The Maw

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. The game won the 2008 Audience Choice award at PAX10, and was a finalist at the 2009 Independent Games Festival. By the end of 2011, The Maw had sold more than 237,000 units.