of mild tension, maintaining the game’s whimsical atmosphere even when the action intensifies. The overall mood is one of wonder and humor rather than menace, making it approachable for players of all ages. The simplicity of the gameplay works both in its favor and against it. On one hand, the controls are intuitive, and the puzzles are designed to flow naturally, rarely requiring more than observation and timing to solve. The game’s pacing is smooth and forgiving, encouraging players to experiment with the Maw’s growing powers without fear of failure. On the other hand, this same accessibility can leave more experienced players wanting greater depth. There are few real consequences for mistakes, and the challenge level never escalates beyond mild problem-solving and light exploration. Once you understand the pattern—eat, grow, gain ability, move forward—the game unfolds predictably. It’s a structure that works perfectly for a relaxed, story-driven experience but may disappoint those expecting more complex systems or combat mechanics. Still, the restraint in design feels intentional. Twisted Pixel clearly aimed for a concise, focused experience rather than an overextended one, and in that regard, The Maw succeeds admirably. Narratively, the game keeps things minimalistic, telling its story through actions, animations, and expressions rather than dialogue. Frank and the Maw communicate through gestures and sounds, building a wordless rapport that becomes the emotional center of the experience. The Maw’s childlike curiosity and bottomless hunger lend it both innocence and danger, and the bond between it and Frank grows more nuanced as the levels progress. The game subtly touches on themes of companionship, survival, and the uncontrollable nature of growth. There’s a sense of bittersweet progression as you realize that the Maw’s appetite, while useful, could become its undoing—or yours. Without ever spelling it out, the story evokes a kind of friendship forged through necessity, one that teeters between comedy and melancholy by the end. The result is a narrative that feels complete despite its simplicity, relying on charm and visual storytelling rather than exposition. Despite its many strengths, The Maw’s biggest limitation is its length. The entire adventure can be completed in just a few hours, and once the story concludes, there is little incentive to return. Optional achievements and collectible creatures provide some replay value, but they don’t significantly extend the experience. The brief runtime, however, feels in line with the game’s design philosophy—it was never intended to be an expansive odyssey, but rather a concise, well-paced story about two unlikely friends. The tight focus ensures that the game doesn’t overstay its welcome, though it also leaves players wishing there were a few more levels to explore or additional powers to experiment with. Twisted Pixel would later expand upon the universe in other projects, but The Maw remains the purest expression of the studio’s knack for humor, personality, and straightforward fun. What makes The Maw endure is its sincerity. It’s a game unburdened by cynicism or unnecessary complexity, content to offer a few hours of imaginative escapism grounded in solid design and heartfelt presentation. The relationship between Frank and the Maw carries more emotional weight than expected, and the journey from crash site to freedom unfolds with warmth and humor. While it doesn’t challenge the genre’s boundaries, it refines a simple concept into a polished and memorable adventure. Twisted Pixel’s craftsmanship and affection for its characters shine through in every detail, from the expressive animation to the gentle pacing. The Maw may be short, but it’s also sweet—an example of how creativity and charm can make a small-scale game feel big in spirit. For anyone who appreciates clever mechanics, bright aesthetics, and the kind of storytelling that relies on emotion rather than exposition, The Maw remains a delightful gem worth revisiting. Rating: 8/10
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Great game from our childhoods. If you have never played The Maw, don't expect much as it is a simple and old game. Runs well at high resolutions. Beware an annoying bug which will force you to re-do levels if you want 100% completion: do not throw food into Maw's mouth as sometimes the food will be thrown across a level, never to be found. I found this to be both annoying and to introduce tedium when trying to 100% levels.
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Great game from the past. One of my fav Xbox 360 games that I still play on my Xbox Series X. But great to be able to max the pixels up.
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I played the demo to this game back on the Xbox 360 years ago. I'm glad I finally got to enjoy the full game and live out my childhood again. <3 Maw
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Was looking for a similar looking game of my childhood, found this instead. I don't regret it, very fun game and easy to learn. Camera controls are a bit meh though.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Maw is currently priced at 9.99€ on Steam.
The Maw is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 9.99€ on Steam.
The Maw received 289 positive votes out of a total of 345 achieving a rating of 7.80.
😊
The Maw was developed and published by Twisted Pixel Games.
The Maw is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Maw is not playable on MacOS.
The Maw is not playable on Linux.
The Maw is a single-player game.
There are 3 DLCs available for The Maw. Explore additional content available for The Maw on Steam.
The Maw does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Maw does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Maw is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Maw.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 23 October 2025 23:06 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 31 October 2025 03:50 |
| Steam price | 31 October 2025 20:46 |
| Steam reviews | 30 October 2025 19:53 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Maw, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Maw
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Maw concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Maw compatibility
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Developer
Twisted Pixel Games
Publisher
Twisted Pixel Games
Release
09 Mar 2009
Platforms