Jump to content

The Maw


Keyofx

Recommended Posts

Twisted Pixel is about to unleash its original IP on an unsuspecting world in the form of The Maw. It's an Xbox Live Arcade title slated to arrive on January 21, 2009. One week ahead of mankind's destruction at the hands--or mouth--of this unknown threat, we thought it made good sense to continue conducting business as usual. Then we had a chance to interview Josh Bear, co-founder of Twisted Pixel, CCO and the Director responsible for The Maw. Naturally, we decided to give that a shot.

 

Below are the questions we asked, followed by the answers we were given. It's the usual sort of stuff you'd expect from an interview, if 'usual' can ever really be used to describe discussion about a project such as... The Maw!

 

 

 

Q: Where did you get the idea for The Maw? Was there a game or two that inspired it, or were things more spontaneous?

 

The original idea for the game came from conversations Dave Leung (art director of The Maw) and I had years ago about what types of games we would like to make. We would spend weekends hanging out just doodling sketches and talking about cool games in general. Dave really wanted to make a game where empathy for characters was a big deal, similar to how "ICO" on the Playstation 2 had characters that depended on each other and that players actually cared about. That is how the whole idea started.

 

Q: Besides Maw himself, is there any one element about the game that you feel is a real selling point?

 

I think the bond between Maw and Frank is the key selling point of the game. Caring about the relationship between those two characters is more important than how many powers, levels, or any other number or statistics that games like to have. If the friendship and interaction between those two don't work, then the whole game doesn't really work, and it isn't a new experience for players. Thankfully, I really think we pulled off the personality and relationship factors, and I'm really looking forward to players experiencing it.

 

Q: Teamwork with Maw looks like it will play a major role throughout the game. Some previous games have used the idea of protagonists tethered together with varying results. Were there any pitfalls that you had to work especially hard to avoid?

 

There were a lot of minor things, for example when Frank is leashed to Maw, what happens if they run the leash through a tree or other object? We didn't want the player to ever feel like they are hooked on something and can't move, and various other little gameplay quirks that could take them out of the game. Most importantly though, we wanted the controls to feel like you were attached to Maw. A lot of games in the past that have had characters tethered together use one or two animations to do so, and let the tethering wire or whatever kind of just connect the characters. We spent a lot of time on our animations, making sure that it looked like Frank was really manuevering around with Maw. We also speed up and slow down Frank, for example when Maw is in front of you and you are moving forward, you move faster than if Maw is behind you, where Frank will move a little slower so Maw can catch up. One late night when designing this out, Sean Riley (lead designer on The Maw) and I went as far as to actually act this out in the office hallway, with a real leash and everything. It was a sad sight for the other team members that walked in on us acting out the animations! Overall though, I think it was worth it, and would act like a complete fool again if it would help us nail down the look of a specific animation or gameplay hook.

 

Q: Regarding level design, is there one true path through most areas or are things more sandbox-style? Do puzzles factor in at all?

 

Every level is designed to have one true path to complete, but there is a sandbox approach to eating, so players can run around and feed Maw in different ways. This was done purposely, as we wanted players to have more of an experience than to wander aimlessly and be unsure of what to do. I think overall it was the right choice for this game and I am really pleased with the end result. There are also level puzzles that must be completed, so players just can't power through from beginning to end. The puzzles require Maw to earn new powers by eating specific creatures in the game, which keeps the game new and fresh for every area that is explored.

 

Q: After a player has finished the game once, does The Maw feature new content to make a second trip through the game especially rewarding?

 

We have some fun achievements in the game, some that require the player to use certain Maw powers in different ways, and achievements that require players to find all the various creatures that are hiding in the game. We have also included free gamerpics and a premium theme in the game for players to earn, which is something we were really excited to do, and hope to push even further in future games that we make.

 

Q: The Xbox 360 tends to attract a large number of core gamers who have made clear their preference for meaty and often difficult games. What does The Maw have to offer that crowd?

 

I think The Maw offers an experience that currently isn't available on Xbox Live Arcade. The game isn't overly difficult, or tediously long...it is a game that younger and older players can all enjoy, and we are very proud of that. I think The Maw has a tremendous amount of character to it, which is something that a lot of games are missing right now. If an older core gamer came up to me and asked me why they should bother downloading The Maw, I would say "Because it is awesome dude". And then hopefully they would smile and say "Yeah, you're right". And then we would do a big high five.

 

Q: Was The Maw begun with Xbox Live Arcade in mind, or did it just evolve in that direction over the course of its development?

 

The original idea of the game came about years before the 360 was available, so we didn't really have a direction for what console or service it would ever be on. It was just a bunch of really cool ideas that probably would have taken a huge team several years to make. Jump forward a few years later when Twisted Pixel was formed and since our focus was and is downloadable games, the original idea for The Maw had to be scaled down somewhat. Not really due to being on Xbox Live Arcade, but just the fact that we are a small company and only have so many people and so much money. The important thing is that the core factors of the game stayed intact: empathy for characters, personality, and fun.

 

Q: You've mentioned Granny 3D as a tool that allowed you to compress things down to work as an Xbox Live Arcade download. What made you settle on that option?

 

Animation was something I was very nervous about at the beginning of the project...when we started The Maw our memory limit was 50 Meg, and I was wondering how we were going to pull it off since I wanted a ton of animation in the game. Our CTO Frank Wilson did a lot of research on how we could solve the problem, and found that solution in Granny 3D. It is a great tool and we are very happy with the results. We have something like 2 GB of data that has been compressed to fit under 150 Meg, and you can't tell a visible difference. It is very awesome.

