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It's a great time for those of us who enjoy Indie Games.  On each of the major game consoles, several unique titles are available for download, provided you have the necessary points or a credit card.  Sadly, this wasn't always the case.  During the Xbox360 launch, many of us feared the worst--that evil corporations were turning our artsy video games into mere commodities.

Games like Castle Crashers, Braid, and now The Maw have finally put those fears to rest (or have they?).  How are these games developed by small teams of basement dwellers able to compete against behemoths like EA's Madden franchise?  Well, that isn't exactly their direct competition, but they're able to win over the discerning gamer by including unique gameplay elements.

Braid drew in audiences with its somber music, puzzle based 2D-platforming, and time-altering gameplay.  Castle Crashers pasted some RPG elements onto the classic brawler genre, made it four players, and called it a day.  Wait.  Why am I discussing these delightful downloads when I'm supposed to be reviewing The Maw?  Well to put it simply, it's because this tasty morsel also deserves a spot in the downloadable Hall of Fame.

What makes The Maw special?  It's not the sickeningly sweet graphics; rather, it's the unique gameplay that many claim gives Kirby a run for its money.  In The Maw, you control a stereotypical blue alien named Frank (he's gotta have a forgettable name too, right?), but the real star of the show is your purple, carnivorous sidekick: The Maw.  Like Kirby, The Maw can inhale other creatures with ease.

Unlike that cutesy series of 2D platformers, The Maw inhabits a 3D plane.  Frank controls similarly to heroes of other 3D platformers: the left analog stick moves, the right stick rotates the camera, and you'll use a face button to jump.  Standard stuff, right?  Well, this is where things get interesting.  In The Maw, you move as Frank, but you also have control of your purple pal via electronic leash.

All you have to do is tap the x-button to drag your monstrous friend to wherever your heart desires, or you can summon him through a high-pitched yell if he's far away.  Some games with computer controlled sidekicks have brain-dead AI, but fortunately, The Maw is not one of these.

So, you can move your initially small purple pal, but what else can you do?  There are no blasters or beam swords in this sci-fi game.  Instead, you'll search for a healthy lunch.  The Maw can eat all kinds of tasty morsels, but since he starts out small, he can initially only eat creatures that he dwarfs.

By eating innocent pink puffs (jab at Kirby anyone?) the Maw eventually grows into a monstrous beast (make that a cute monstrous beast) that could easily squash Frank if he were clumsy.  Now you're probably thinking, "So, the Maw grows bigger.  So what?"  Size does matter, but more importantly, the Maw can inhale creatures that will grant him abilities.

The Maw can gain the ability to spew flames, fly for short distances, and can even shoot lasers out of his eye.  In Kirby, you'd use moves like this to damage your foes, but The Maw has a different agenda.

Instead of filleting your foes, you'll use your abilities to interact with the environment and solve puzzles.  Each level plays out like a course in Mario or Banjo Kazooie--you must complete certain tasks before you can reach the exit.  There are minor trinkets to collect, but most are optional, and only serve to provide you with achievements.

The Maw's abilities are fun to use, but how's the level design?  Most levels are short, but sweet like your favorite candy bar, but others seem to never end like that experimental cake you made that has gone untouched for a month.  The short levels have simple objectives that provide very little challenge for those who've played plenty of 3D platformers.

You'll spend most of your time inhaling enemies that can be used to pass environmental obstacles.  See a tree in the way?  Find an enemy engulfed in flames and inhale him.  "Hmm...in that state the creature is indigestible."  Next you'll have to figure out how to douse the enemy. Once you've solved that problem, you'll be ready to barbeque!

That's a relatively simple puzzle, but you'll also face some mind-benders.  Perhaps I was tired while playing, but two levels gave me some trouble.  One puzzle involved figuring out how to inflate the Maw like a balloon and pass an electric wall, while another had me trapped in a room with a raging, horned beetle.

I eventually solved both puzzles, but it would have been nice if The Maw explained each of your moves.  Sometimes, I had the general idea of what to do, but I couldn't figure out the correct button combination, or was missing one minor step.  A tutorial of some sort, or a help system would have helped immensely. Still, The Maw is a relatively short game, so I didn't gain too many gray hairs.

Having talented level designers is essential, but nice visuals always serve to enhance a package.  In this respect, The Maw delivers in spades.  Most downloadable games feature rudimentary 2D or 3D graphics (although this is changing), but The Maw delivers an impressive looking 3D world.

The environments are massive, with no pop-in, and the colorful visuals look gorgeous in HD.  Even though the visual aesthetic isn't as quite as impressive as Wall-E, it still manages to emanate a Pixar-like vibe. The characters (especially the Maw) look great, and they animate beautifully.  The huge environments are also colorful, but the textures aren't all that impressive when compared with those in retail blockbusters.

Having great animations certainly helped The Maw, because there is no text or voice throughout the entire game.  The development team, Twisted Pixel, skimped on voice acting to save money, but they still managed to execute the animation-based story brilliantly.

I'm used to playing games with walls of text or voice acting, so it was actually quite refreshing to play a short title where the story was told simply through animations.  The story is fairly simple, but the animations are humorous, and get the job done.

The Maw's animations are quite impressive, but the sound direction leaves something to be desired.  Each creature has cutesy little noises that admittedly match the game's aesthetic, but I didn't find the soundtrack to be that memorable.

It wasn't that there was anything particularly wrong with it, but the score just didn't resonate with me as much as the music found in Braid or Castle Crashers.  Even so, I'm thankful that Twisted Pixel decided to develop an original score instead of using licensed music.

Most of my time spent with The Maw felt like eating a delicious slice of cake.  A little more frosting could have been added, but overall it was an experience that satisfied my rumbling stomach.  More hours of gameplay would have made me full, but $10 is a decent value for three quality-filled hours.

If you enjoy polished Indie games, try The Maw.  It may end earlier than Castle Crashers and Braid, but there is no filler.  Just open wide, and start devouring!

Score: 8.0

Pros:

• Inhaling innocent creatures is fun
• Burning down forests is even better
• The balloon morph
• Plenty of gameplay variety
• Impressive 3D graphics
• Great animation

Cons:

• Only lasts three hours
• Tutorials for moves or hints would be nice
• Slow character movement
• Annoying sound effects
• Slow-mo effects are cheesy