 

Q: What can you tell us about the size of the team responsible for The Maw? Have the team members worked on any particular games that we might have enjoyed over the years?

 

I could go on and on about our team members...they are a great group of people who have a ton of experience in the industry. Sean Riley (lead designer), Mike Henry (lead programmer) and Dave Leung (art director) are all veterans of the industry that we had worked with on some cool titles in the past ("The Haunted Mansion", "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy", "Ben 10") and that we knew could make a great game. We also had a few new guys come in (Sterling Williams, Sean Conway) to help us out and they did a great job. I also have to give a shout out to our IT Manager John Bodek, who took on the task of sound programming. These guys did whatever it took to get the game fun and finished on time, and I think you will see the results next week when the game is released.

 

Q: Before we go, is there any parting thought you'd like to leave with our readers who might be considering The Maw?

 

Maw is actually real, and if you don't at least go check out the game, he will come to your house and eat you and your family. So for your sake, and your family's sake, please check it out and have a good time.

 

[source]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's out!

 

147 MB.

 

ROFL @ the game. I don't think you can get any cuter than this :(

 

I'm *this* close to buying it, and the only thing stopping me (momentarily) is a teeny tiny concern about longevity. The gameplay seems simple enough to let you run through the game pretty quickly.

 

It's also worth noting that you can unlock gamerpics and a PREMIUM theme on game completion. Very nice of them to throw in a premium theme for free when everyone else is charging 250 MSP for one. And these are worthwhile extras because there is NO WAY you wouldn't want to use a Maw gamerpic or theme once you play the game :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eurogamer 7/10

 

With production values to rival most full-price platform games, The Maw is certainly an eye-catching addition to the Xbox Live Arcade line-up. It's also an entertaining one, even if the amusement is rather short-lived.

 

It's the saga of a peace-loving alien called Frank. Snatched by extra-terrestrial bounty hunters for reasons unknown, his calming psychic powers allow him to befriend a cyclopean gelatinous blob also held captive by the bounty hunters. This blob, dubbed The Maw, is an insatiable eating machine. When the spaceship crash-lands on a mysterious planet, Frank grabs a plasma leash from the wreckage and sets off to explore with his toothsome pet.

 

Not only can The Maw enthusiastically gobble up pretty much any living creature of equal or smaller size, it can also take on their attributes. Much like Kirby before him (and A Boy and his Blob before that) you must use Frank's ingenuity and The Maw's unique abilities to escape the planet.

 

There are five specific creature types that The Maw can absorb. There's the fire-breathing Gastro, the electrically charged Bulbous, a weird inflatable balloon-worm known as Puff-Tor, a manic bird called Loofer and finally the hulking tank-like Beetull. Also available for your snacking pleasure are Yums, the sort of cute pink creatures you'd normally be protecting in a game like this, and Gloobers, slug-like beasts that must be removed from their rocky shells before The Maw can chow down.

 

Progress is exploration-driven rather than pure platforming. There are moments where Frank needs to let The Maw off the leash so he can clamber to otherwise-inaccessible areas, but the main challenge is working out which powers you need The Maw to adopt, and how to manipulate the wildlife in order to achieve this aim. Frank isn't completely defenceless. He can use the leash to pull large rocks around, to pick up and throw objects and to snare smaller creatures and toss them into the gaping gob slobbering behind him. This is important since, in the style of Katamari, the level only lets you leave once The Maw has achieved a certain size.

 

It's not exactly challenging, since there's no way of dying and no penalty for snuffling around looking for extra stuff - such as the secret Snuffle hidden in each level. Assuming you're exploring every nook and cranny you can expect to polish off each level in around twenty minutes, and with only eight levels (the last of which is...different, to say the least) that doesn't add up to a massive amount of playtime.

 

That's not such a bad thing, however. It definitely leaves you wanting more, and it never outstays its welcome or feels needlessly padded out. It's a shame the game never really seizes the potential of the Maw concept though, since at no point is there a choice between abilities, or puzzles that require more sophisticated use of the various powers available to you. There are also some persistent niggles, such as a camera that really doesn't like you looking upwards, Frank's slightly sluggish movement and the way The Maw needs rather too much micro-management. It'd be nice if he could hungrily round up whatever beasts you unearth for him, but you either need to feed him yourself or guide him by hand so that his food is right in front of him.

 

What the game does have is character. It's a lovely-looking title, arguably the most graphically polished game on Live Arcade despite some occasionally rough environmental details, and both Frank and The Maw are an absolute pleasure to watch. Frank's wide-eyed affection and his endearing calls of "MAAAAH!" when his pal wanders off are cute enough, but it's The Maw who steals the show. A combination of Slimer from Ghostbusters and Animal from The Muppets, he's a goofy and lovable slob, even as he grows from tiny globlet of slime to enormous B-movie monstrosity. There's a wonderfully subversive enjoyment in knowing that Frank is naively unleashing a beast that will probably go on to eat the entire universe.

 

The Maw is the sort of game you'll play for an afternoon, giggling like a fool the whole time. There's not much more to it beyond that brief but satisfying flurry of amusement, unless you want to go back into each level to harvest all the Achievements, but not every game needs endless replay value. The Maw is charming, cheap and memorable enough that its short lifespan shouldn't put you off.

 

I can vouch for the graphics, music, animation and production values. What you're buying is top shelf quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Braid lasted me 5 hours, give or take. This looks to be 3 or 4 if you stretch it.

 

You're right though, being a bit on the short side shouldn't have any bearing on quality. And I feel bad not buying it, it's just so cute.

 

EVERYTHING is beautiful; just listen to the sounds as you scroll through the menu screen. lol!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...